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Press Release

SoftLayer® and The Planet® Begin Merged Operations

Merger Brings Customers Advantages in Combined Capabilities and Scale

Dallas—November 16, 2010—SoftLayer Technologies^®, the innovative on-demand data center services provider, and The Planet^® today began merged operations under the SoftLayer name.

The transaction merging the companies was completed on November 9, creating the largest hosting services provider in the world. The new SoftLayer brings customers the full-range of infrastructure as a service from one source, with fully-automated solutions and innovation, greater technical expertise, expanded geographic diversity, and higher customer value through increased economies of scale. Details include:

• 76,000+ deployed servers
• 10 data centers
• 24,000+ customer accounts in 110+ countries
• More than 1,500G of total connectivity

“Our first priority over the last few months has been to create the most seamless transition possible for our customers,” said Lance Crosby, continuing Chief Executive Officer of SoftLayer. “We’re operating as one company, but the only differences customers should notice will be the opportunities they have as we offer more options to more people, with even more value. All products and services continue to be provided, supported, and managed as before.”

Existing Planet accounts and services remain unchanged and accessible through the same control portals that Planet customers have used previously. In addition, the company has greatly integrated the SoftLayer and Planet portals to provide an easier transition for all customers. Legacy Planet customers can log into the SoftLayer Customer Portal with their Planet username and password, access information about their systems on either platform from within either portal, and move between both portals without signing in and out.

New products and services will only be offered on the SoftLayer platform, where the company will consolidate its offerings over time to leverage its advantages in automation and advanced networking architecture. However, legacy Planet customers will not be required to migrate their services, allowing them to decide when such a transition makes the best sense for their individual goals and needs.

“With our merged size, strategic advantages, and market position, we are ready to bring even more changes to the industry than either of us could have alone,” said George Karidis, SoftLayer Chief Strategy Officer, who is also serving as Chief Integration Officer. “We’ve worked hard to get ready for this day. I’m proud and, frankly, impressed by how far we are toward full integration. We’re hitting the ground running, already at a point that many merged companies don’t reach for months.”

SoftLayer’s new executive team brings together leaders from both companies: Mr. Crosby; Mr. Karidis; Tom Blair, Senior Vice President, Sales; Nathan Day, Chief Scientist; Sam Fleitman, Chief Operating Officer; Suzy Fulton, General Counsel; Mike Jones, Chief Financial Officer; and Duke Skarda, Chief Technology Officer.

DH Capital served as exclusive financial advisor to SoftLayer in connection with the merger transaction.

About SoftLayer Technologies

Headquartered in Dallas, SoftLayer is the innovation leader in Cloud, Dedicated, and Managed Hosting, and the largest private hosting company in the world. SoftLayer provides cloud, dedicated, and seamlessly integrated computing environments, with world-class data centers in Dallas, Houston, San Jose, Seattle, and Washington D.C., and network Points of Presence nationwide. The company integrates and automates all elements of its platform, empowering enterprises of any size with complete control, security, scalability, and ease-of-management via a leading Customer Portal and Open API. For more information, please visit www.softlayer.com or call 866.398.7638.

Contact:
Mark Quigley
Director - Corporate Communications
+1 214 442 1842
mquigley@softlayer.com

2010 Press Releases