Six Steps for Enterprise Portal Best Practice

New Report Finds Enterprise Portal Frameworks Key to Maintaining Competitive Advantage

STAMFORD, Conn. (May 29, 2003) - META Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: METG), today released
a detailed six-step approach for portal development and implementation. These
findings are part of a new report titled Best Practices in Enterprise Portal
Development. According to the report, organizations developing an enterprise
portal framework will be able to successfully support various Web and business
applications by following these steps:

1. Determine sponsorship - Portal projects ideally are sponsored by business units within the organization.
2. Analyze drivers and expected benefits - Perceived needs must be communicated as a persuasive business case.
3. Inventory the features desired - Functionality must be geared to the needs of the business as well as the intended audience.
4. Conduct an infrastructure impact analysis - Organizations must determine how portal capabilities can leverage existing infrastructure to minimize overlap with existing services such as content management and enterprise application integration.
5. Select and implement products - Many organizations begin their development here and suffer because of it.
6. Manage post-implementation - Ongoing marketing, maintenance, and measurement will help ensure its success.

A META Group survey conducted at a recent METAmorphosis conference showed that
rationalizing portal and web content management infrastructures ranked as a top
technology issue for 2003. According to META Group's Craig Roth, this comes as
no surprise.

"For most organizations, the decision to invest in an enterprise portal is not a
question of 'if,' but 'when,' " said Roth, vice president with META Group. "As
technologies continue to proliferate, organizations are faced with mounting issues
such as consolidating or managing multiple portals and measuring the value derived
from past investments."

Moving forward, organizations without a portal framework will be at a competitive
disadvantage, as portals will increasingly be used to provide a strategic unification
of context, process roles, rules, and user preferences. The two most common types of
failure for portal projects within the enterprise include technically adept portals
that are never accepted by the enterprise and lack of supporting infrastructure.

"The most common portal pitfalls can be traced to improperly executed steps prior
to technology selection and implementation. Too many companies begin their process
with technology selection, which is a recipe for failure," said Roth. "To succeed,
it is critical that the value of the portal and portal applications be tied to
specific, higher-level business drivers."

About the Report

META Group's Best Practices in Enterprise Portal Development delivers a proven
methodology for establishing an effective enterprise portal framework. This
report is designed to help companies improve the performance of their existing
portal solutions and avoid the common pitfalls associated with implementing new
portal technologies. The six-step process featured in this report guides
organizations through the different stages of portal planning, with proven
methods and best practices that will guarantee success. Beginning with the
basic why's and how's of portal development, through post-implementation
marketing and management, this process addresses the tough issues organizations
will face throughout the life of the portal investment.

META Group offers a complete portfolio of solutions designed to help clients
overcome the diverse challenges associated with enterprise portals. Ranging
from analyst services and targeted consulting engagements to published research
and real-time data services, META Group provides both the real-world experience
and actionable guidance clients require to maximize their return on portal
investments. To learn more about META Group's enterprise portal offerings and
market research reports, visit metagroup.com or call (800) 945-META [6382].

About META Group

META Group is a leading provider of information technology research, advisory
services, and strategic consulting. Delivering objective and actionable
guidance, META Group's experienced analysts and consultants are trusted advisors
to IT and business executives around the world. Our unique collaborative models
and dedicated customer service help clients be more efficient, effective, and
timely in their use of IT to achieve their business goals. Visit metagroup.com
for more details on our high-value approach.