Sterling Software Announces VISION:Renaissance PC-Based Tool for Improving Quality of MVS COBOL Code.

WOODLAND HILLS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 12, 1999--

Working from Microsoft(R) Windows(R) Environment, Legacy Mainframe

Code Can Be Easily Restructured and Enhanced for Integration into

eCommerce and eBusiness Applications

Sterling Software Inc.'s (NYSE:SSW) Information Management Division today announced the release of VISION:Renaissance(TM) 1.5, a PC-based tool that automates the assessment, restructuring and enhancement of legacy mainframe code. By moving code maintenance projects from MVS to Windows, it provides organizations with a cost-effective means of quickly renovating COBOL applications so they can be effectively integrated into eCommerce and eBusiness solutions.

VISION:Renaissance quantifies code quality using metrics based on industry-standards, such as McCabe and Halstead. These metrics help analyze size, pathology, syntax, structure, and complexity. VISION:Renaissance automates code standardization and restructuring. It removes dead code and provides comprehensive reports to simplify program analysis, testing, and debugging.

"With the growing demand for eCommerce and eBusiness applications, IT organizations and the consulting firms that work with them are looking for ways to integrate legacy MVS COBOL code into the new systems," said Rick Jackson, president of Sterling Software's Information Management Division.

"Because they need to develop new Web-based systems at Web-speed, there is not time to rewrite existing COBOL applications in C++ or Java. In many cases, companies also have just completed expensive Y2K remediation of their legacy systems and are seeking to leverage that investment. VISION:Renaissance provides IT professionals with the tools they need to maximize the quality of MVS COBOL applications for enterprise integration."

VISION:Renaissance Key Features and Benefits

Because VISION:Renaissance is PC-based, it enables organizations to separate their production and development environments, so maintenance projects can be completed cost-effectively on Windows desktop systems.

VISION:Renaissance key features and benefits include: -0-

--   Assess Component, providing a comprehensive quality metric based
     on 150 industry standards, and performs five-point analysis of
     size, pathology, syntax, structure, and path reviews to quickly
     give IT professionals a thorough assessment of legacy code.

--   Recode Component, including a code standardizer and code
     generator that automatically produces 100% functionally
     equivalent structured code to help transform cumbersome programs
     into steamlined applications.

--   Redocument Component automatically generates documentation and
     builds flow charts. It includes a problem area highlighter and
     dead code identifier to help with optimization of legacy
     applications.

Information Management Division

Sterling Software's Information Management Division, with headquarters in the Los Angeles area, is a provider of solutions that enable organizations to structure and manage data and application resources, maximizing their return on assets. IMD's products and services satisfy the desktop integration, data warehousing, and applications portfolio needs of cross-industry users, regardless of business function. Further information about IMD's product offerings can be found on the division's Web site at www.sterling.com/vision.

About Sterling Software

Sterling Software is a leading provider of software and services for the application development, business intelligence, information management, storage management, network management, VM systems management, and federal systems markets. The company is one of the 20 largest independent software companies in the world. With headquarters in Dallas, Sterling Software has a worldwide installed base of more than 20,000 customer sites and 3,700 employees in 90 offices worldwide. For more information on Sterling Software, visit the company's Web site at www.sterling.com.

Note to Editors: VISION:Renaissance is a trademark or registered trademark of Sterling Software Inc. in the United States, other countries, or both. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective holders.