ASCL Ascential Software - Common Stock (MM)

Cognos ReportNet(TM) and MetaBroker from Ascential Software Deliver Enhanced Enterprise Data Access - Industry-leading data integration and business intelligence vendors announce plans for deep integration - BURLINGTON, Mass., Dec. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Cognos (Nasdaq: COGN; TSX: CSN), the world leader in business intelligence and corporate performance management (CPM), today announced it is extending its open data strategy for enterprise reporting to support BI standardization by integrating Ascential MetaBroker(R) from Ascential Software Corporation with Cognos ReportNet(TM). Together, Cognos and Ascential Software will continue to help customers derive maximum value from their corporate data and drive corporate performance management. Through a strengthened partnership with Cognos, Ascential Software will develop an Ascential MetaBroker for universal metadata exchange with Cognos ReportNet. This seamless access to metadata will give business users confidence that the data they query and analyze is accurate, timely, and relevant to their needs. "Robust, end-to-end enterprise data integration functionality is critical to successful BI implementations, and we are excited to extend our Cognos relationship," said Bob Zurek, vice president, advanced technologies and product management, Ascential Software. "The deeper interoperability between the Ascential Enterprise Integration Suite(TM) and Cognos' enterprise reporting and analysis offerings will help enable our mutual customers to fully realize the ROI they demand from their business intelligence initiatives." Through its modern Web services architecture, Cognos offers an open data strategy to leverage existing investments companies have made in capturing data assets and data integration strategies. Through active partnerships with Ascential Software and other data integration solution providers, Cognos strengthens ReportNet's appeal to meet the broad user and diverse reporting requirements of the enterprise. "Cognos is pleased to extend the depth and reach of our alliance with Ascential Software," said Patrick O'Leary, Cognos vice president of strategic alliances. "The combination of Ascential Software and Cognos enables intuitive query and analysis of accurate information - increasing the speed of information delivery and enabling better decision making. We look forward to helping our shared customers drive more value from their enterprise to help increase profitability." About Ascential: Ascential Software Corporation (NASDAQ:ASCL) is the leader in enterprise data integration. Customers and partners worldwide use the Ascential Enterprise Integration Suite to confidently transform data into accurate, reliable and complete business information to improve operational performance and decision-making across every critical business dimension. Our comprehensive end-to-end solutions provide on demand data integration complemented by our professional services, industry expertise, and methodologies. Ascential Software is headquartered in Westboro, Mass., and has more than 3,000 customers and partners globally across such industries as financial services and banking, insurance, healthcare, retail, manufacturing, consumer packaged goods, telecommunications and government. For more information call 1-800-966-9875 (508-366.3888 if calling from outside the US or Canada) or visit the Ascential Software website at http://www.ascential.com/. About Cognos: Cognos, the world leader in business intelligence and performance management, delivers software and services that helps companies drive, monitor and understand corporate performance. Cognos delivers the next level of competitive advantage -- Corporate Performance Management (CPM) -- achieved through the strategic application of BI on an enterprise scale. Our integrated CPM solution helps customers drive performance through planning; monitor performance through scorecarding; and understand performance through business intelligence. Cognos serves more than 23,000 customers in over 135 countries. Cognos enterprise business intelligence and performance management solutions and services are also available from more than 3,000 worldwide partners and resellers. For more information, visit the Cognos Web site at http://www.cognos.com/. Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This release contains forward-looking statements based on current expectations or beliefs, as well as a number of assumptions about future events, and these statements are subject to important factors and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this release address a variety of subjects including, for example, the functionality, characteristics, quality and performance capabilities of software products and technology of both Ascential and Cognos; results achievable and benefits attainable through deployment of the software products and provision of services of both Ascential and Cognos; and improvements in operational performance and decision-making and the ability of Ascential Software to develop an Ascential MetaBroker for universal metadata exchange with Cognos ReportNet. The following factors, among others, could cause actual results of either Ascential or Cognos to differ materially from those described in these forward-looking statements: the ability of either company to expand its market share; growth rates for the enterprise data integration software market; general business conditions in the software industry, the technology sector, and in the domestic and international economies; rapid technological change in the markets served by both companies; dependence on international operations; global and geopolitical instability; compliance costs associated with regulations to which both Cognos and Ascential are subject, including the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, and the impact of such regulations; and difficulties that either company may experience integrating technologies, operations and personnel of completed or future acquisitions. For a detailed discussion of these and other cautionary statements, please refer to the filings made by Ascential Software and Cognos Incorporated with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, without limitation, the most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Ascential Software and Cognos Incorporated each disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward- looking statements made herein to reflect any change in Ascential Software's or Cognos Incorporated's expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which such statements are based. Ascential Software and Cognos Incorporated are not responsible for statements attributed to third parties within this release or in any materials referenced herein. Partnerships described herein shall be deemed to be strategic alliances only, and shall not imply the power of either partner to bind the other partner or to incur obligations on behalf of the other partner. Cognos the Cognos logo and ReportNet are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cognos Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. All other names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Note to Editors: Copies of previous Cognos press releases and Corporate and product information are available on Cognos' Web site at http://www.cognos.com/, and at PR Newswire's site at http://www.prnewswire.com/ Media Contacts: Antonietta Iafrate Cognos, 781-313-2454 Don Jennings Lois Paul & Partners, LLC, 781-782-5756 Investor Relations: John Lawlor Cognos, 613-738-3503 DATASOURCE: Cognos CONTACT: Antonietta Iafrate of Cognos, +1-781-313-2454, ; or Don Jennings of Lois Paul & Partners, LLC, +1-781-782-5756, ; or Investor Relations: John Lawlor of Cognos, +1-613-738-3503, Web site: http://www.cognos.com/ http://www.ascential.com/ Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/107867.html

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