China's Largest Commercial Bank to Adopt Turbolinux Operating Systems

1 January 1970

Turbolinux, a global leader of Linux-based solutions, today announced the signing of an agreement with Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, one of the largest, most prestigious banking institutions in China. Under the terms of the deal, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China will integrate Turbolinux operating systems and software throughout its entire banking operations network within an estimated three-year time span. This latest initiative marks the largest Linux deployment to date in the Chinese financial industry, and also comes on the heels of the recent IDC report substantiating Turbolinux's top ranking in the China Linux market for the fourth consecutive year.

Contract terms specify Industrial and Commercial Bank of China's purchase of an unrestricted user license of Linux operating system enterprise software, which can be implemented throughout the entire bank, affiliated branches and subsidiaries. Moreover, the Turbolinux software offers three-year upgrade availability, virus protection, and maintenance service support. During forthcoming conversions, the Linux software will also be used as the operating system of choice for the CITE server, WEB server and new terminal platform.

"Optimal stability and security, as well as system flexibility are key requirements for all our clients, and the banking industry is no exception," said Claude Zhou, general manager of Turbolinux China. "Financial institutions are continually turning to Turbolinux because we offer affordable, best in breed Linux-based solutions that maximize these capabilities."

Due to the importance of this premier Linux initiative for Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, the financial institution carefully assessed Linux product suppliers according to stringent criteria that included engaging a top distributor that:

-- Is actively and simultaneously involved in systems research, development, and service;

-- Has comprehensive knowledge, and proven technical ability;

-- Offers top quality product and services;

-- Consistently meets deadlines; and

-- Can offer long-range and immediate technical support at all levels.

After the evaluation was completed, Turbolinux -- with its outstanding product performance and exceptional track record -- was selected for this pioneer, and significant, Linux endeavor.

About the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China

Listed as a Fortune 500 company, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China is the largest commercial financial institution in China, containing approximately 5,300 RMB in total assets as of December 2003. This figure accounts for nearly one-fifth of the total assets held in all banking institutions in China. Industrial and Commercial Bank of China also maintains the largest customer base in China, including 100 million personal clients and 8.1 million corporate accounts. Industrial and Commercial Bank of China is also a proven leader in the international banking community, maintaining 20,000 agency branches within China, and more than 1,000 subsidiaries abroad.

About Turbolinux, Inc.

Turbolinux develops and sells the leading Linux distribution in the Asia-Pacific region. The operating system is optimized to run on a wide range of hardware platforms, including Intel-based servers and IBM mainframes. Turbolinux, with headquarters in Japan, plays a major role in developing Linux systems for the Japanese and Asian market, including Japanese and Chinese language "double-byte" text support. More than half of Turbolinux's staff is dedicated to Linux engineering development and support, providing expert support and custom application development services that go beyond Japanese localization issues. Turbolinux works extensively with standards bodies and partners to ensure certification and software compatibility in all business environments. For more information, please visit www.turbolinux.com.

Turbolinux is a trademark of Turbolinux, Inc. Linux is a trademark of Linus Torvalds. All other product or service names are the property of their respective owners.

Contacts
Turbolinux, Inc.
Linda Arai, +81 3 6406 2917
linda@turbolinux.co.jp