Academic Management Services Unlocks the Power of Legacy with Micro Focus.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

ROCKVILLE, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 6, 2004

AMS Successfully Deploys EnterpriseLink(R) with Component Generator To Deliver Cost-Effective and Agile Web-Based Composite Applications That Reuse Valuable Legacy Assets

Micro Focus International (Micro Focus(R)) today announced that Academic Management Services (AMS), one of the nation's largest providers of integrated payment solutions for higher education, has successfully deployed EnterpriseLink(R) with Component Generator to deliver cost-effective and agile Web-based composite applications that reuse valuable legacy assets, including application infrastructure and existing skill sets from employees.

Working with Micro Focus, AMS Servicing Group, the campus-based loan servicing arm of AMS, is now providing schools with direct access to easy-to-use tools to update borrower account information and process transactions from any workstation on campus. Borrowers are able to perform self-service activities such as monitoring account activity and processing transactions. EnterpriseLink with Component Generator has allowed AMS to draw upon legacy applications, much of it written in COBOL, without having to throw away their significant investment in legacy technology and skills. Instead of re-writing their loan servicing applications from scratch, AMS is integrating back end business processes with modern Web-based applications, improving time-to-market while minimizing risks and costs associated with new application development.

During the rollout phase, AMS was able to use a small group of COBOL developers to create and test Java component interfaces to legacy business processes for multiple transaction capabilities. AMS programmers were also working across geographies with their mainframe COBOL CICS application located in Dallas and their middleware component in North Carolina. Component Generator now allows AMS to quickly regenerate interfaces to other protocols like COM, XML and Web services to easily re-target alternative mid-tier deployment platforms. They now can do this without recreating mainframe components or redeploying the COBOL application on the mainframe. In doing so, AMS is leveraging its COBOL development team and bridging their skills with those of the Java programmer.

"AMS needed a solution that could deliver real value and advanced capabilities quickly while reusing existing resources," said John Elliott, director of information technologies at AMS Servicing. "Micro Focus Component Generator has allowed us to 'future-proof' our loan servicing application with less effort than 'rip and replace' and provide our customers with the latest technological advances."

"Today's economic environment requires companies to look for solutions that effectively use IT resources without compromise," said Ian Archbell, vice president of product management at Micro Focus. "AMS is leading its field while exploiting new technology by reusing assets for faster time-to-market of new products and services. It is very exciting that they chose Micro Focus to partner with them in web-enabling critical business applications."

About EnterpriseLink with Component Generator

EnterpriseLink with Component Generator is a legacy presentation integration solution that improves system integration while reducing costs by transforming mainframe host applications into web applications within 90 days. The Component Generator feature, a programmatic integration solution, generates Java, XML and Microsoft components to reduce development costs by automating reuse of legacy mainframe business logic in a new application or interface with existing applications.

About Micro Focus

Micro Focus is the fastest, most effective way to migrate, extend, develop and deploy enterprise applications. As the industry standard for COBOL, Micro Focus bridges business-critical legacy assets with Web services, J2EE, XML and .NET, enabling organizations to reduce costs, increase agility and minimize risk for accelerated business success. The company's software products for COBOL are among the most widely used in the industry with an estimated 130,000 COBOL developers producing applications used by more than 3,000,000 people around the world. Founded in 1976, Micro Focus is a global company with principal offices in the United Kingdom, United States and Japan. For more information, visit www.microfocus.com.

Micro Focus and EnterpriseLink are registered trademarks of Micro Focus International Ltd. All non-Micro Focus products mentioned in this announcement are property of their respective owners.