Press Release - Silknet Software

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ZD Education Selects Silknet Software's e-Business Solutions for Integrating Customer Interactions

World's Leading Publisher of Computer Training Materials Selects Silknet eBusiness System and Silknet eService to Support its Corporate IT Training Site

MANCHESTER, N.H.--Nov. 16, 1999-- Silknet Software, Inc. (NASDAQ:SILK - news), today announced that ZD Education, a division of Ziff-Davis, Inc. (NYSE:ZD - news) and the world's leading publisher of computer training materials, has purchased Silknet eBusiness System(TM) and Silknet eService(TM). ZD Education will use Silknet's e-business solutions to streamline customer interactions for its welcome.zdu.com site (ZDU) by integrating communications across the Web, telephone and e-mail. The ZDU site provides more than 250 on-line training computer courses to corporations worldwide.

Silknet eBusiness System provides ZD Education with a customer-centric infrastructure for deploying and building e-business applications. Using Silknet eService, Silknet's Web-based customer service application, ZD Education will provide customers with Web-enabled self service that will increase customer satisfaction while reducing the number of calls into its call center. ZDU customers will be able to access multimedia solutions over the Web or receive assistance from a service representative through Web-enabled case reporting, telephone or e-mail. By integrating customer interactions across all channels, Silknet ensures that all service representatives have seamless access to the same customer information regardless of how the customer contacts ZD Education. Silknet's Internet architecture allows ZD Education to staff Customer Support from anywhere in the world.

``Because ZDU is a completely Web-based business, it is essential for us to provide our corporate customers with self-service for their IT training questions in a timely manner and in the method they prefer,'' said Bob Valeri, vice president of planning and on-line operations for ZD Education. ``By working with Silknet, our customers can use multiple communications channels to quickly and easily solve their service inquiries without any hassle.''

Using Silknet eService, ZDU will also provide employers with easy access to information about employees' training progress. By providing all the necessary information via Web-based self-service, Silknet enables ZDU to increase customer satisfaction by making the training process seamless and efficient.

``Leading on-line companies like ZD Education, who share Silknet's passion for high levels of customer satisfaction and service, understand the need to integrate their customer interactions seamlessly across all channels,'' said David Fowler, vice president of marketing for Silknet. ``As the recognized leader in on-line education, we are excited that ZD Education selected Silknet to help them build efficient methods for enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty.''

About ZD Education
Rochester, N.Y.-based ZD Education, a division of Ziff-Davis, Inc. (NYSE:ZD - news), creates training and support resources to help businesses meet technology challenges head-on by becoming more productive with computers. ZD Education delivers consistent, up-to-date, instructionally sound technology education through on-line training, education services, training materials and journals. It provides training solutions to more than 6,000,000 people and 6,000 organizations worldwide. ZD Education is on the Web at www.zdeducation.com.

About Ziff-Davis, Inc.
Ziff-Davis, Inc. is a leading media and marketing company focused on computing and Internet-related technologies, with principal platforms in print publishing, trade shows and conferences, on-line content, television and education. Ziff-Davis provides global technology companies with marketing strategies for reaching key decision-makers. Ziff-Davis has two series of common stock, one which is intended to track the performance of its Internet business ZDNet (NYSE:ZDZ - news), and one of which is intended to track the performance of the ZD Group (NYSE:ZD - news), which includes print publishing, trade shows and conferences, education, and television businesses and an 83 percent retained interest in ZDNet.

About Silknet's E-business Solutions
Silknet eBusiness System is a Web-based platform for building, deploying and configuring customer-centric e-business applications. Silknet eService, built upon Silknet eBusiness System, is a customer service application that enables a company to provide customer self-service and collaboration using the Web, email, the telephone and other messaging media. Silknet eCommerce(TM), a Web-based solution for building and managing an electronic storefront, is the first e-commerce solution to integrate e-service.

About Silknet Software
Silknet Software, Inc. (NASDAQ:SILK - news) provides the industry's leading customer-centric e-business applications and systems for Global 2000 and dot.com companies such as Office Depot, Microsoft, Priceline.com, Beyond.com, Sprint, Utility.com, Inacom and Bell Canada. Built from the ground up with Web technologies and standards, Silknet's software allows companies to build strong customer relationships through personalized marketing, sales, electronic commerce and customer support services. Silknet's approach integrates all customer interactions and data whether across the Web, by phone, through e-mail or in person, providing the company's agents, partners and the customers with a single view of their relationship. Silknet is headquartered in Manchester, N.H., with offices across North America and in Europe. Additional information can be obtained on the World Wide Web at http://www.silknet.com or by calling Silknet at 603/625-0070.

Silknet eService, Silknet eCommerce and Silknet eBusiness System are trademarks of Silknet Software. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders.

Any statements contained in this press release that do not describe historical facts may constitute forward looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any forward looking statements contained herein are based on current expectations, but are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties.

The factors that could cause actual future results to differ materially from current expectations include the following: fluctuations in customer demand; the Company's ability to manage its growth; the risk of new product introductions and customer acceptance of new products; the rapid technological change which characterizes the Company's markets; the risks associated with competition; the risks associated with international sales as the Company expands its markets; and the ability of the Company to compete successfully in the future, as well as other risks identified in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including but not limited to those appearing under the caption ``Risk Factors'' in the Company's Prospectus dated May 5, 1999.

Contact:

Editorial Contact:
Patrick J. Scannell, Jr.
Silknet Software
(603) 625-0070
pscannell@silknet.com

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