Killen & Associates Global WebCast Alert: When Incompatibility Isn't an Option; Interface is Bridging the Gap Between Legacy Systems and eBusiness Initiatives.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 12, 2000

WebCast available beginning April 12, 2000

Location: http://www.killen.com/tv/bnero

Topic: Electronic Statement Presentment (ESP)

Guest: Robert Nero, President & CEO, Interface Systems, Inc.

All executives of large organizations see the eBusiness handwriting on the wall: develop an eStrategy or succumb to traditional competitors and upstarts that "get it."

"But that's not as easy as it sounds," says Bob Nero, president and CEO of Interface Systems, Inc (Nasdaq:INTF) during a WebCast with Michael Killen, founder and chairman of Internet market research firm Killen & Associates. The WebCast was made available for public viewing April 12, 2000, and will replay thereafter at http://www.killen.com/tv.

"Most large organizations have a distinct infrastructural dependence on legacy systems, which have been continuously improved and refined," says Nero. "At the same time these firms are giving birth to eCommerce initiatives involving Internet technology. These two technology worlds are incompatible, often involving completely different people in the organization, and yet there is a distinct dependence on the legacy systems in making the new initiatives work well. Interface's L2i (Legacy-to-Internet) vision is designed to bridge the gap between legacy systems and the Internet to ensure that enterprises achieves their eCommerce or Internet objectives."

According to Nero, one of the largest, most pronounced impediments to advancing these eCommerce initiatives is unlocking the information in legacy applications. The balancing act, he says, is to be able to use the information in the new application while at the same time preserving the legacy application's integrity, and without modifying the application.

That's precisely what Nero's company does through its L2i(TM) approach. L2i makes it possible for companies to build creative new businesses out of myriad legacy applications. While there are numerous potential vertical markets for L2i, Interface Systems will initially focus on the brokerage industry with MyCopy(TM), an electronic statement presentment (ESP) solution that allows brokerage firms to instantly access client statements for internal or external delivery via web browser, email, or fax. MyCopy is designed to give brokers more time to concentrate on providing clients with more services, rather than scrambling for statement information. Interface's brokerage clients include Prudential Securities, Advest Group, JC Bradford, and ComGraphics, a major print services provider to the financial industry. Interface has also built a partnership with the leading brokerage processing service provider in the US.

The information in legacy systems is only a part of the challenge for his company, Nero says. The other part of the challenge is this: How do you turn that information into a valuable application for the vertical market that you are attacking?

"You need an L2i-like capability and at the same time you need to fashion it into a product that reflects the way people think and work. That's what we have accomplished with our MyCopy product," Nero says. Whatever the vertical industry, Nero stresses that it's critical to understand the specific marketplace in question in planning L2i initiatives. "We know how to shape information into an application that is relevant to what a firm has to get done," he says. "What works for a brokerage firm may be different than for a bank, and banking will be different from health care. That's why it's so vitally important to have an in-depth understanding of the needs of a market."

As an example, Nero cites that when Interface Systems was exploring the brokerage community, it found a number of motivators at work. These include: clear cost savings; the ability to offer clients better customer service; the strategic advantage of being able to touch clients in new and different ways; and, the ability of brokerage houses to retain brokers, which is a critical operating objective within most brokerage firms.

Nero also points out that in any industry, the effort to blend new initiatives and legacy systems can pose significant cultural challenges and run into organizational inertia. "Rapid implementation requires aggressive top-down support," Nero explains. "If the CEO is watching, that means the initiative is strategic. We've certainly found that if a project is supported from the CEO level -- or it comes from the board of directors -- things are done quickly."

See the Interface WebCast (http://www.killen.com/tv/bnero) for more details about Interface System's MyCopy and L2i approach to data compatibility for eBusinesses.

About Interface Systems, Incorporated (www.interfacesystems.com)

Interface Systems, Inc. is an Internet applications company, focused on making legacy output Internet-ready. Capitalizing on its 30-year reputation of providing high-value products for mainframe systems, the company has pioneered and is now the industry leader in comprehensive Legacy-to-Internet (L2i) technology solutions. This technology offers immediate solutions to specific tactical output requirements; at the same time, L2i technology provides long-term strategic solutions for the many companies looking to transform themselves into eBusinesses. Most currently, Interface's L2i products and capabilities are being used in exciting partnerships with companies like TransPoint and Oracle Corp., to serve the Internet-billing market. Interface is also targeting and finding success in the financial industries with MyCopy(TM), the company's electronic statement delivery application. Based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Interface Systems trades on the Nasdaq National Market System under the symbol INTF. Other offices are in Loves Park, Illinois; Slough, England; and Sandton, South Africa.

About Killen & Associates

Killen & Associates is a leading market research company that focuses on the impact of the Internet, specializing in electronic bill presentment and payment (EBPP), electronic statement presentment (ESP), and multi-channel eBusiness (MCEB). The company's EBPP Business Intelligence Subscription Service offers exclusive business intelligence to business professionals in the telecom, utilities, and financial services industries worldwide. Killen & Associate's study, "Multi-Channel eBusiness (MCEB)," provides compelling evidence that global corporations must use their brick-and-mortar infrastructures as a competitive advantage in the age of the Internet and eCommerce. Founder Michael Killen is an internationally renowned authority on eBusiness strategy. Killen & Associates maintains offices in Palo Alto, California; Richmond, Surrey, UK; and Zurich, Switzerland.

Killen & Associates Contact: Natalie Smith, Killen & Associates Inc., [phone]; email: [e-mail]; 366 California Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94306

Interface Systems Contact: Kathleen Maher, Interface Systems, [phone]; email: [e-mail]; 5855 Interface Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48103

Interface Agency Contact: Buddy Price, TechCom Partners, [phone] [e-mail]

Note to Editors: MyCopy and L2i are trademarks of Interface Systems, Inc.