Applied Systems, Inc. To Provide Support for Microsoft .Net within its Agency Products.

Business Editors/High Tech Writers

UNIVERSITY PARK, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 16, 2002

In an effort to continually enhance and develop leading edge technology for the insurance industry, Applied Systems, Inc. has unveiled its long-term research and development plans regarding the migration of its Interface Technology solutions, including the migration to Microsoft .Net Web services.

Applied Systems has long been the industry leader in enabling agency-company interface communication. Historically, that has been in the area of Batch Upload and Download mailbox communications, with over 42,000 communicating pairs of agencies and companies currently relying on Applied Systems for their daily communication.

Applied Systems is also providing support for IVANS Transformation Station, an Internet service providing real-time, public communication for both sales and service transactions between agencies and companies. Transformation Station supports the new ACORD XML transactions for Inquiries, First Notice of Loss reporting, as well as Policy Quote and Submit.

Transformation Station also provides support for Bridge transactions, allowing data entered in agency systems to be pre-populated into insurance company web sites. "The Bridge is definitely a transaction that is a transition between the world of batch communication and the .Net world of web service", said Doug Johnston, EVP WARP Interface Services.

However, Applied Systems is actively working on migration plans to provide support for .Net and Web Services as they become viable and prevalent in use. "While none of our customers are asking for .Net solutions today, we feel the technology possesses enough potential value to continue our migration strategy to incorporate support for it within our products." said Wayne Pardue, EVP Sales and Marketing.

Applied Systems, Inc. is committed to the future of Interface Technology. "We have extensive research and development efforts going on in the .NET, WebServer and BizTalk environments. Applied recognizes and understands that there may be other ways and strategies for handling Interface. However, until a new strategy emerges, Applied has an established product in Transformation Station and has put itself in a great position to be ready for the next wave of Interface Technology that develops.

About Applied Systems: Applied Systems is a leading provider of automation solutions for the property and casualty insurance industry. Since 1983, Applied has developed software for independent insurance agents, brokers, managing general agents, insurance companies and other financial institutions with insurance operations, such as banks. Applied has helped over 10,000 clients take their operations to new levels of success with leading management systems - The Agency Manager(R) and Vision Series(TM). The Diamond System(TM), a policy processing system for insurance companies, and the success in Electronic Data Interchange have propelled Applied Systems as the technology frontrunner of the industry. Combined with their consulting services, rating solutions and third party integration, Applied has the ability to automate the insurance transaction at every level of the distribution system. Applied Systems, Inc. web address is http://www.appliedsystems.com.