Press Release

adBlocks Releases SQL-based Version of adSails

Kennebunkport, ME, August 21, 2006 — adBlocks, the premier developer of workflow automation solutions for the advertising sales industry, announced today a new version of its Sales Force Automation (SFA) application, adSails. The new version is the result of a year-long, top-to-bottom rewrite of the application. It employs a client-server architecture that features a Java-based front end and a SQL backend database. First deployed in the second quarter, the new product offers enterprise-level scalability without the need for application serving technologies, such as Citrix. It also provides a faster, more consistent end-user experience. Most important, adSails' new application architecture dramatically reduces the cost of ownership for the company's current and prospective clients.

The new version of adSails represents a technological leapfrog over other products on the market. adSails is now more robust than a web application and has comparable compatibility and ease of deployment. adSails can now be deployed on any platform, including Macintosh OSX and Linux. adBlocks President Michael Phelps attributes this to the adSails Java client with which end-users connect to a SQL data server. "We like to describe the adSails client as rich, thin, and smart: rich in the sense that it draws forms and executes methods, unlike a web browser, which simply renders HTML; thin in the sense that it is very lightweight—about two megabytes—though not quite as lightweight as a web browser; and by smart we mean that it carries some of the processing weight, so it feels like .NET without saddling the end-user with unnecessary baggage." Over the next two quarters, adBlocks plans to launch a web client that will feature forms designed specifically to give access to adSails over handheld devices, such as Palm, Blackberry, and smart phones.

Perhaps the most important feature of the new architecture is that it delivers dramatic cost savings. adSails now offers enterprise-class deployment without the need for expensive and high-maintenance application serving solutions, such as Citrix. For enterprise clients, the cost of ownership is significantly lower than it was for earlier versions of adSails. The elimination of Citrix reduces costs by obviating the need for expensive Citrix licenses. It produces even greater savings by eliminating the hidden costs of hardware and ongoing IT maintenance. "For some of our customers, Citrix costs were as much as or greater than adSails licensing. We are delighted to remove that expense from our deployment costs." The removal of Citrix from its deployment method was an important factor in adBlocks' choice to redesign its product.

Zero Deployment

One of the primary purposes of the application rewrite was to use newly mature technologies to create a "zero deployment" model for adSails. adSails uses Java WebStart technology, so there is no need to install the adSails client on each workstation or roll out new versions manually. Deployment is handled automatically by the adSails server, which makes sure the client has the latest version. If it does not, the adSails client will automatically update itself and continue to launch. Additionally, since adSails is deployed as a real application, there are no cross-browser compatibility issues. The adSails client behaves the same way for all operating systems and platforms. This allows adSails to work in a Macintosh OSX or Linux environment without the use of application serving technologies, such as Citrix.

Rewritten from the Ground Up

For deployment, adSails uses a three-tier model—database - application server - client—to ensure maximum performance, minimum bandwidth usage, excellent performance, and strict implementation of security rules. The adSails client maintains a two-way stateful connection with the adSails server, providing the end-user with an interactive client experience. It also employs technology to move script processing from the server and push it to the client. As a result, the adSails server has a lower load, provides better scalability, and provides end-users with necessary functionality faster and more efficiently. The application scales from a single user on a low power machine all the way up to tens of thousands of concurrent users. The only limits are the customer's hardware and the speed of the backend database. To reduce the load on the database server, adSails uses connection pooling, which allows database connections to be shared across multiple adSails Java clients. Security and transaction handling are managed by the application server to ensure database consistency.

adSails uses intelligent technology to move business logic execution to the client, resulting in a server that demands fewer resources than comparable three-tier applications. The adSails application server tracks which clients are viewing what data on which form in which application, and then intelligently broadcasts data changes to only those clients that need it. The adSails server uses fewer resources by using a similar intelligent technology when dealing with data caching on the client side. A typical 2-CPU server can easily scale to thousands of concurrent users, depending on the speed of the backend database. All data between client and server is encrypted using 128-bit SSL encryption. Customers can optionally use their own SSL certificate from trusted organizations (such as Verisign and Thawte) for additional security.

Throughout the rewrite of the application, adBlocks has given great care to the data structure of the backend database. The new adSails meets the standards of corporate IT departments for stability, scalability, and security by using SQL. According to Michael Phelps, "adBlocks has been careful care to keep adSails database-agnostic, so that it will work with any flavor of SQL, such as MS SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle, or Sybase iAnywhere, which we use for our ASP and include at no cost along with our application licensing." As an example of the development work surrounding the new data structure, the product features a new method of maintaining keys that provides greater data integrity. "We now have complete control over all our keys so that there can never be a non-unique key, even in the most minor table. This is of tremendous importance in an industry where corporate consolidation sometimes requires merging data from different versions of our software. It's amazing how many data vendors have a problem with this." The new data structure also makes adSails more configurable, allowing adBlocks to customize the application for new media sectors with evolving business practices. adSails can encode a comprehensive range of business rules and nomenclature, all within a single database.

A Decades-worth of Functionality

The rewrite has also given adBlocks the opportunity to consolidate years of experience in the advertising sales industry. adSails describes the life of every sale, from cold call to the export of a closed order to third-party fulfillment systems. In addition, it summarizes this data in a unique range of reports that describe sales activity, account performance, and revenue forecasts. This comprehensive management of the sales process has made adSails the SFA solution of choice for advertising sales operations with diverse sales practices and widely varying media offerings, including cable, radio, internet, outdoor, print, and digital. The rewrite has allowed adBlocks to refine this functionality, making the application more efficient. It has also made it easier to extend functionality in powerful ways, such as integration with Microsoft Outlook. The new version of adSails also features interface improvements, such as an interactive calendar for drag-and-drop scheduling of appointments. "We think the new version will be enthusiastically received by our user base," says Phelps. "We have given a lot of attention to interface issues. At the end of the day, we want this new version of adSails to be a pleasure for the end-user to work in."

About adBlocks

adBlocks ( www.adblocks.com ) is an advertising support company that develops Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Sales Force Automation (SFA) solutions for the advertising sales industry. Its database software, adSails, maximizes efficiencies and drives incremental revenues for the ad sales operations of some of the largest media companies in the world. By focusing on the needs of the advertising marketplace, adBlocks amortizes traditional customization costs across the entire industry, rather than passing them on to individual customers. As a result, the company delivers superior functionality at a competitive price point relative to generic CRM/SFA solutions. Founded in 1994 to serve the needs of the cable advertising industry, the company serves eight of the top ten cable operators, including all of the top five, and has a market share of greater than 60%. In recent years, adBlocks has expanded to serve the needs of the larger advertising sales vertical, with clients in out-of-home, internet, newspaper, and magazine advertising. adBlocks is privately owned and headquartered in Kennebunkport , Maine .

adBlocks and adSails are registered trademarks of adBlocks, Inc., Kennebunkport, Maine . Copyright © 2006 adBlocks, Inc.