IBM in Partnership with SHARE Inc. Announce 2007 Award for Excellence in Technology.

The Province of Quebec recognized for its IT solutions

CHICAGO -- SHARE Inc., an independent association that provides training to IT professionals who utilize enterprise-class IBM technology, announced The Province of Quebec (DGTIC) is the winner of the 2007 Award for Excellence in Technology.

The organization was able to migrate about 200 Oracle databases and other types of services from Unix environments (SUN-Solaris and IBM-AIX) to Linux on System z in 2006. For 2007, 200 more Oracle databases are planned along with LDAP, Domino and WebSphere Application Servers, SOA infrastructure startup and Open Source environment. This migration resulted in a 90% reduction in Oracle licensing costs.

The Province of Quebec found SHARE's VM and zLinux education invaluable in helping configure this solution. The networking aspects are somewhat complex due to the many different agencies supported by these various Oracle databases.

As a member of SHARE, the DGTIC has attended many meetings over the years. Through the peer interaction at SHARE, DGTIC personnel greatly benefited from the cross pollination of ideas and technologies.

Since 2001, the award has been given annually to a SHARE member company that has demonstrated exceptional use of technology that leverages IBM products or services along with knowledge and professional connections developed through SHARE. SHARE has been an influential association for over 50 years, and receiving this award is considered a highly prestigious achievement. The 2007 runner-up was The University of Florida.

"The statistics behind the work done at The Province of Quebec over the past year tell a compelling story. It is phenomenal to see the real successes the organization has achieved through its hard work. It is a well deserved recipient of an award that on a yearly basis offers proof of how SHARE can solve business issues through IT technology," said Martin Timmerman, President of SHARE.

IBM's System z Technical Sales Support, Michael Bliss stated "The Province of Quebec without question established a standard of excellence over the past year. IBM is proud to see an organization experience wins to this degree using our technology in combination with SHARE's educational opportunities.

The winning organization receives:

* Free full-week conference registration for two (2) employees of the Member Company to attend the SHARE User Events in Tampa: February 11-16, 2007 Tampa, Florida.