The Planet Appoints Executive to New Customer Care Role

HOUSTON, Jan. 29, 2007 — The Planet Internet Services, Inc., the leading provider of on-demand IT infrastructure, today announced the appointment of James P. Picone to the newly created position of vice president, contact centers. Picone, who reports to Chairman and CEO Douglas J. Erwin, joins The Planet from Earthlink.

Picone’s appointment is the first of several that will comprise the company’s new Customer Experience team. From technical sales and phone support, to customer support, purchasing and client service, the team’s focus will be to optimize virtually every customer touch point.

“Our customers look to us to provide quality products and services, and to deliver reliability and scalability so they can focus on their business,” said The Planet’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Douglas J. Erwin. “To further enhance our services, we are building a customer care organization that will not only exceed our customers’ expectations, but also rewrite the playbook for our industry.

“Jim Picone’s appointment represents the first of several important new additions to our Customer Experience team, all designed to deliver on the promise that customer experience at The Planet will be world-class. Jim brings global industry leadership, business knowledge and the understanding of best-practices that will make a significant difference in the care we provide our customers.”

With Earthlink, Picone directed operational performance for the company’s North America Tier III technical support sites, as well its international contact centers. He also served as vice president of client operations for Cendian Corporation, responsible for establishing and ensuring consistent world-class customer service through its operations centers.

Picone spent more than twelve years with MCI Communications in a series of increasingly responsible roles. He opened and managed MCI’s 400-seat call center in Boise, Idaho, and managed other customer sales and service operations around the country. Additional experience includes work with APAC Customer Services, Software Spectrum and Computer Associates.

Picone earned a B.A. in marketing and business administration from Carthage College.

About The Planet

The Planet is the leading provider of On Demand IT Infrastructure solutions, hosting more than 22,000 small- and medium-size businesses and 6.7 million Web sites worldwide. By offering the best choice of servers, software tools and world-class support, backed by state-of-the-art facilities and unmatched network connectivity, The Planet helps turn information technology into a powerful competitive advantage that enables customers to successfully grow their businesses. For additional information, visit http://www.theplanet.com.

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For information contact:
Yvonne Donaldson, The Planet Director, Public Relations Phone: (281) 714-3602 ydonaldson@theplanet.com	Catherine Leahy Global Fluency Phone: (650) 433-4150 cleahy@globalfluency.com

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