VSNT Versant Corp. (MM)

Versant Open Access .NET Now Shipping Object-Relational Mapping Lets Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2003 Programmers Move Beyond DataSet Architectures to Handle Complexity and Achieve Increased Scalability CeBIT, HANOVER, Germany, March 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Versant Corporation (NASDAQ:VSNT), an industry leader in specialized data management and data persistence software, announces shipment of its Open Access .NET product. Versant is demonstrating Versant Open Access .NET in the Microsoft booth at CeBIT, in Hanover, Germany, March 10-16. Versant Open Access .NET delivers high-performance object persistence and enables application architectures that provide rapid time-to-market and flexibility to meet evolving business needs. Designed for seamless integration with Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2003, the .NET Framework, and Microsoft SQL Server 2000, Versant Open Access .NET enables developers to build applications more rapidly and focus on solving their enterprise's core business needs. "Versant Open Access .NET demonstrates the benefits of using business objects with .NET technologies. It highlights the object paradigm, and the product's very tight integration with Visual Studio .NET lets the developer work with business objects seamlessly coupled to a database through powerful mapping tools," said Chris Flores, group product manager in the .NET Developer Product Management Group at Microsoft Corp. "With this product, developers working within Microsoft .NET can now productively create complex applications that were previously difficult and time consuming to create," said Nick Ordon, president and chief executive officer of Versant. "Versant brings its years of experience in helping developers use objects in application architectures that provide the most power and agility to enterprises. Versant Open Access .NET brings greatly increased effectiveness and development maturity to the Microsoft .NET community." Developer Benefits Versant Open Access .NET is a sophisticated combination of design-time tools and run-time support. Highlights include: -- Multi-level caching and configurable pre-fetch systems that dramatically speed up data access. -- Support for all Visual Studio .NET languages including Microsoft Visual C# .NET 2003, Visual Basic .NET 2003, Visual J# .NET 2003, and all other MSIL compatible languages. -- ObjectContainer enables detaching and re-attaching object graphs. -- A unique mixture of object lifecycle control, transparent persistence, and flexible mapping. This mixture of capabilities is unique in the Microsoft development community. -- Integration into Microsoft ASP.NET, supporting the complete Microsoft .NET architecture. Versant Open Access .NET can be seen in the Microsoft booth at CeBIT, hall 4, booth 36, partner stand 37. Product Availability and Pricing Versant Open Access .NET is now available for shipment. Pricing is $995 per developer and requires no deployment fees. Special introductory pricing of $495 is in force through April 30, 2005. A trial version is available for download at http://www.versant.com/. About Versant Corporation Versant Corporation is an industry leader in specialized data management and open data access software. Using Versant's solutions, customers cut hardware costs, speed and simplify development, significantly reduce administration costs and deliver products with a strong competitive edge. Versant's solutions are deployed in a wide array of industries including telecommunications, financial services, transportation, manufacturing, and defense. With over 50,000 installations, Versant has been a highly reliable partner for over 15 years for Global 2000 companies such as British Airways, U.S. Government, Financial Times, IBM, and MCI. For more information, call 510-789-1500 or visit http://www.versant.com/. Forward Looking Statements Involve Risks and Uncertainties This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and is subject to the safe harbor created by those sections. These forward-looking statements include statements regarding the initial Shipment of Versant's Open Access .NET product and its demonstration at CeBIT. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and these forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties, there are important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those in the forward- looking statements. These risk and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the possibility of delays in release of the product, that products refinements may be necessary including the possibilities of inherent bugs and errors, and that users may not realize the anticipated results. The forward- looking statements contained in this press release are made only as of the date of this press release, and the Company assumes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional information concerning factors that could cause results to differ can be found in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company's most recent Reports on Form 10-K and 10-Q made with the Securities and Exchange Commission. NOTE: Versant is either a registered trademark or trademark of Versant Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other products are a registered trademark or trademark of their respective company in the United States and/or other countries. DATASOURCE: Versant Corporation CONTACT: media, Susan Payne of O'Grady Communications, LLC, +1-919-929-5992, or , or investors, Scott Liolios of Liolios Group, Inc., +1-949-574-3860, or , both for Versant Corporation Web site: http://www.versant.com/

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