SPSS Announcement - IBM on the Horizon!

Dear Shyam Varan These are exciting times for SPSS and for you, our customer. By now you have probably heard the news that SPSS Inc. has entered into an agreement to be acquired by IBM Corporation. First, I want to personally thank you for your patronage over the years and for enabling us to reach this pinnacle event. Second, I want to assure you that, as we go through the process of finalizing the acquisition, our level of support and dedication to academia will remain as strong as ever. During this time, account management and support infrastructure will be at the forefront of our focus and, of course, we will continue to honor our outstanding commitments and contracts. In short, our action plan for the immediate future is business as usual. This agreement is a momentous step, as becoming part of IBM will provide us with the scale and resources to better meet academia’s need for the most advanced data analysis and decision-making tools. We are firmly committed to: Providing academia the power of Predictive Analytics and the combined technologies and expertise of both companies. By partnering with you, we will be able to advance the use of data in decision making throughout the student lifecycle, across the campus and into the research lab. Continuing our long standing relationship with academia and the universities, professors, students and researchers who rely on our technology to help create a better future. Making the best technology tools and resources available to the academic community. To learn more about IBM’s strong academic presence, visit www.ibm.com/developerworks/university. We expect a smooth transition and will continue to communicate with you as new information becomes available. We encourage you to visit http://www.spss.com/ibm-announce/ for updates and FAQs or contact your account representative to discuss any concerns you may have. We hope you share our excitement in the positive prospects this announcement brings. Together, we will be even better positioned to lead an industry we helped create. We place a high value on our academic relationships and know that our success comes from helping you succeed. We appreciate your business and, as we enter this new chapter, look forward to continuing our relationship with you and your institution. Sincerely, Jack Noonan Chairman, CEO and President SPSS Inc.