National Bank of Canada and Opendesk: Partnering to serve the Small and Medium Business

National Bank of Canada and Opendesk are pleased to announce today the signing of a partnership agreement to offer Opendesk's Web-based collaboration software to the Bank's Small and Medium Size Business (SMB) customers. As per the terms of the agreement, the Bank will promote the Opendesk solution, while Opendesk will remain responsible for all aspects of the delivery services: software hosting and operation, and customer support. Opendesk continues to evolve its software solution that provides corporations and their personnel anytime, anywhere access to a suite of Web-based business applications like electronic mail, shared calendaring, document storage, and other tools enabling inter and intra company collaboration. The launch for this important initiative is scheduled for October 2002.

"We are very pleased to partner with Opendesk, an innovative Quebec-based information technology firm", said Denis Faubert, Principal, Electronic Banking Services for the National Bank of Canada. "This agreement fits perfectly within the Bank's mission to introduce quality, state of the art business solutions to its customers. The Opendesk solution will aid the growth and development of our clients, thus the decision for the Bank to add Opendesk to our list of partners."

"This association with the National Bank of Canada, a leader of the Canadian business community, constitutes an important opportunity for Opendesk", said Luc Lachapelle, Vice-President of Opendesk. "We share the vision of the Bank,  that such partnerships can support the continuing development of Canadian and Quebec SMBs. The Opendesk solution was first built for those companies and, with the support of the Bank, they will be able to benefit from the solution to secure an enviable position in their respective markets."

About Opendesk
Opendesk is a privately owned Montreal-based corporation that develops and sells Web-based software solutions enabling communication and collaboration within businesses and workgroups. With thousands of SMB customers in North America, Opendesk's innovative software and Web-based delivery model has been deployed in diverse market segments such as franchising, Web hosting, and financial services. Opendesk is also being introduced to American SMBs via banks including BankOne and Banknorth Group. Opendesk's software is available on a "private label" basis, allowing resellers and service providers to benefit from selling and integrating Opendesk's unique software solution. For more information, please visit Opendesk's Web site at www.opendesk.com.

About the National Bank of Canada
National Bank of Canada is an integrated group which provides comprehensive financial services to consumers, small and medium-sized enterprises and large corporations in its core market, while offering specialized services to its clients elsewhere in the world. The National Bank offers a full array of banking services, including retail, corporate and investment banking. It is an active player on international capital markets and, through its subsidiaries, is involved in securities brokerage, insurance and wealth management as well as mutual fund and retirement plan management. The National Bank has assets of over $75 billion and, together with its subsidiaries, employs over 17,000 people. The Bank's shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. For more information, please visit the Bank's Web site at www.bnc.ca.

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