Merant Showcases Solutions in IBM’s Linux Center of Competence

MERANT SHOWCASES SOLUTIONS IN IBM’S LINUX CENTER OF COMPETENCE TO BRING
LINUX TO FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY

PVCS DimensionsTM and PVCS Version ManagerTM Among First Software
Configuration Management Solutions Available at Linux Center

HILLSBORO, Ore. —February 5, 2003 — Merant (NASDAQ: MRNT; LSE: MRN), a
leading provider of software and services that deliver flexible control of
code, content and other business-critical assets, today announced that it
is showcasing its solutions at IBM’s Linux Center of Competence. One of
the first providers of software configuration management (SCM) solutions
to participate in the Linux Center of Competence, Merant is offering
financial organizations the opportunity to evaluate two of its leading
products, PVCS Dimensions and PVCS Version Manager, in the Center’s Linux
environment.

“Open standards and platforms are enormously important for a number of
reasons, but Linux in particular has repeatedly demonstrated its value by
reducing the complexity and costs of IT infrastructure,” noted James
Rogers, vice president of product marketing at Merant. “We have a number
of customers in the financial services industry who have expressed
interest in Linux, and by joining IBM’s Linux Center, we’ve made it
extremely easy for them to determine whether it is the right operating
system for their needs.”

IBM’s Linux Center of Competence is designed to give financial services
organizations easy access to a wide range of Linux-based hardware,
software and services from IBM and other leading companies, such as
Merant. At the Center, financial organizations can evaluate and test key
applications on Linux, secure technical advice, participate in Linux
training courses and educational programs, attend community events, and
work in a hands-on environment with Linux distributors and IBM partners.
The Linux Center of Competence is located in the IBM building at 590
Madison Avenue in New York City.

“The outstanding response we have received from customers, business
partners and independent software vendors participating in the Linux
Center of Competence is a clear indicator of the strong demand for Linux
solutions on Wall Street,” commented Dan Dantzic, program manager, IBM
Linux Center of Competence. “Since software configuration management plays
such a critical role in maintaining the integrity of IT systems,
particularly for financial services organizations, we are extremely
pleased that Merant is a participant in the Center.”

“Linux is extremely compatible with our production environment, and we are
delighted that we will be able to use it in conjunction with Merant’s
solutions,” said Bahman Hamedebarghi, chief architect at Credit Suisse AG
in Frankfurt. “We are saving a significant amount of time in terms of
testing any potential issues with this new operating system, and we are
able to make a precise estimate of what will happen when we switch a new
release to production.” 

Merant’s PVCS Dimensions and PVCS Version Manager, which support Red Hat
and SuSE Linux, can now be evaluated at the Center. PVCS Dimensions, the
industry’s most flexible enterprise change management platform, provides
comprehensive process control, versioning, baseline management, issue
management, release management, build management and workflow management.
Scalable enough to address the needs of teams of all sizes, PVCS
Dimensions can be rapidly implemented, ensuring the protection and
management of all enterprise assets. With process control that can be
easily customized to fit agile or traditional methodologies, or modeled on
specific needs, PVCS Dimensions quickly simplifies change management
across an entire organization.

PVCS Version Manager automates the protection and management of software
assets during development and change. For many companies, version control
remains a critical first step toward more efficient development practices.
By organizing revisions and enabling concurrent and parallel development
with less risk, and reducing common team coordination errors, PVCS Version
Manager helps developers produce higher quality software faster, and with
less rework. PVCS Version Manager features intuitive, graphical user
interfaces, including a Web client for easy remote development, enabling
all team members to use version management consistently and effectively.

“When companies adopt Linux, it is important for them to take a proactive
stance on change management to avoid disrupting systems and software that
are ingrained in the processes and culture of the company. Merant’s
solutions are particularly valuable in this type of expanding
heterogeneous infrastructure since they enable organizations to easily
manage assets, issues and processes across Windows, UNIX, Mainframe and
Linux environments,” added Rogers.

About Merant 
Merant’s software and services give companies the most flexible control of
code, content and workflow, enabling them to better view, track, protect
and re-use these business-critical assets. More than 90 of the Fortune 100
companies rely on Merant’s cost-effective solutions to automate business
processes, significantly boosting productivity, visibility and overall
ROI. For more information, please visit www.merant.com.

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Merant Dimensions, PVCS Professional and Merant are trademarks of Merant. 
All other trademarks are the property