El Segundo, Calif. & Austin, TX – January 14, 2009 – iRise®, the world’s leading visualization solutions company, and Ascendant Technology (Atech) today announced the immediate availability of iRise for IBM® Lotus Connections, a pre-configured set of visualization templates that gives organizations a unique way to visualize new community and social networking applications based on IBM Lotus portal and social stack solutions. By visualizing before building, organizations can dramatically cut implementation time and delivery cost of the resulting solution. Both iRise and Atech are selling iRise for IBM Lotus Connections.

iRise for IBM Lotus Connections will be demonstrated at the upcoming Lotusphere Conference in Orlando, FL from January 18th through January 21st in the Ascendant booth (#727).

Jointly developed by iRise and Atech, iRise for IBM Lotus Connections offers a visualization toolkit of generalized IBM Lotus solution-based page templates, masters and styles used to accelerate the assembly of high-fidelity, working simulations of proposed social networking applications. Starting with a library of pre-configured content and by leveraging the power of iRise Studio, business analysts can bring together a working preview of proposed solutions in a fraction of the time it would take to generate paper specification documents or build coded prototypes. Business stakeholders can ‘test drive’ the visualizations on their own or in collaborative meetings that directly involve subject matter experts. Comments can be logged and acted upon quickly, speeding consensus and eliminating confusion on business requirements.

“Visualization is now a proven strategy to virtually eliminate project failure,” stated Emmet B. Keeffe III, CEO and co-founder of iRise. “The next step in the market’s development is the availability of pre-configured content that accelerates the assembly of visualization solutions for specific environments. Our partnership with Ascendant offers a powerful new capability for IBM Lotus customers that will change the game for how applications are defined.”

Atech will also be leveraging iRise for IBM Lotus Connections to rapidly create simulations of composite applications during proposal pursuits and on client engagements. This will ensure that clients receive the ultimate in communication and collaboration both during the selling process and the project definition phase for these engagements.

“iRise for IBM® Lotus Connections provides the most cost-effective way for organizations to understand the value and develop the requirements for creating social computing applications before the expensive process of developing code,” said Jim Deters, President of Ascendant Technology.

Software Visualization – When Failure is No Longer an Option
iRise visualization software gives companies a powerful way to “test drive” and fully experience business applications before they’re built. Whether you’re building custom applications or extending packaged solutions, getting the requirements right the first time is an imperative in today’s economy. Visualization is now an essential strategy to cut software project cost, accelerate application delivery and leverage outsourcing partnerships without the usual confusion and risk. Just as computer-aided design (CAD) tools transformed the automotive, aerospace and semiconductor industries, iRise is now transforming the global business application market.  

With thousands of projects completed successfully, the value of visualization has proven to be enormous for businesses in highly competitive markets:

• Get to market twice as fast;
• Eliminate 30% of project cost;
• Ensure success of global sourcing strategies; and,
• Dramatically shorten application consolidation projects.

Pricing and Availability
Pricing for iRise for IBM Lotus Connections is available upon request.

About iRise
iRise is the world’s leading provider of visualization software for business applications.    Visualization is quickly becoming a critical competitive advantage for businesses to more effectively communicate their needs to technology teams and give everyone involved the ability to fully experience applications before they are built.  Companies of all sizes like General Motors, UPS, Wachovia, Manpower, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, and many others use iRise to “test drive” their applications before building, which accelerates time to revenue, improves customer experience, and drives costs down.  At iRise, our vision is that by 2020, all business software will be visualized before being built, the same way that every car, airplane, and building is visualized today.  Headquartered in El Segundo, Calif., iRise is backed by Morgan Stanley Venture Partners, and Deutsche Bank, and has sales offices across North America.

About Ascendant Technology
Ascendant Technology (Atech) is the only end-to-end solution provider and software reseller dedicated to IBM technology specializing in web-based solutions. Atech works comprehensively across all five IBM software pillars – Lotus, WebSphere, Tivoli, Rational and Information Management brands – to create elegant portal, commerce and rich internet applications. From business analysis and user experience through architecture, development and post deployment support, Atech provides value through industry acumen, technology expertise, and a suite of assets designed to speed deployment and time to value. Atech has local offices across the US and in Europe, Brazil and India. Atech is recognized as a Premier IBM business partner and has garnered numerous IBM awards in the Lotus, WebSphere and Rational brands, including best portal solution and SOA innovator.

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iRise is a registered trademark of iRise. All other companies and products mentioned are trademarks and property of their respective owners.