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Project Scheduling, Automated Status Reporting, Task Dependencies, Cross Project Resource Tracking,
Microsoft  Project 2007 Integration usher in new era of Project Management on the SharePoint Server 2007 Platform.

Seattle, WA, March 3, 2008 – BrightWork, a global provider of innovative Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 applications for work and project management today introduced a new release of pmPoint, the company’s flagship product for project management on SharePoint Server 2007.  Launching this week at the Microsoft Office SharePoint Conference 2008, this latest version of pmPoint adds greater capability and collaboration aimed at supporting the varying project management needs of the enterprise.  Organizations of all sizes in a wide variety of industries now have access to a highly flexible project office application that bridges the gap between email and Microsoft Office Excel and more complex enterprise project management systems. 

This latest release includes:

• Enhanced reporting delivering project summary reports from SharePoint Server 2007 work lists
• More advanced project management and scheduling including integration with Project 2007
• Introduction of Tasks Dependencies with task and sub-task functionality
• Automated Project Status Reporting
• Cross Project Resource Tracking
• 8 Templates for varying levels of project and cross project management from simple to more involved
• Improved Gantt level reporting including the introduction of flexible time scales
• Cross list, cross site and column aggregation

“BrightWork is dedicated to extending the SharePoint Server 2007 platform to deliver true project management functionality”, said Eamonn McGuinness, BrightWork CEO.  “Our goal in this latest release of pmPoint is to further simplify teamwork by providing tailored templates for many different project types.  We are confident our customers will continue to use the SharePoint Server 2007 platform to enable their project teams to get organized, stay in control and achieve unparalleled levels of productivity”. 

“We continue to see more and more customers use SharePoint products to manage projects,” said Tom Rizzo, Director of SharePoint at Microsoft. “BrightWork’s pmPoint is an excellent plug-in to the SharePoint 2007 platform, providing users with enhanced functionality and added value to their overall SharePoint experience.”

Any organization that wants to learn more about this release can visit the BrightWork TrialZone. Anyone attending the Microsoft Office SharePoint Conference can meet with BrightWork at Booth 811.

Problem:

The Office of Development & Alumni Relations at the University of Chicago required a SharePoint Portal Site fortheir Division,specifically for immediate use by their Communications and Operations departments. Their need was to rollout a portal that could be used both division-wide and by other units at the University. This would allow them to have centralized Communication and Collaboration areas across units thathave similar goals yet different work processes. Their need had two main components; one for an overall portal that would contain information currently on their intranet, and also serve as a landing site for identified needs. The other component included an area for managing projects. More than 60% of their users needed to view project related information only, while the remaining users needed to capture and share information with others.

Solution:

The University of Chicago decided to deploy BrightWork pmPoint as the application to manage projects in the organization. pmPoint was able to integrate seamlessly into their overall portal structure and enable the project team to easily navigate from their portal into a dedicated Project Management area and get comprehensive reports on all active projects. Since pmPoint allowed for easy customization, the diverse work within the division allowed for easy reporting and standardization of a methodology across all teams.

 “Working with BrightWork in the deployment of our site was easy, thorough and informative. They took the time to understand what we needed and helped us customize the best site possible for our users. The excitement and energy from our users has confirmed that we made the best choice in purchasing pmPoint.” Jacquie Spearman – University of Chicago

Trend Watch: Revving Up the SharePoint Engine

By Kevin McLaughlin, CMP Channel

Microsoft (NSDQ:MSFT) Office SharePoint Server is hotter than a Phoenix sidewalk in July, and ISVs are using it in an ever-expanding variety of ways. What used to be viewed as a collaboration application has morphed into a full-blown application development platform that ISVs and solution providers are leveraging to streamline business processes.

The fact that organizations are using SharePoint to develop mission-critical applications for both intranets and extranets, as evidenced by companies such as Hawaiian Airlines and TV Guide using it to develop their customer-facing Web sites, shows that SharePoint has come a long way from its roots in collaboration. And many SharePoint ISVs believe the innovation engine that SharePoint represents is just now starting to heat up.

"What we're seeing with SharePoint is that people finally see it as a platform to build applications on, as opposed to it being seen as just a collaboration tool," said Eamonn McGuinness, CEO of BrightWork, a Boston-based SharePoint ISV. "I think people are realizing they can build serious business applications on SharePoint 2007."

- Major update to pmPoint and Reporter keeps BrightWork at the forefront of SharePoint based work and project management solutions providers
Boston, Mass., January 10, 2008 – BrightWork, a leading provider of innovative SharePoint applications for work and project management, has released a major update to the pmPoint and Reporter products. Leveraging over 11 years of experience in helping companies achieve greater efficiencies through process driven work and project management automation, BrightWork has further extended SharePoint 2007 to deliver true project management office functionality and bridge the gap between email and Excel, and more complex enterprise project management systems.
This major upgrade to pmPoint and Reporter includes:

• More advanced project management and scheduling including integration with Microsoft Project
• Introduction of Tasks Dependencies with task and sub-task functionality
• Automated Project Status Reporting
• Cross Project Resource Tracking
• 8 Templates for varying levels of project and cross project management
• Improved Gantt level reporting including the introduction of flexible time scales
• Cross list, cross site and column aggregation

“We encounter more and more organizations struggling to manage projects on email and Excel. With our history of leadership in the area of standards based and process driven project management automation, BrightWork has the know how to power the enhancement of SharePoint to deliver project office applications," said Eamonn McGuinness, BrightWork CEO. "Organizations of all sizes in a wide variety of industries have been using BrightWork software to achieve unprecedented levels of productivity. We look forward to continuing our high level of innovation and supplying our customers with exactly what they need to help their project teams succeed.”
This release is available at no cost to all customers who are on a BrightWork Annual Support and Upgrades plan. Customers who wish to upgrade should contact support@brightwork.com. Any organization that wants to learn more about this release can visit the BrightWork TrialZone. For further information contact sales@brightwork.com or +1 (617) 357-9000 ext. 701.

About BrightWork:

BrightWork is the leading provider of innovative SharePoint applications for collaborative project management and enterprise rollup reporting. Leading companies and government organizations around the world rely on BrightWork solutions to help them better manage their work, projects, and processes including FedEx, Microsoft, Tetley Teas, Skanska and University of Chicago.  For more information, please visit www.brightwork.com.

Press Contact:
Claire Keane
ckeane@brightwork.com