Archer Technologies Rated “Strong Positive” in Leading Analyst Firm’s IT-GRCM MarketScope

OVERLAND PARK, Kan., February 20, 2008 – Archer Technologies (Archer), a leading provider of automated enterprise risk and compliance management solutions, today announced the company received the highest possible rating, “Strong Positive,” in Gartner’s 2008 MarketScope on IT Governance, Risk and Compliance Management (IT-GRCM). Archer was one of eight vendors evaluated on market understanding, customer experience, product strategy, sales execution and operations.

According to Gartner, “the IT governance, risk and compliance management (GRCM) market is composed of vendors that provide software products that help organizations proactively measure and manage their IT technology and process controls. Additionally, IT GRCM solutions have a repository; basic document management capabilities; good workflow, survey and reporting functions; and dashboarding, with policy content that is specific to IT controls, and support for the automated measurement and reporting of IT controls.”

Archer delivers an automated, integrated and fully configurable solution set that allows Fortune 1000 clients to build a best-in-class enterprise risk and compliance management program. These award-winning solutions include Policy, Threat, Asset, Risk, Incident, Vendor and Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance Management. By providing powerful capabilities for managing content, streamlining workflow, assessing risk, monitoring controls, and measuring and reporting compliance, Archer solutions enable businesses to gain a current, holistic view of their IT-GRC landscape.

“In my opinion, our ‘Strong Positive’ rating in Gartner’s IT-GRCM MarketScope confirms our deep-rooted commitment to our clients and to their success in solving governance, risk and compliance challenges,” said Jon Darbyshire, president and CEO of Archer Technologies. “While IT-GRCM is an emerging market, the fundamental capabilities of IT-GRCM vendors—policy mapping, IT risk evaluation, compliance reporting, and the like—are capabilities we have been working with our clients over the last several years to develop and perfect. To be recognized with a ‘Strong Positive’ rating in IT-GRCM solutions motivates our team to press on in our mission to exceed client expectations for innovation, quality and service.”

One of Archer’s key strengths, according to the Gartner IT-GRCM MarketScope, is that the company has optimized its core solutions for “top down users” who are focused on risk and compliance management. Gartner also points to the flexible Archer SmartSuite Framework as a primary strength for Archer because it enables business users within large companies to tailor and integrate solutions according to their unique requirements. Clients can use the Framework to expand their IT-GRCM program beyond Archer’s core solutions to include such functions as business continuity planning, change management, trouble ticket tracking, project management and other critical capabilities for successful governance.

About the Gartner MarketScope

The MarketScope is copyrighted February 2008 by Gartner, Inc. and is reused with permission. The MarketScope is an evaluation of a marketplace at and for a specific time period. It depicts Gartner's analysis of how certain vendors measure against criteria for that marketplace, as defined by Gartner. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in the MarketScope, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest rating. Gartner disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

¹Gartner “MarketScope for IT Governance, Risk and Compliance Management, 2008” by Paul E. Proctor, Mark Nicolett, French Caldwell. February 11, 2008.

About Archer Technologies

Archer Technologies delivers enterprise governance, risk and compliance (GRC) solutions. With more than six million licensed users and a client list that includes one in four of the Fortune 100, Archer enables companies to manage enterprise risks, demonstrate compliance, automate business processes, and gain visibility into corporate risk and security controls.

Archer’s out-of-the-box solutions, including Policy, Risk, Compliance, Enterprise, Incident, Vendor, Threat, Business Continuity, and Audit Management, are built on the flexible Archer SmartSuite Framework™, allowing clients to tailor the solutions according to their unique requirements. Whether deployed on-premise or via Archer’s SaaS model, the Framework has become a go-to GRC platform for many global organizations.

Archer is the only vendor that delivers the Archer GRC Ecosystem™ comprised of out-of-the-box solutions, a flexible Framework, a robust user community, and an application and partner exchange, which provides clients the tools they need to build a best-in-class enterprise GRC program. For more information, visit www.archer.com or call 1-888-539-EGRC.