On account of speculation arising from today's edition of Finansavisen, Norman wishes to give an orientation on its preliminary, unaudited figures for 2000.

The operating result for 2000 is expected to be minus kr 14 million from a net revenue of ca. kr 200 million. Growth compared to last year was 13% adjusted for the sale of Ibas repairs business from 1st June 2000.

The core business of Norman, virus control, had a good growth in 2000. Postponement of the launch of Norman Virus Control 5.0 to 1st December, resulted in a growth rate that was lower than expected, but at the same time, the product is now available as reflected in increased incoming orders worldwide. The order reserve for virus products at the beginning of 2001 is ca kr 70 million, an increase from ca kr 38 million at the beginning of 2000.

As previously presented, Norman has decided to separate into 3 business units. A significant investment in NSS (Norman Security Solutions) was also announced which would result in a negative operating result for 2000. The focus on NSS, with among other things the purchase of AEC Czech Republic, is a long term investment in a market that is growing very strongly. With the activities that are already carried out in 2000, Norman considers itself to be well positioned for growth in this segment. The company already has a good order reserve for this business unit.

In addition, the operating result of IBAS in the 4th quarter was weaker than expected due to costs linked to restructuring of the business unit in advance of the proposed merger with the British company Vogon. The merger is expected to be carried out in the 1st quarter 2001 and the merged company will be the largest in its market segment within Europe.

After a weak start to 4th quarter 2000, December was the best sales month in the company's history. The company has continued this positive development at the start of 2001 and both revenue growth and results are now in line with management's expectations.

The company will present its preliminary results on 8th February 2001 at 8:30 am at Hotel Bristol, Oslo.