My Tejari During GITEX 2003
'My Tejari' sets new standard for personalization, notification, and secure mobile commerce during GITEX 2003

United Arab Emirates, October 20, 2003

Microsoft Tejari, the Middle East online marketplace, has selected LINKdotNET and Microsoft as technology partners to build the dynamic 'My Tejari' portal, which sets new regional standards for personalization and notification in mobile commerce.

Unveiling the. NET-based 'My Tejari' initiative during the GITEX exhibition, Tejari aims to fundamentally change the way in which both potential and existing members approach online commerce.

As part of Tejari's customer-centric procurement model, 'My Tejari' enables both buyers and suppliers trading on the marketplace to personalize their view of the trading community based on business preferences, and receive real-time updates on their online activities, including tenders and auctions, by SMS alert, e-mail, or fax. In addition to the new personalization and notification functionality, 'My Tejari' also includes powerful searching and reporting capabilities so members can target information by company name, commodity, geographic region, and industry for increased business intelligence.

Conducting a live demonstration of the results generated by Tejari, LINKdotNET and Microsoft's collaboration, Tejari CEO Sheikha Lubna Al-Qasimi illustrated just how easy it is for Tejari members to design a personalized view of the marketplace, and receive up-to-the-minute procurement information via mobile device.

'The objective of building the new Tejari portal was twofold. First and foremost, this new initiative is a core part of Tejari's goal to enhance customer adoption of online procurement, which we're driving through greater ease-of-use, personalization, and mobile accessibility,' stated Sheikha Al-Qasimi.

'In addition, Tejari has selected the Microsoft platform for this web services initiative to demonstrate the openness and interoperability of our technology platform, an effort that also delivers greater peace-of-mind to Tejari's trading community. We selected LINKdotNET to build the portal on the Microsoft technology due to their proven expertise in delivering innovative and secure end-to-end solutions,' added Sheikha Al-Qasimi.

'Tejari's new mobile commerce strategy is positioned to give our members a more personal and integrated online procurement experience, in a highly connected and secure environment,' concluded Sheikha Al-Qasimi.

New Portal Likely to Boost Tejari Transactions
Tejari anticipates that its initiative will increase traffic to the marketplace by more than 25 percent over the next six months, encouraging existing traders to migrate more of their procurement activities online, and driving new members to the trading community.

'A vital aspect of successful online trading is receiving accurate information in a secure, location-independent way that allows trading partners to immediately capitalize on new opportunities' commented Abdullatif al Mulla, General Manager, Microsoft South Gulf. Microsoft is delighted that the .NET platform offers Tejari the mobility, personalization and security that its online business model demands.'

'Seamless integration of Tejari's existing and future systems is a key element in extending value-added and advanced functionalities to members' said Khaled Bichara, CEO of LINKdotNET. 'Our extensive experience in portal development with Microsoft technologies empowers us to provide Tejari with a robust, scalable and flexible solution.'

Tejari members are anticipated to receive a number of additional benefits from the new portal initiative. The 'My Tejari' functionality enables members of the supplier community to enhance marketing and promotional opportunities to both existing and potential customers. An enhanced search mechanism will assist traders in finding specific companies, commodities, industry sectors, and products on the Tejari marketplace. Finally, Tejari's members can refine their trading business intelligence through enhanced reporting and analysis tools defined by geography, industry sector, and product categories.

During the five-day GITEX event, Tejari will conduct live demonstrations of its new web services functionality, showing both existing Tejari members and potential online traders how to customize their view of the marketplace, and receive wireless updates on the status of online auctions and tenders.

About Link Development
Founded in 1996 as a subsidiary of LINKdotNET, LINK Development is the fastest growing regional software export powerhouse. The company works on challenging projects that employ the latest technologies, serving governments, multinationals and local companies in Europe, The Middle East and Africa.

LINK Development, the software and services arm of LINKdotNET, achieved ISO 9001:2000 and CMMI Level 3 Certifications, further complementing the company's current standing as a world-class provider of e-solutions. The company focuses on portals & intranets, e-commerce, Enterprise Integration, Microsoft CRM implementations, Helpdesk Solutions, Unified communications and IPTV. Our vertical offerings focus on both telecommunications and government domains.

LINK Development is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner in Business Process and Integration, Custom Development Solutions, Information Worker Solutions, Microsoft Business Solutions and Advanced Infrastructure Solutions.

LINK Development, the internationally awarded company, is headquartered in Cairo, Egypt with offices in Dubai, UAE, Riyadh, KSA and Doha, Qatar and is currently opening several other offices in the region and in Europe.

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