Here published with kind permission by Cybersource Pty. Ltd.

Australia -- 5th April, 2005

Cybersource today launches a free information referral service which we believe can help the state Departments of Education and the independent schools save millions in software licence fees. We achieve this by providing educators with the bargaining leverage that's needed to dramatically reduce the prices paid for proprietary software.

"Educational software users are always short on budgets for IT," stated Cybersource CEO, Con Zymaris. "Software licence costs are eating into an increasing portion of those budgets. However, what many education Departments don't realise is that they have substantial leverage when it next comes time to negotiate with proprietary software vendors.'

The Cybersource Open Source in Education referral service consists of a strategic analysis of the Department's existing platforms and applications and a plan showing how open source software can cut the Department's software licence expenses. We want to help each Department visualise how they can use open source software to their benefit in negotiations with vendors.

Our suggestion to Australia's education Departments is a simple one: you control what software is placed in front of hundreds of thousands of students and teachers. This gives you immense leverage when it comes to negotiating with vendors - if you know how to use it.

"And Cybersource will show you how to use that leverage to full effect," continued Zymaris. "In many instances, it's not educators who should be paying the vendors for selecting proprietary software - vendors should be paying you for the privilege of indoctrinating your students with their wares. And make no mistake about it, when prodded in the right way, vendors will pay."

"Can you imagine how, as just one example, Microsoft would react if they were told that 5 million students in various states, would now be learning Linux and OpenOffice.org? If you were Microsoft, wouldn't you pay to ensure that your products were preferentially placed in front of those students? I'm sure they would. They know what damage to their mindshare would be caused by millions of students entering industry with a comfortable knowledge of Linux and other open source alternatives."

Zymaris went on to add, "Even if Microsoft demonstrates a willingness to abandon their established mindshare any Department of Education that utilises Cybersource's referral service is in a no-lose position; at any point in the process they will have the option between two viable offerings: OpenOffice.org and Linux on one hand and the offering from Microsoft."

"And as a number of large education Department licencing deals are coming up for renewal, now is the time for Departments to start sharpening their pencils, and Cybersource has just the sharpener for them," concluded Zymaris.