ACI Worldwide Launches Payments Software Engine On The IBM eServer z900 Mainframe; Part of a Broader ``Commerce Framework'' Offering.

Business Editors & Technology Writers

OMAHA, Neb.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 28, 2001

ACI Worldwide (Nasdaq:TSAI), the software company that pioneered electronic payment systems over the last quarter century, today announced a new-generation product for real-time processing of consumer payment transactions on IBM eServer z900 and S/390 mainframes.

The ACI Enterprise Payment System (EPS) provides application software to acquire and authenticate, route, switch and authorize transactions regardless of the channel in which they originate. Customers in many industries--finance, retail, telecommunications, data processing--can use EPS to process transactions from any endpoint including Internet shopping networks, mobile commerce, Web ATM and home banking systems. The software can also be used to upgrade legacy ATM and point-of-sale systems, adding support for new features such as smart card programs and e-check processing.

EPS operates on the IBM eServer z900 and S/390's operating systems, z/OS and OS/390, and takes full advantage of their Parallel Sysplex clustering technology for fault tolerance and scalability.

Mark Vipond, president of ACI Worldwide, said, "The Enterprise Payment System builds on ACI's 25 years of experience in developing software for high-volume payment networks. That's our heritage--building payment engines for the world's most demanding environments. EPS represents the culmination of a decade of ACI research and development into application architectures. Working with IBM, we can offer best-of-breed solutions for z/OS and OS/390 customers that deliver reliability, scalability and extensibility across a broad range of payment types supporting both traditional and emerging channels."

EPS will now be offered through an extension of a global strategic sales and marketing alliance formed between IBM and ACI in September 2000. Through the agreement, ACI supports the IBM Framework for e-business, a roadmap for integrating Internet technologies with traditional information technologies, and has embraced the Framework as their underlying technology for delivery of e-business solutions on IBM platforms.

"Electronic payments are becoming more widely accepted by consumers while also being recognized as an increasingly complex infrastructure problem for companies," said Kate O'Neil, general manager, IBM Global Financial Markets Infrastructure. "ACI's EPS offers a powerful and scalable solution to help companies build a cost-efficient and flexible e-payments system. Together, ACI and IBM bring industry leadership in e-payment solutions and services for application software, enterprise servers and e-infrastructure software."

The Technology Behind the Product

The Enterprise Payment System supports XML and ISO-based interface standards and other industry-specific formats to expose transaction services to any channel. The product also uses IBM's CICS Transaction Server for optimal throughput and is Parallel Sysplex Technology enabled for absolute availability. A graphical user interface is written in client side Java using IBM Visual Age for Java. It interfaces with global credit and debit networks and provides flexible integration points to other applications and data within a customer's enterprise.

A key benefit of the Enterprise Payment System is derived from the use of scripting to define business processing logic, allowing customers to invoke services in a way that matches their business needs. For example, a customer can impose more stringent authentication requirements for transactions from certain channels or use different authorization parameters for transactions involving a specific segment of their customer base. Potential benefits of this approach include lower cost of ownership compared with traditional customization options, shorter response times to changing business needs, reduced risk and improved customer loyalty.

Part of the ACI Commerce Framework

The Enterprise Payment System is part of a broad suite of application software products developed by ACI and marketed through an alliance with IBM. These products--extended to operate on IBM eServer zSeries, pSeries and xSeries hardware platforms--use IBM e-infrastructure software such as WebSphere and the DB2 Universal Database to provide a common framework for managing all phases of a payment transaction lifecycle. ACI's commerce framework includes software to enable transaction initiation through Web and wireless channels, process transactions in real-time, and automate the back office functions associated with settlement, dispute processing, fraud detection and account service. Among application software providers, ACI is unique in its ability to act as the single-source provider of software that spans the length of the commerce value chain.

About ACI Worldwide

Every second of every day, consumers are initiating electronic payment transactions--getting cash at ATMs, using debit and credit cards to make purchases in stores and on the Internet, banking by phone and PC, paying bills online. Twenty billion times a year, ACI software is used to process these transactions, powering the world's online payment systems. ACI was founded in 1975 and pioneered the development of applications and networking software for online transaction processing. Today more than 500 customers in 79 countries use ACI supplied software. Visit ACI Worldwide on the Internet at www.aciworldwide.com.

IBM, the IBM e-business logo, z900, S/390, z/OS, OS/390, Parallel Sysplex, WebSphere, MQSeries, and DB2 are all trademarks or registered trademarks of IBM Corporation. The IBM eServer brand consists of the established IBM e-business logo with the following descriptive term "server" following it.

Any statements in this press release regarding projected results are preliminary and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In addition, this press release may contain other forward-looking statements including statements regarding Transaction Systems Architects, Inc.'s ("TSA"), its subsidiaries or third parties' expectations, predictions, views, opportunities, plans, strategies, beliefs, and statements of similar effect. The forward-looking statements in this press release are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially. Factors that could cause actual results to differ include but are not limited to the following.

The success of TSA, or any of its subsidiaries, entering into a new distribution or partnering arrangement depends on numerous factors including the acceptance of the distributed products or services by TSA's existing customer base and integration of the products and services into TSA's marketing efforts, the quality of the products or services as perceived after use by TSA's customers, and the degree of competition from competitive products or service providers.

TSA's business is concentrated in the banking industry, making it susceptible to a downturn in that industry.

TSA is subject to risks of conducting international operations including: difficulties in staffing and management, reliance on independent distributors, fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, compliance with foreign regulatory requirements, variability of foreign economic conditions, and changing restrictions imposed by U.S. export laws.

Fluctuations in quarterly operating results may result in volatility in TSA's stock price. No assurance can be given that operating results will not vary. TSA's stock price may also be volatile, in part due to external factors such as announcements by third parties or competitors, inherent volatility in the high-technology sector and changing market conditions in the industry.

For a detailed discussion of these and other risk factors, interested parties should review TSA's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Exhibit 99.01 to TSA's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2000.