PHD, creators of the award-winning Professional Help Desk(TM) support and service automation software suite, today announced that their new PHDWeb™ system, version 1.0, has been awarded 100% Pure Java™ certification by Sun Microsystems of Mountain View, CA. PHDWeb is one of the first help desk products ever to receive this highly coveted designation, which indicates that a software application is written entirely in Sun's popular Java programming language.

PHDWeb offers many of the highly advanced features and functions of Professional Help Desk -- call tracking, call management and problem resolution -- in a system that can be accessed using any Java-enabled Web browser. Web-browser access permits help desk analysts, field engineers, programmers and other personnel to take advantage of PHDWeb from virtually anywhere in the world, via the internet, corporate intranets, or "palmtop" remote access devices. PHDWeb's Java programming also makes it completely platform-independent, and it can therefore be used from Windows, Macintosh, Unix, or virtually any other computer system.

PHDWeb systems design is based on a four-tier architecture. PHDWeb's 100% Pure Java applet runs on any Java-enabled Web browser. All the Web browsers connect to a Java server application -- a multithreaded program that communicates with the PHDWeb engine. The PHDWeb engine contains the business rules for call tracking, call management, and problem resolution, accesses the PHD database, and returns the results.

"We are delighted that PHD has been awarded 100% Pure Java certification for its product PHDWeb," said George Paolini, director of corporate marketing at JavaSoft, a business unit of Sun Microsystems, Inc. "It's an example of the paradigm shift toward Web-based and thin-client computing that Java is helping to make possible."

Isidore Sobkowski, president and founder of PHD, added, "Being awarded '100% Pure Java' certification means a great deal to us. Sun Microsystems is invariably at the cutting edge of innovation in the computer industry, and we're very pleased that PHDWeb meets their exacting standards."

For more information about PHD and its products, call 800-474-3725, or email info@phd.com.

About PHD

PHD provides help desk tools -- including Professional Help Desk for Windows, PHDWeb and PHD ClientView Internet Access (CIA) -- that give client/server network users access to sophisticated yet easy-to-use tools for resolving hardware and software problems without assistance. By reducing the reliance on highly trained technical personnel, PHD dramatically reduces technical support costs and computer downtime.

Founded in 1994, PHD is a subsidiary of Data Systems and Software, Inc. (Nasdaq: DSSI), a multinational technology organization with offices and operations worldwide. DSSI is a leading provider of all aspects of computer software and hardware and other advanced technologies. PHD is headquartered in Stamford, CT.

Source: PHD