Sonic Foundry to Address Workforce Development Issues in Webinar Series

MADISON, WI — Sonic Foundry® Inc. (NASDAQ: SOFO), a leader in automated rich media communications technology, will host a series of free Webinars addressing innovative workforce development approaches to help build and retain employee skills and knowledge.

The Webinar series will feature speakers within various industries who will offer proven solutions for overcoming training, retention and recruitment issues, such as the impending retirement of the ‘Baby Boom’ generation. The Webinars are designed for individuals concerned with meeting the professional development needs of their organizations, including training, human resources and recruitment specialists.

The first of the series, “Workforce Solutions: Wisconsin’s Best Practices,” will be held on February 9, 2006 from 2:00-3:30pm CT /3:00-4:30 ET. (An archive of the presentation will be available at Sonic Foundry’s Website www.sonicfoundry.com.)

“Government agencies and businesses now face the daunting task of helping retain and share the inherent knowledge that resides within each and every workplace,” said Joe Plasterer, director of government solutions at Sonic Foundry. “As these organizations prepare for the oncoming mass retirement of the ‘Baby Boomer’ generation, technology can play a critical role in capturing and sharing the knowledge and skills that may have taken decades to develop. The State of Wisconsin stands as a national model for effective training and education of a dispersed workforce. Using technologies like Mediasite, the state is capturing its employee’s expertise in an easy, resourceful and protective way that can be tapped for future use.”

The first Webinar will feature a panel of experts representing both government agencies and professional associations in Wisconsin. It will focus on how organizations are overcoming workforce development obstacles more effectively and efficiently using technologies like Sonic Foundry’s Mediasite. Attendees will learn techniques for engaging organizational leaders, program managers and IT decisions makers in adopting innovative technology as a means of retaining work-related knowledge. Also, new communication techniques will be explored which fulfill both public education and workforce development objectives.

Participating in the panel presentation are:

• Robert Marchant, chief clerk for the Wisconsin State Senate
• Miles Turner, executive director for the Wisconsin Association of School District Administrators
• Brian Wagner, quality assurance director for the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services

The Webinar series will focus on key areas in which companies, educational institutions, governmental agencies and other entities can build workforce knowledge and retention. Attendees will learn from experts on how to address the readily apparent workforce development obstacles which plague all organizations. The Webinar also will offer practical solutions to effectively and efficiently implement new technologies to enhance organizational learning and manage knowledge.

Sonic Foundry's Mediasite solution empowers organizations to quickly and cost-effectively create and deliver rich media content that includes fully integrated audio, video and presentation graphics with the ease of a few mouse clicks. Businesses, universities and associations throughout the world are able to mediasite their presentations, lectures, meetings and events to create a rich end-user experience that surpasses conventional Webcasting or video conferencing.

Register now for the Webinar