OPSWARE WINS NETWORK WORLD'S BEST OF THE TESTS AWARD

Opsware Network Automation System Earns Highest Recommendation for Outstanding Performance and Value

Sunnyvale, CA - March 8, 2005 -- Opsware Inc. (NASDAQ: OPSW), the leading provider of IT automation and utility computing software, today announced that the Opsware Network Automation System (NAS) has been awarded Network World's Best of the Tests award for Network Management. Winners were chosen from 260 products by the Network World testing editors in conjunction with Network World's Lab Alliance, which consists of independent product testers who are industry experts, university affiliates or members of independent labs.

The Opsware Network Automation System is based on Rendition Networks' award-winning TrueControl product, which Opsware acquired in February 2005. Opsware's Server Automation System combined with the award-winning Network Automation System provides IT with the most comprehensive IT automation solution available today.

The Opsware Network Automation System is the leading network device automation product, with deployments across all major vertical markets including financial services, insurance, government, defense, telecommunications, service providers, healthcare, technology and retail. NAS tracks and regulates changes-in real-time-across routers, switches, firewalls, and load balancers to provide greater accountability and insight for network changes. The product automates IT's strategic priorities including regulatory and process compliance policies such as Sarbanes-Oxley, COBIT and ITIL and security administration.

"Every year, we look back at technologies that made the biggest impact on our readers, and of those only nine stood out this year as the cream of the crop, including Opsware Network Automation," said Keith Shaw, senior editor of product testing at Network World. "Opsware Network Automation earned our highest recommendation for enterprise deployment based on its overall usefulness when deployed in a large-scale network and ability to provide multiple tools for getting the job done."

Judged on its performance in a hands-on testing process, Network World praised the Opsware Network Automation System for "providing a wealth of detailed information and a robust search capability and security model, and for a great mix of compliance-detection and top-notch reporting capabilities." Network World endorsed several additional features in NAS, stating that it "provided excellent search, auditing and report capabilities, with devices, modules, configurations, tasks, sessions and events all checkable against specified criteria. Groups of equipment could be created to monitor and change configuration on a more easily managed basis. The system could deploy user and SNMP passwords, which eases a once-arduous task."

"Network World's Best of the Tests award validates the technical merit and unparalleled value of our network automation product through a rigorous hands-on testing process," said Eric Johnson, vice president of development at Opsware. "This endorsement recognizes the importance of our compliance and auditing capabilities, which are critical to helping customers meet newly enacted, complex government regulations. When combined with the company's server automation technology, Opsware has an unmatched lead in the IT automation market."

Network World's sixth annual Signature Series Best Products Issue, published in February, highlights the best new products, services and practices in networking and the best new ideas on buying, building and managing networks. The Best Products Issue is also highlighted in a special section on Network World's Website.

About Network World
Network World, Inc., the Leader in Network Knowledge, empowers Network IT Executives through education, information and community. Network World, an IDG company, is the leading provider of news, analysis, reviews, events and education on information technology. Network World publishes the leading newsweekly, Network World, hosts the most active online community http://www.nwfusion.com, and produces educational seminars and events worldwide. Network World's portfolio of strategic marketing programs provides marketing and agency professionals with the tools to generate high-quality leads, optimize marketing campaigns, and create new revenue opportunities.

About Opsware Inc. (NASDAQ: OPSW)

Opsware Inc. is the world’s leading IT automation and utility computing software company. The growth of the Internet is driving a shift from client/server computing to Web architecture. With this shift comes an overwhelming proliferation of servers, network devices and applications, creating massive complexity that makes an automated IT model a necessity. The Opsware System automates the complete IT lifecycle and delivers utility computing by enabling IT to automatically provision, patch, configure, secure, change, scale, audit, recover, consolidate, migrate, and reallocate servers, network devices and applications. Over 250 of the world’s largest companies, outsourcers and government agencies use Opsware to deliver this new, automated model of IT. For more information on Opsware Inc., please visit our Web site at www.opsware.com.

 

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Opsware is a service mark and trademark of Opsware Inc. All other product names, service marks, and trademarks mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective owners.