Scala Named ``Best E-Commerce Enabling Application'' in Gartner E-Commerce Competition; Integrated Front-End and Back Office Software Judged Best-in-Category.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 28, 1999--

Scala Business Solutions N.V. (www.scala.se), a global business management software solutions vendor with a family of e-commerce and back office applications, today announced that its E-Solutions electronic commerce front-end software has been awarded the Grand Category Prize for the "E-Commerce Enabling Applications" category in the "1999 E-Commerce Zone Challenge Cup" software evaluation competition.

The competition was held in conjunction with the Gartner Group's "Internet & Electronic Commerce Conference and Expo", held in New York, April 27-29th. The Gartner Group is a highly respected computer industry market analysis company based in Stamford, Connecticut.

The "E-Commerce Enabling Applications" category covered products offering catalog & content development, data warehouse/decision support, and electronic commerce site development. It also included payment/transaction/merchant systems, security/encryption, Webcasting/Web-enabled videoconferencing and wireless electronic commerce functions.

Scala E-Solutions is a tightly integrated, powerful electronic commerce solution that shares data on a real-time basis with Scala's Global Series enterprise applications. Thus, customers, employees or vendors can have secure access to a company's database to perform functions such as placing a new product order, checking on order status and/or updating their basic customer profile information. Scala E-Solutions delivers a "self-service" capability to Scala users that enhances the relationship between them and their customers, employees and/or vendors. Scala E-Solutions features robust multi-language and multi-currency capabilities, including early EMU certification.

The judges highlighted Scala's integration between e-commerce front-office and enterprise management back-office functions as a key element in the award decision. They also liked Scala's multi-language capability (30+ languages), its advanced use of XML technology for real-time data transfer and its compatibility with the Microsoft Office applications suite. Other features that caught the judges attention were Scala's product configuator, its "non-batch" mode, its EDI-enablement, and its links with the evolving Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) that allows Internet/XML data to be displayed on a variety of wireless devices such as digital cellular phones, PalmPilot-type PDA devices and other forthcoming Internet appliances.

Scala E-Solutions features an electronic ordering process that reports order data directly into the company's financial, customer profile and manufacturing processes on a real-time basis. At the Gartner show, Scala also announced its intention to integrate the award winning Internet security software from iD2 Technologies of Stockholm, Sweden. ID2 Technologies provides public key infrastructure transaction security software that includes digital certificate authentication and digital signature capabilities.

About Scala North America

Scala North America is a software marketing, development and consulting services company; it is the U.S.-based subsidiary of Scala Business Solutions (SBS) N.V. SBS is a publicly traded company (on the Amsterdam, Netherlands, and Vienna, Austria exchanges) based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, with offices in more than 52 countries worldwide. Scala is a Microsoft Certified Solutions Provider, focusing on Microsoft's NT Server and SQL Server software platforms. The company's Board of Directors includes Esther Dyson, the noted computer industry visionary and venture capitalist.

Scala markets a robust multinational ERP software solution for major global businesses. Its primary product is Scala 5 Global Series (GS). Scala's ERP application includes major functions such as Financial & Resource Management, Sales & Inventory Management, Manufacturing (MRP/MRP II) and Service & Project Management, as well as several EIS options. Scala software is used on a daily basis by more than 80,000 corporate end users, worldwide. In 1994, Accountancy Age magazine awarded Scala its "Accounting Software of the Year" honor, while in 1993, Scala won PC Magazine (UK)'s Editor's Choice Award. In 1999, the company will introduce its electronic commerce solution.

The company employs its unique "Signature" implementation methodology to assure rapid, trouble-free installation. Scala's "Signature" methodology is a 6-step process that takes the mystery out of software installation. "Signature" includes the performance of a "Business Requirements Review" of the customer's business processes and establishment of a set of "SMART" (Specific, Measurable, Agreed, Realistic and Time-defined) objectives.

Scala versions 4.14, 4.15 and the Scala 5 Global Series have been designed to comply with BSI (British Standards Institute) standards for Millennium compliance. Scala 5.1 has been certified as being "Euro-compliant" for the new European Union currency. Scala software is available in 30+ languages, and is installed and supported in 81 nations. Numerous prominent global companies including General Motors, Polaroid, Eveready, Iridium, Siebe Controls, Volvo, Sheraton and Ericsson use Scala software products. Scala 5 GS is also an extremely appropriate ERP solution for small and mid-sized businesses, due to its affordability and its quick and easy implementation

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