Microsoft and Monster.com Announce .NET-Based Strategic Alliance

Monster.com to Incorporate .NET Platform Into World's Largest Online Careers Site; Adoption of .NET Passport and .NET Alerts to Provide Single Sign-In and Real-Time Updates for Employers and Job Seekers

REDMOND, Wash., & MAYNARD, Mass., Dec 19, 2001 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Microsoft Corp. and Monster.com(R) today announced a broad strategic alliance to deliver superior richness and personalization to Monster.com's online job search functions and offer customers access to real-time, customized job search information. Monster.com, the leading global careers network and the flagship brand of TMP Worldwide Inc. (NASDAQ:TMPW), will deploy Microsoft(R) .NET technologies, including .NET My Services such as .NET Passport authentication and single sign-in service as well as .NET Alerts, an easy and seamless way for users to choose to receive relevant information that they can act on any time, any place and on any device. The combination of Microsoft .NET technology and Monster.com's industry-leading services will provide a rewarding experience for job seekers and corporate clients.

The adoption of .NET Alerts will make it possible for Monster.com to send customers pertinent, real-time information such as new job openings and resume hits when they want to receive them and in the format they choose. Users who opt to take advantage of the .NET Alerts service will receive a pop-up alert, via Windows(R) Messenger, on whichever Internet-enabled device they choose.

Monster.com will also offer users the ability to register and log into its Web site using .NET Passport single sign-in, reducing the amount of information to be remembered or retyped. Once signed into Monster.com through .NET Passport, Monster.com users can view important account information or create new My Monster accounts, without having to re-enter their login ID and password. .NET Passport also protects the security of users' personal information by using powerful encryption technologies.

To obtain a .NET Passport at http://www.passport.com, all that is required is an email name and a password. Any information Monster.com collects beyond what can be stored in the .NET Passport profile is not shared with Microsoft.

By using .NET Passport, which has more than 200 million accounts worldwide, Monster.com will make the online authentication process and creation of My Monster accounts more convenient and also improve the security of consumer information.

"Our alliance with Microsoft marks another milestone in Monster.com's long-term commitment to utilize the world's best technologies to deliver the most relevant, useful and interactive experience to our customers," said Brian Farrey, Chief Technology Officer. "By harnessing Microsoft's innovative software services and technologies, we further increase the distance between Monster and its competitors while significantly enriching the overall experience of our customers as they go through the job searching process."

"As the premier online careers site, Monster.com recognizes the inherent value proposition associated with XML Web services," said Sanjay Parthasarathy, corporate vice president of the .NET Platform Strategy Group at Microsoft. "Monster.com's hugely successful and world-class online job search community combined with Microsoft .NET technologies and services will provide useful, timely and personalized information that enhances the online experience for Monster.com customers worldwide."

With the deployment of .NET My Services, Monster.com will begin utilizing various .NET technologies such as Visual Studio(R) .NET, Microsoft's rapid application development (RAD) tool for building next-generation Web applications and XML Web services, as well as the .NET Framework, a platform for building, deploying and running XML Web services and applications. Monster.com will use the Microsoft .NET Framework to deliver four of its leading Web services, Job Seeker Notification, Job Posting, Job Searching and Resume Posting, based on SOAP, UDDI and XML, and expects this component to be completed by early 2002.

Additionally, Monster.com will adopt and deploy members of the Microsoft .NET Enterprise Server family including Windows 2000 Server, SQL Server(TM) 2000, BizTalk(TM) Server 2000 and Application Center 2000. Monster.com's deployment of the .NET Enterprise Servers will provide the company with a reliable foundation for XML Web services, allowing Monster.com to quickly adapt to its changing business requirements.

About Monster.com

Monster.com, headquartered in Maynard, Mass., is the leading global careers website, recording over 30.2 million unique visits during the month of October 2001 according to independent research conducted by I/PRO. Monster.com connects the most progressive companies with the most qualified career-minded individuals, offering innovative technology and superior services that give them more control over the recruiting process. The Monster.com global network consists of local content and language sites in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, Belgium, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, France, Germany, Ireland, Spain, Luxembourg, India, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Switzerland, and Finland. Monster.com is the official online career management services sponsor of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games and 2002 and 2004 U.S. Olympic Teams. More information about Monster.com is available at www.monster.com or by calling 1-800-MONSTER.

About TMP Worldwide

Founded in 1967, TMP Worldwide Inc., with more than 10,500 employees in 33 countries, is the online recruitment leader, the world's largest Recruitment Advertising agency network, and one of the world's largest Executive Search and Executive Selection agencies. TMP Worldwide, headquartered in New York, is also the world's largest Yellow Pages advertising agency and a provider of direct marketing services. The company's clients include more than 90 of the Fortune 100 and more than 480 of the Fortune 500 companies. In June 2001, TMP Worldwide was added to the S&P 500 Index. More information about TMP Worldwide is available at www.tmp.com.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software -- any time, any place and on any device.

Microsoft, Windows, Visual Studio and BizTalk are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

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Special Note: Safe Harbor Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Except for historical information contained herein, the statements made in this release constitute 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. Such forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties, including statements regarding the company's strategic direction, prospects and future results. Certain factors, including factors outside of our control, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward- looking statements, including economic and other conditions in the markets in which we operate, risks associated with acquisitions, competition, seasonality and the other risks discussed in our Form 10-K and our other filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which discussions are incorporated in this release by reference.

CONTACT:
Monster.com
Kellie Buckley, 978/461-8364
kellie.buckley@monster.com
or
Waggener Edstrom for Microsoft
Claire Haggard, 503/497-5466
claireh@wagged.com
or
Waggener Edstrom for Microsoft
Rapid Response Team, 503/443-7070
rrt@wagged.com