FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

CONTACT:     Richard Dukas; 201/833-1466

richard@richarddukas.com

 

The “Lingerie Bowl” Relies on Linux and Other Open Source Technologies to Develop and Power Online Presence, Save More than $1 Million on Development Costs

 

lingeriebowl.com already has Received 300 Million Hits, with another 500 Million Hits and 50 Million Users Expected by the Super Bowl; Red Hat Linux, MySQL and JBoss Show they are Ready for Prime Time

 

BETHESDA, MD; JAN. 26; 2004 –  lingeriebowl.com, the online presence for highly-anticipated “Lingerie Bowl 2004 presented by Partypoker.com,” which will take place immediately prior to the Super Bowl and during half-time, was developed in, and is relying on a variety of Open Source technologies to handle the approximately 50 millions users that event organizers expect to visit the site by the end of the day on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 1.  Developed by the Jaxara Group of Bethesda, Maryland, lingeriebowl.com is expected to be one of the most successful online projects ever developed in Open Source.

            The Jaxara Group has already saved the event's producers, Hollywood's Horizon Productions, more than $1 million in development costs; and importantly, has created a visually appealing and robust site, which is expected to generate millions of dollars in e-commerce revenues—both before and after the actual event.  In fact, significant traffic to the site is expected to continue for weeks after the Super Bowl since re-runs of Lingerie Bowl 2004 will be airing for several weeks on Pay-per-View.

The Jaxara Group was given a shoestring budget to develop the site, and therefore decided to utilize Open Source technologies such as MySQL for a database and JBoss for the application server (middleware), as well as 15 managed web-hosting servers from RackSpace deploying Linux.  In addition to the cost savings, the deployment of these technologies significantly enhanced the site's performance and functionality.

            Some of the major cost savings were realized by using:

 

·        MySQL for the database, combined with EMIC Networks' Application Cluster for MySQL ($495 x 6 servers = $2,970).  A proprietary system, Oracle 9i EE, for example, would have cost $480,000.  Cost savings: $477,030.

 

·        JBoss for the application server ($0) instead of IBM Web Sphere ($30,000/processor x 14 processors = $420,000).  Cost savings: $420,000.

 

·        By leveraging the huge exposure that would result from being involved with such a high-profile event, the Jaxara Group was able to negotiate an additional cost-savings of nearly $600,000 from other vendors.

 

“We couldn't be more pleased with the project management and development skills of the Jaxara Group—both from a business and technological point of view,” said Mitch Mortaza, president of Horizon Productions.  “My team and I were completely focused on producing the Lingerie Bowl event and needed a partner that could take over the online project.  In addition to doing an outstanding job technologically, the Jaxara Group is enabling us generate a significant amount of e-commerce revenue that we weren't expecting.”

            Danny Boice, principal of The Jaxara Group, who, together with Jaxara's other principal Alexander Petty, led the project said, “It is clear the Open Source can stand toe-to-toe in the enterprise with the best and most popular proprietary technologies, while saving huge sums on development and maintenance costs.”

            The Jaxara's Group's involvement included:

·        Managing the overall design and multimedia.

·        Designing and developing custom applications for the online store.

·        Developing and moderating online chat for users to interact with celebrities, such as NFL Hall of Famers Lawrence Taylor and Eric Dickerson, as well as web forums, online polls, and MVP voting on game day.

·        Negotiating infrastructure and hosting contracts, as well as advertising contracts with networks such as 24/7, Real Media and Maxonline. 

·        Managing opt-in email campaign with paid sponsorships on each email blast.

·        Negotiating merchandising deals for Lingerie Bowl t-shirts, hats, etc.

·        Integrating multiple distributors into an online store.

·        Creatively integrating title sponsors (Dodge, PartyPoker.com, etc.).

·        Negotiating service contracts with companies such as EMIC networks for additional support of database clustering.

About The Jaxara Group

The Jaxara Group (www.jaxara.com) is a leading software development and integration services firm that helps organizations apply technology to business processes.  The company's expertise is in leveraging open source technology for the enterprise, and developing high-load data-driven systems and an online presence for high exposure events.  The Jaxara Group's clients include: European Space Agency, Lingerie Bowl 2004, Digital Support Corporation, The ASCII Group, and the Government of Fauquier (Virg.) County, among others.  The Jaxara Group is located at: 7101 Wisconsin Ave, Suite 1000A, Bethesda, MD 20814; (301) 657-2055.

 

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