American Electric Power Chooses DataDirect Technologies for Mainframe SOA Enablement.

DataDirect([R]) Shadow([R]) Helps Modernize Customer Information System with Cost-Effective Mainframe SOA Participation

BEDFORD, Mass. -- DataDirect Technologies, the unparalleled leader in data connectivity and mainframe integration and an operating company of Progress Software Corporation (NASDAQ:PRGS), today announced that American Electric Power (NYSE:AEP) has deployed the DataDirect([R]) Shadow([R]) product to provide mainframe Web services for SOA enablement of its mainframe-based customer information system.

AEP ranks among the nation's largest generators of electricity, providing service for more than five million customers in 11 states and owning 38,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. To better service its robust customer base, AEP launched several application modernization initiatives. The AEP customer information system, comprised of mainframe COBOL, DB2 data and CICS 3270 screens, required modernization to keep up with the growing demands of the organization. AEP needed to bring its customer-centric applications to the Web while finding an easy way to integrate existing legacy data without time-intensive modification or customization of the mainframe application itself.

Recognizing a full replacement of the system would be cost prohibitive, AEP instead decided to migrate to a more flexible, Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) in order to extend the life of its customer information system. As part of its strategy to de-couple applications and data for reuse in SOA, AEP sought a third-party technology that could leverage existing assets and better position the utility company for all modern computing initiatives that would require access to mainframe applications and data. AEP selected the DataDirect Shadow platform and its Shadow z/Services[TM] mainframe SOA capability due to its comprehensive offering, sound reputation and superior integration support for screen-based applications.

DataDirect Shadow is the industry's only single unified platform for mainframe integration that supports major industry standard requirements for integrating mainframe data, business logic and screens to participate with SOA and composite application development. Using the DataDirect Shadow z/Services product, organizations can rapidly transform mainframe screen-based processes into SOAP-based Web services. The ability to automatically expose mainframe applications as ready-to-use Web services, dramatically reduces development time and expense, improves performance levels and accelerates new application development initiatives.

"Customers turn to us for technologies that increase business effectiveness and reduce the complexity, risk and cost associated with mainframe SOA," said John Goodson, vice president and general manager of DataDirect Technologies. "The DataDirect Shadow platform has become an essential architectural foundation for secure, reliable and scalable integration of mainframe assets that satisfies the entire range of requirements for mainframe legacy integration from a single, integrated product set."

AEP began a multi-phased rollout of Web services-enabled enhancements to the customer information system last fall.

About American Electric Power

American Electric Power is one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, delivering electricity to more than 5 million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation's largest generators of electricity, owning nearly 38,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP also owns the nation's largest electricity transmission system, a nearly 39,000-mile network that includes more 765 kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined. AEP's transmission system directly or indirectly serves about 10 percent of the electricity demand in the Eastern Interconnection, the interconnected transmission system that covers 38 eastern and central U.S. states and eastern Canada, and approximately 11 percent of the electricity demand in ERCOT, the transmission system that covers much of Texas. AEP's utility units operate as AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana and east Texas). AEP's headquarters are in Columbus, Ohio.

About DataDirect Technologies

DataDirect Technologies is the software industry's only comprehensive provider of software for connecting the world's most critical business applications to data and services, running on any platform, using proven and emerging standards. Developers worldwide depend on DataDirect[R] products to connect their applications to an unparalleled range of data sources using standards-based interfaces such as ODBC, JDBC[TM] and ADO.NET, XQuery and SOAP. More than 300 leading independent software vendors and thousands of enterprises rely on DataDirect Technologies to simplify and streamline data connectivity for distributed systems and to reduce the complexity of mainframe integration. DataDirect Technologies is an operating company of Progress Software Corporation (NASDAQ:PRGS). For more information, visit www.datadirect.com.

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