Alterion Performs Stress Test of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's READY.GOV Site

ALTERION, INC, a leader in independent testing, quality assurance and Independent Verification and Validation Services (IV&V) today announced the successful completion of performance and load testing on The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's READY.GOV website.

CONSHOHOCKEN, PENNSYLVANIA - MARCH 19, 2003 - ALTERION, INC, a leader in independent testing, quality assurance and Independent Verification and Validation Services (IV&V) today announced the successful completion of performance and load testing on The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's READY.GOV website.

The READY.GOV website is part of the Ready Campaign, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, in partnership with The Advertising Council and the Sloan Foundation. In addition to the website, the campaign consists of a national public service advertising (PSA) TV spots and a direct mail piece, delivered to every household in the country by the US Postal Service, directing citizens to the website. The campaign offers practical suggestions to increase preparedness, including learning about serious threats, making emergency supply kits, creating a family communication plan and keeping emergency phone numbers near the phone. The ads direct Americans to visit www.ready.gov where they can learn the best ways to protect themselves and their families against terrorism. Every American has a role in strengthening the nation's preparedness.

Alterion implemented the Performance Testing component of its SharpThought development lifecycle process, creating a real-world distributed test environment performing page loads on the final installed configuration. Alterion collaborated with the RuderFinn / International Network Services (INS) team to verify that this infrastructure, including the implementation of a content delivery network, would perform as envisioned.

"Alterion is proud to be part of the team that assisted the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in making Ready.gov a reality. We live in uncertain times and it is vital to all Americans that government information systems function optimally. The Ready.gov initiative demonstrates how successful IT solutions can provide an invaluable public service to citizens, and how Alterion SharpThought can aid agencies in achieving these critical IT missions," said Edward McLaughlin, President, Alterion, Inc.

The purpose of Alterion SharpThought is to ensure that an organization's goals can be achieved in a timely, cost-effective manner that maximizes results while minimizing overall program risk. Alterion assists acquiring organizations in reaching this goal through the application of a broad range of oversight, monitoring, and assessment practices. These practices become associated with all phases of the development life cycle, from initial requirements through depreciation and replacement. The practices, when fully and correctly executed, minimize all phases of risk by identifying potential problem points at early phases, thereby allowing corrective actions to be taken early on, and at the lowest cost to the program.

ABOUT ALTERION
Alterion was formed and is built upon the experience and success of its management team in supporting IT programs throughout the Federal Government since 1995. Alterion provides independent consulting, IV&V, security services, and testing services to government and corporate information technology decision-makers.

Alterion provides Independent Verification and Validation Services (IV&V) to government agencies and corporations in support of the acquisition, evaluation, and implementation of information technology. Alterion relies on the experience of its staff to implement a rational, methodological approach to assist high-level government decision-makers in fitting IT products and services to meet current and future agency requirements. Alterion's Corporate/Commercial Operations provides Diagnostic Testing Services to hardware makers and software developers, as well as IT Support Services to Fortune 1000 companies. In many cases, Alterion can perform testing more effectively, efficiently, and at less cost than can be done by in-house staff. In addition, Alterion provides the independent and neutral testing and certification environment necessary for optimum quality assurance.

Alterion falls under the classification of a Small Business, as defined by the United States Government. For more information visit Alterion's website at www.alterion.com