SiteSmith Announces Second Phase of European Expansion; Company Appoints Managing Directors for...

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 10, 2001

SiteSmith, Inc., a leading provider of Internet infrastructure managed services, today announced the second phase of its European expansion with the opening of full service operations in France,

Germany and the Netherlands. The company also announced the appointment of Robert Chidiac (France), Dr. Robert Philipp (Germany), Pim Berger (Netherlands) and John Dowbiggin (United Kingdom) as managing directors of their respective country operations as well as Gerrit van Munster, vice president of human resources for SiteSmith EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa).

In less than fifteen months, SiteSmith has built a worldwide operation to support the increasing demand by Global 2000 companies for outsourced Internet infrastructure managed services. As of January 2001, the company has more than 460 employees and fifteen offices worldwide. Additionally, it has worked with more than 170 customers including About.com, Booz Allen & Hamilton, Brooks Brothers and BP Amoco.

"We are pleased to have five veterans of successful Internet service and technology companies join the SiteSmith team," said David Winn, president of SiteSmith EMEA. "Their deep knowledge of their respective local markets combined with their ability to grow high tech businesses will help SiteSmith rapidly expand its European business."

About SiteSmith EMEA Managing Directors

Robert Chidiac, managing director of SiteSmith France, has more than 16 years of experience in business development both at national and international levels with companies such as AT&T and Lucent Technologies. Chidiac most recently served as managing director and vice president of sales for MobActiv, a spinoff of France Telecom, where he doubled the size of the company and more than doubled revenue. While at AT&T, Chidiac held various sales and operations positions in France and in the U.S. Most notably, he held the position of director of Strategic and Operational Affairs alongside the CEO for EMEA. At Lucent, Chidiac was the managing director of the French subsidiary in charge of manufacturing PBXs for the EMEA market. Chidiac received a master's degree in electrical engineering in France and a MBA from Columbia University in New York, U.S.

Dr. Robert Philipp, managing director of SiteSmith Germany, joins the company from Cluster Consulting, an IT and telecommunications consulting firm, where he was responsible for the launch and development of the company's German subsidiary. In addition to his management responsibilities, Philipp focused on strategic consulting for the telecommunications industry as well as on Internet-related implementations. Philipp started his career in consulting with Booz Allen & Hamilton in the Communications, Media and Technology business unit focusing on telecommunications and financial service industries. After eight years with Booz Allen & Hamilton, he joined Technology Solutions Company, a leading e-business consulting integration firm where he was a senior vice president focusing on management consulting and system integrations in the area of customer care (eCRM). Prior to his consulting career, Philipp was in the academic field researching, teaching and lecturing on computer science. Philipp holds a master's degree in business administration and a doctorate in business studies from the University of Fribourg, and a MBA from Insead, Fountainebleau.

Pim Berger, managing director of SiteSmith Netherlands, has more than 15 years of experience in the service management and Internet arena. He joins SiteSmith from PinkRoccade where he held several executive positions at the company and its subsidiary Pink Elephant, an information and communications technology outsourcing and consultancy firm. Berger was instrumental in developing PinkRoccade's managed services and ASP business. In his most recent role as managing director, Berger was responsible for strategy and business development of Pink Elephant Online Business Services, directing all aspects of the business including human resources, finance, business and marketing. Additionally, he was a member of the PinkRoccade Strategy Counsel, reporting to the Board of Directors. Berger earned a master's degree in computer science from Hogeschool Ijselland.

John Dowbiggin, managing director of SiteSmith U.K., joins the company from Cable & Wireless Ltd. where he was vice president of the Internet Protocol solutions division. He was responsible for driving sales activity into new emerging markets, namely e-business, Web management and Internet protocol networking. Prior to Cable & Wireless, Dowbiggin was the national sales director for Internet Network Services. He also served as regional business services director at TeleWest Communications PLC.

About SiteSmith EMEA Vice President of Human Resources

Gerrit van Munster, vice president of human resources for SiteSmith EMEA, will spearhead SiteSmith's efforts to hire, train and retain top-flight technical, sales and management personnel in EMEA. He will also be responsible for ensuring consistency in education, culture and employee programs for the company as it continues to expand its operations in EMEA.

Formerly senior vice president of human resources at Baan Company, van Munster has more than fourteen years of experience building and operating a highly successful global human resources organization that delivered the programs and services necessary to meet business objectives in a high growth, dynamic marketplace. During his tenure with Baan, he was responsible for the company's successful recruitment, benefit and management programs. Additionally, as the company experienced tremendous growth, pre- and post-IPO, he was responsible for developing highly effective integration, restructuring and training programs through organic business expansion and acquisitions.

Outsourcing Internet Infrastructure Management Is A Value Proposition

As the Internet has grown, so have the breadth of Internet product and service offerings and the complexity of operating an Internet site. A company must design and develop the site; obtain and install hardware and customized software; establish a high-speed, reliable network infrastructure; and maintain, improve and optimize the site. In particular, site reliability, security and scalability have grown more important. Businesses must address these challenges in the context of greater time-to-market pressures, limited resources, rapid technological change and a shortage of qualified information technology personnel. Moreover, rapid expansion by online businesses has increased the need for around-the-clock and global Internet operations support. As a result, high-growth Global 2000 companies are turning to outsourcing their Internet infrastructure management. By outsourcing the management of their Internet sites, companies can focus on their Internet business rather than managing their site infrastructure.

SiteSmith provides the technology and services that automate the construction and management of complex Internet site infrastructures. At the core of its service offering is the SiteSmith Operations Platform, a comprehensive and flexible Internet service utility that can accelerate site deployment, provide predictable and cost-effective site management, and enable capacity planning for companies with new and existing Internet sites.

About SiteSmith

Founded in October 1999, SiteSmith is the leading provider of comprehensive Internet infrastructure managed services. The company develops and manages large-scale, complex Internet sites for Global 2000 companies to ensure performance, reliability, security and scalability. SiteSmith provides the technology and services to automate the critical elements of Internet site infrastructure including security, 24x7 monitoring, network redundancy and backup. Headquartered in Santa Clara, California, SiteSmith has offices worldwide. Information about SiteSmith and its services is available on the World Wide Web at www.sitesmith.com or by calling 888/424-0059 or 408/987-6400.

SiteSmith has entered into an agreement to be acquired by Metromedia Fiber Network, Inc. The transaction is expected to close in early 2001, subject to regulatory approval and other customary conditions.

Note to Editors: SiteSmith and SiteSmith Operations Platform are service marks of SiteSmith, Inc.