Sonic Foundry Sees Rapid Adoption of Mediasite Among Wisconsin State Government Agencies

Sonic Foundry[R] Inc. (NASDAQ: SOFO), a leading rich media solutions company, today announced its Mediasite[TM] rich media presentation recorder is gaining rapid adoption throughout the Wisconsin state government. To date, the company has signed four state agencies and divisions: Wisconsin Department of Administration, Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services, Wisconsin Department of Transportation and Wisconsin State Patrol.

In selecting Mediasite for their Web-based rich media communications needs, the agencies have improved information distribution through a quicker, more flexible delivery that broadens outreach and expands training opportunities, while saving valuable budget dollars. Mediasite is the only fully integrated Web communications system that provides real-time recording, synchronization and indexing of audio and video with any type of graphic content to instantly create a rich media presentation for Web-based live broadcast and on-demand viewing.

Wisconsin Department of Administration
The Wisconsin Department of Administration, whose chief duties include assisting the governor in the development and implementation of the state budget as well as supporting other state agencies with services, such as centralized purchasing and financial management, was the first Wisconsin agency to purchase Mediasite soon after seeing it first-hand at Gov. Jim Doyle's inauguration in Jan. 2003. After nearly 2,200 people watched the inaugural Webcast live and thousands more watched it on-demand, the DOA immediately envisioned how Mediasite could help it improve constituent outreach and internal communications.

Today, the DOA regularly uses the system for a variety of online training applications as well as to distribute information to the 300-plus employees of DOA's Division of Enterprise Technology. The DOA also provides all the back-end hosting for other state agencies that create rich media presentations with Mediasite. In addition, Gov. Doyle's office continues to use Mediasite to Webcast special events, such as the state-of-the-state and budget addresses, allowing more residents to see and hear his speeches than would otherwise be possible.

"Mediasite has allowed us to reach a greater number of people, more conveniently, while at the same time saving the department time and money," said Matthew Miszewski, chief information officer for the state of Wisconsin. "It has quickly become a valuable tool that we plan to use more and more every day. We're getting incredible feedback from people who cannot attend the live presentations and appreciate the ability to go online to get what they need."

Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services
The Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services purchased two Mediasite systems. The department uses Mediasite to record and distribute important Public Health information, support health outreach education sessions and to record presentations at state conferences that are then made available on-demand to those unable to attend, as well as for continuing education credits via its WI-Train learning management system.

In addition, WDHFS Secretary Helene Nelson has used Mediasite for live Webcasts, enabling her to reach the approximately 400 employees of the Division of Public Health"s central and regional offices without requiring anyone to travel. Secretary Nelson's first statewide online forum alone resulted in a net savings of more than $7,000.

"We see Mediasite as a tremendous cost savings to the Division of Public Health and DHFS for the necessary on-going communication, information sharing and education we provide in part to protect and promote the health of citizens in Wisconsin," said Moira Lafayette, health education and communications consultant with WDHFS' division of public health. "The technology is standalone and portable, yet it easily interfaces with the department's existing IT, communication and training technology while providing the added capability of real-time capture of audio, video and supporting materials for live and on-demand Internet distribution."

Wisconsin Department of Transportation
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation first used Mediasite in Dec. 2003 to capture and chronicle a historical bridge float across the Mississippi River. At just under 10 hours, it was the longest single live event ever Webcast using Mediasite. The live Webcast generated more than 1,500 unique IP views while averaging 356 concurrent connections. The event's success led WisDOT to purchase two Mediasite units, one of which it used by the Division of State Patrol for training. The department is seeing interest from other divisions within WisDOT as well.

Currently, WisDOT uses Mediasite for a variety of live and on-demand training applications statewide, including Employee Assistance Program presentations. The department estimates it will save at least $25,000 in travel costs per year by using Mediasite. Eventually, it will employ Mediasite to capture and stream the bidding presentations for highway construction projects, enabling road builders to remotely access the bid-letting from the comfort of their own offices.

"For the past 20 years, WisDOT has produced video for PSA broadcasts, construction project overviews, safety training, employee orientation and other informational videos pertaining to the department," said Donald Faust, program manager of WisDOT's Creative Communications Services. "Mediasite fits perfectly with our legacy of video communication and has demonstrated tremendous potential to improve efficiencies while saving the state money. Now, instead of traveling to each district, our trainers can give their presentations once and still reach their audience."