Energy Version 7 Launched Into Industry Spotlight

Peace Software Launches Energy Version 7 into Industry Spotlight

* Energy(tm) Version 7 to be launched at 'CIS'
* Eighteen months in development
* Pre-release version used in Texas by American Electric Power
* Nearly one million customers - world's largest browser-based CIS Version 7 at-a-glance
* Open, component-based architecture
* Designed for speed, scale and agility
* Optimises business performance and operating efficiencies What's new
* More than 180 new features
* New Prospect component
* Scalability for massive deployments
* New API architecture for rapid implementation in complex environments

AUCKLAND - May 30, 2002 - New Zealand software company Peace Software intends to make a strong showing in early June at the 'CIS Conference', (the US's largest event for utility Customer Information Systems or CIS) in Baltimore MD. There it will unveil Energy Version 7, the latest release of its leading customer management solution for the world's fast changing utility and energy retailing markets.

The result of an eighteen month development cycle at Peace Software's large scale development centre in Auckland, Energy Version 7 is a comprehensive browser-based CIS solution. Its open, component-based architecture provides utility companies with speed, scale and agility, allowing them to optimise business performance and achieve operating efficiencies.

Additions and enhancements include more than 180 new features, a new Prospect component, scalability for massive deployments, and new API architecture for rapid implementation in complex environments.

Peace Software has already deployed a pre-release version of Energy Version 7 for the competitive Texas market, where it is used to manage nearly one million customers of American Electric Power (AEP). This makes Energy Version 7, on launch, the largest browser-based CIS in use in the energy industry.

"Our clients and partners are market leaders who depend upon regular infusions of new and innovative technology to create business advantages today and to drive success into the future," said Brian Peace, Chairman and CEO of Peace Software. "Our New Zealand development centre, where more than 350 people work on enhancing and improving Energy, is now the world's largest software development organisation dedicated exclusively to CIS. With Energy 7 we are delivering the speed, scale, and agility that companies need to achieve operational excellence and performance efficiency in what, around the world, is unquestionably a dynamic utility and energy retailing environment."

Energy Version 7 is an open, component-based platform that can optimise business operations through simplified and streamlined process automation, less IT complexity, faster time to market and lower costs.

Peace Software's Energy suite is well known for its leading functionality. Energy Version 7 gives energy companies strategic options for managing customers in regulated, transitioning and competitive markets; mass and complex commercial and industrial (C&I) markets; and single or multiple commodities, products and services.

The open, component-based Energy Version 7 offers the flexibility to add components as needed, to create best-of-breed environments with components from multiple vendors and to integrate with legacy environments. Energy Version 7 includes an extensive array of APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) using J2EE (Java 2 Enterprise Edition) architecture, a preferred industry standard that supports a variety of EAI/middleware products and integration strategies. A new API Toolkit will provide object libraries, implementation guides and templates to support rapid implementation in complex environments.

Energy's standard APIs provide the flexibility to interface with leading CRM applications efficiently and cost effectively. In addition, the new Prospects component in Energy Version 7 delivers integrated prospect management and sales tracking designed specifically for the unique needs of utilities and energy retailers. It enables companies in both regulated and competitive markets to quickly and cost-effectively acquire customers and better manage existing customer relationships. Contact, profile and segment information is carried throughout customer lifecycles for dependable, timely and responsive customer service, as well as to support up-selling and cross-selling opportunities.

With Energy Version 7, streamlined meter-to-cash processes and enhanced credit lifecycle management can simplify and automate interactions for both regulated and competitive companies. In addition, advanced workflow automation and new dynamic and visual reports support the monitoring of critical and ongoing processes.

In addition to American Electric Power, other industry-leading Peace Software clients include Direct Energy Marketing Limited (a Centrica North American Company), Xcel Energy and its strategic integration partner IBM Global Services, CustomerWorks, the largest provider of utility Business Process Outsourcing services in Canada, and Country Energy, where the Energy suite is currently processing nearly 10 million interval meter demand each months for 6,500 large C&I customers on half-hourly metering contracts.

"Our clients intend to grow from millions of consumers to tens of millions of consumers in the next few years and to participate in many gas and electricity markets," said Paul Grey, Chief Technology Officer of Peace Software. "Energy has been architected and optimized to enable these aggressive growth plans across the broad scope of transaction processing essential for massive multi-market operations and 24x7 performance for large numbers of concurrent system users across mission-critical call centers, internet self-service web sites and back office operations. The large-scale systems our clients have in full production today and the extensive research, testing and benchmarks that we've conducted, and extensive audits by a leading system integrator and industry analysts all attest to our success and readiness."

Peace Software's Energy suite is what META Group defines as a "Commercial-Off-The-Shelf" solution. Peace Software's single product approach provides clients with upgrades to major new versions of Energy every 12 to 18 months. This advanced approach is becoming a key requirement for new system selection, superseding costly approaches such as customized system deployments or in-house development. Energy version upgrades are automatically available to clients via maintenance contracts and include functional enhancements, technological advances, new usability features, performance accelerators, as well as innovative new components and subcomponents.

Peace Software's Professional Services organization and systems integration partners have a track record of smoothly upgrading clients to new versions. Further, Peace Software offers 24x7 multi-tiered Client Support Services for continuous service either online or by telephone, and are complemented by a range of remove and onsite services.

ENDS

About Peace Software Peace Software develops open, component-based customer management solutions used by utilities and retailers for business innovation in regulated, transitioning and competitive energy markets. The company's browser-based Energy suite has been selected to drive efficient operations and provide excellent customer care for millions of mass market and commercial and industrial (C&I) customers in 40 markets around the world. Peace's innovative Energy suite can replace or be phased into existing CIS environments, one component at a time. New version upgrades are available every 12-18 months. Headquartered in Miami and founded in 1984, Peace Software has offices in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. ###

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