Interop® Global Brand Builds Momentum at Successful Las Vegas Event

Interop Now Firmly Established as Premier IT Event in North America

SAN FRANCISCO, May 16, 2006 – With the conclusion of Interop Las Vegas 2006, strong momentum generated from the successful event for the third straight year continues to propel the Interop brand, which has now become the undisputed IT event in North America. With over 18,000 total attendees, increased buyer attendance on the Interop Las Vegas show floor was a clear result of expanded exhibitor presence, which included industry leaders such as EMC, IBM and Microsoft. In addition, over 175 product or news announcements were made at the event, an increase of 25% over 2005, creating a buzz unlike previous years.

IT and business decision-makers jammed conference sessions at Interop Las Vegas, with topics such as security, VoIP and collaboration, storage and SMB topics taking center stage during the week, reflecting the most pressing issues in the industry today. Interop continues its momentum in 2006 at Interop New York, taking place September 18-22, as well as at Interop Tokyo (June 5-9) and Interop Moscow (June 21-23). Interop Las Vegas will return to the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in 2007 from May 20-25.

For 20 years, Interop has held a unique place in the IP infrastructure markets, and is responsible for fostering the innovation that has fueled the revolution and evolution in IP networking. With network convergence now taking center stage as the key enabler of the latest technology innovations, Interop will continue to show how all of the pieces fit together to help IT organizations overcome their business challenges.

"I was pleased to see the excitement at Interop Las Vegas last week, with more announcements taking place at the show than I've seen in the past few years," said Thomas Noonan, CEO of Internet Security Systems (ISS). "ISS looks forward to returning to future Interop events, and expanding the opportunities for awareness and education on securing IP communications.”

"I was not only impressed with caliber of the audience at Interop Las Vegas this year, but I was equally impressed at how engaged and enthusiastic the attendees were," said Kristie Bell, Vice President, System Storage Marketing, IBM. "IBM and the rest of the IT industry are focused on how the market for enterprise IP communications and convergence is rapidly evolving, impacting the heart of business processes, and Interop is a key forum bringing industry leaders together on this topic."

Additional information on Interop is available online at www.interop.com.

About Interop®
Interop®, now part of the CMP Media family of global brands, has led the revolution and evolution in IP networking for the past twenty years, and is dedicated to promoting and demonstrating the interoperability of the converged network, applications and devices to seamlessly exchange and use information to address the full range of business challenges facing IT organizations today and tomorrow. As the leading destination for technology buyers and sellers, Interop has fostered the growth and evolution of the IT industry for the past two decades, and remains the most anticipated and only comprehensive IT event. Through in-depth educational programs, workshops, real-world demonstrations and live technology implementations in its unique InteropNet and InteropLabs programs, Interop® provides the forum for the most powerful innovations and solutions the industry has to offer. Interop® New York 2006 will take place at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, September 18-22, 2006, with Interop® Las Vegas returning to the Mandalay Bay Convention Center from May 20-25, 2007. For more information about these events, visit www.interop.com.

About CMP Media (www.techweb.com)
CMP Media is a marketing solutions company serving the technology, healthcare and lifestyles industries. Through its market-leading portfolio of trusted information brands, CMP Media has earned the confidence of more professionals and enthusiasts in these fields than any other media company. As a result, CMP is the premier provider of access, insight and actionable programs designed to connect sellers and buyers in each of these industries in ways that yield superior return on investment. CMP Media is a subsidiary of United Business Media (http://www.unitedbusinessmedia.com), a global provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a market capitalization of more than $3 billion.