Blackboard Launches Release 3.0 of Its Blackboard Transaction System(TM)

New Interface & Integration With Video Surveillance Highlight Release

WASHINGTON, DC, Jul 01, 2008 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX News Network) -- Blackboard Inc. (NASDAQ: BBBB), a leading provider of educational enterprise technology, announced today the general availability of Release 3.0 of the Blackboard Transaction System(TM). The Blackboard Transaction System is used by hundreds of colleges and universities as part of the Blackboard Commerce Suite(TM), a family of applications supporting campus commerce and security management.

Release 3.0 of the Blackboard Transaction System represents a major landmark for our customers, said David Marr, Blackboard Commerce President & Chief Operating Officer. Release 3.0 will enable our customers to transform the way they interact with and serve their constituents, by combining the best software functionality and hardware compatibility of previous Blackboard Transaction System releases, along with mission-critical reliability and improved ease of use.

Release 3.0 of the Blackboard Transaction System features a range of new highlights and improved functionality, including:

• A completely redesigned, intuitive user interface with web-like search capability.
• A dramatically enhanced user experience that shortens the learning curve for new users, and allows most administrative actions to be performed in fewer steps.
• A centralized application that allows the user to access all functionality through a single screen.
• The best Unix Edition and Universal Edition functionality, plus numerous overall enhancements to previous Universal Edition releases.
• Enhanced data management capability with unlimited customizable data fields for ultimate flexibility.
• Support for multiple card formats, easier management of temporary card issuance, and unlimited stored value accounts per cardholder.
• Integration with Blackboard Video Surveillance(TM), allowing campus administrators to view live or recorded campus security video from anywhere.
  

BLACKBOARD ANNOUNCES A NEW VIDEO SURVEILLANCE SOLUTION, ALLOWING CAMPUSES TO REMOTELY MONITOR, RECORD, AND ARCHIVE CAMPUS VIDEO

Blackboard recently announced the release of a new video surveillance solution. Blackboard Video Surveillance ™ becomes an integral part of the Blackboard Commerce Suite™, joining the existing Access Control and Connect mass messaging solutions to create a fully integrated security management offering.

Blackboard’s security management solution provides end-to-end functionality, allowing campuses to control facility door access, monitor live or recorded video from anywhere on campus, and communicate rapidly in multiple modes with all campus constituents – all from a single provider.

With Blackboard Video Surveillance, customers can simultaneously monitor live or recorded video from numerous individual cameras around campus. Video can be recorded on a scheduled or regular basis, or based on a specific trigger such as movement in a restricted area of campus or at an unusual hour.

The software is flexible as well, supporting hundreds of camera models from leading manufacturers.

Blackboard Video Surveillance saves recorded video in compressed files, and later archives the recorded history by moving, recompressing or trimming the original files to make room for new files. The easy to use application connects to the video data directory and allows clients to overwrite the original files or move them to another location after they have been compressed.

REACH YOUR ENTIRE CAMPUS COMMUNITY WITH THE POWER OF YOUR PERSONAL VOICE USING BLACKBOARD CONNECT-ED

The Connect-ED ™ service is an industry leading time-based notification system designed to help improve enrollment, increase involvement, and facilitate campus connections through improved communication.  Connect-ED has been specifically designed to meet the needs of Higher Education institutions and offers a bundled set of community outreach, urgent communication, and survey notification tools via voice, email, SMS, and other text-receiving devices.

Hundreds of higher education institutions are using Connect-ED to drive their campus communications strategy.  Clients utilize the technology to communicate with all or part of their campus community regarding;

• Urgent Response and Communication:  campus closures, flu outbreaks, major catastrophe or evacuations
• Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Planning: cyber security threats, virus outbreaks, proactive Helpdesk communication or technology outages
• Enrollment Management: admissions, financial aid, registration, retention, counseling and career advisory

» Mass notification made easy.  As a fully hosted and managed web-based application, the Connect-ED service provides you with a powerful, easy-to-use suite of time-based mass notification solutions.

• Quickly and easily record and send notifications to thousands of people in minutes  
• No additional software, hardware or phone lines
• Unlimited usage for one fixed annual fee
• Comprehensive reporting

» One cost effective cross institutional communications solution.  Scalable and easily adaptable to any communications plan, the Connect-ED service is the best solution for time-sensitive notification and strategic, ongoing communication with students, parents, faculty and staff.

• Unlimited usage for a fixed annual fee
• Ability to quickly and easily manage and segment the campus population 
• Survey students, faculty and staff using Single Survey

» A proven and reliable multi-modal messaging solution.  Six years of proven experience with high volume, time-sensitive message delivery across a range of devices.

• Send messages to recipients' landlines, cell phones, PDAs/text-based devices, and e-mail accounts 
• 17,000 active client sites in 42 states and the District of Columbia
• Contracted capacity with select telecommunication providers to send over two million 60-second calls per hour 
• Over 243 million time-sensitive messages initiated in the last 12 months

For more information about Connect-ED, contact your Blackboard sales representative.

THE INGERSOLL RAND WIRELESS DOOR ACCESS EXIT KIT IS GENERALLY AVAILABLE

Blackboard has announced the general availability of the Ingersoll Rand WA993 wireless door access Exit Kit. The addition of the Exit Kit, combined with Blackboard’s existing Ingersoll Rand door access offering , provides clients with a complete wireless door access solution.

Features of the WA993 Include:

• Robust reader suitable for outdoor applications.
• Exit 'crash bar' is included.
• Fully compatible with the WA5200 and WA5600 series locksets from Ingersoll Rand currently sold by Blackboard.
• With the WA993 Exit Kit, Blackboard now offers the components necessary to facilitate compliance with local fire and building codes in most areas for exit doorways.
• WA993 Exit Kit highlights
  • Each lock is packaged with the card reader, electric lock, Request-to-Exit sensor, Door Position Switch, Battery Pack and RF communication.
  • Von Duprin 98/99 Series Exit Device Compatibility
  • Each lock can come with either an HID Prox or Magnetic Stripe reader.
  • 128-bit encoded spread spectrum transmissions.

For more information on the Ingersoll Rand WA993 Exit Kit contact your Blackboard sales representative.