Tandem extends presence in Commonwealth of Independent States with opening of sales and support office in Moscow; Global technology company will provide crucial infrastructure for large projects in Russian banking, telecommunications, transport, and government; Ongoing ATM projects include "cashless society" in Ural Mountain city.

MOSCOW--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 29, 1995--Tandem Computers Incorporated cut the ribbon today at the opening of its first sales and support office in Russia.

Tandem's Austrian subsidiary in Vienna has been actively conducting business in the former Soviet Union since 1993, and only recently was the newly established Tandem Computers representation office accredited by the Moscow city government to officially market and sell its technology products to business interests in the country.

Tandem's Moscow office is currently staffed by Russian sales, project management, Alliance Partner, and administrative personnel and is augmented by Tandem support representatives from Austria and the United Kingdom. Local resellers will be recruited in the months ahead to complement Tandem's sales and marketing efforts.

"Tandem has anticipated its entry into the untapped Russian technology market for a long time, and now that we've been formally sanctioned by the local and national governments, we intend to build on the successes we've already enjoyed in the country and 45 others around the world," said Jerry Peterson, Tandem's senior vice president of Sales and Marketing. "For example, the Russian ATM network has now reached a key stage where online transaction processing systems will be fundamental to its development. Tandem's world leadership position in this sector makes our technologies and solutions ideally suited to the enhancement of the infrastructure."

Most of Tandem's previous, current and upcoming technology projects in Russia encompass the development and roll-out of automated teller machines and networks at some of the country's largest banks. Today, approximately 75 percent of the world's ATMs and 66 percent of credit card transactions run on Tandem's massively parallel servers and systems.

Promstroy Bank

The Promstroy Bank is behind an ongoing social experiment being conducted in the Ural Mountain steel-manufacturing city of Magnitogorsk, where all 120,000 residents are being issued plastic magnetic strip debit cards for their daily purchases and business transactions. Tandem's NonStop Himalaya massively parallel computing servers are providing the bank and this "cashless society" with the technical infrastructure needed for ATM and point-of-sale transaction processing efforts.

"The experiment in Magnitogorsk could have a dramatic, long-term impact on millions of other Russian citizens, and Promstroy Bank is central to its success," said Yuri Kolyakin, Promstroy's technical director. "The variety of benefits offered by the Tandem computing environment is enabling us to provide new, convenient electronic points of presence for the entire city. The technological foundation has been firmly established."

Industry and Construction Bank

St. Petersburg's largest financial institution has purchased Himalaya server technology and Applied Communications Inc. (ACI) application software as the primary vehicles to build its emerging electronic funds transfer (EFT) network. The system, which by 1997 will support up to 500 automated teller machines throughout the city of five million residents, is scheduled to be installed later this year.

"There is no doubt that we'll be growing extremely fast in the next five years, and Tandem's server architecture, with its built-in reliability, expandability, and security features, will play an integral part in our success," said Sergey Zuyev, ICB's information technology director.

ATMR 

On August 1st, ATMR, Moscow's largest switch vendor, will incorporate Tandem NonStop Himalaya computing technology as the foundation of its growing network of more than 100 automated teller machines in Russia's capital city. The ATM network will accommodate the rapidly expanding needs of shoppers, tourists, commuters, and consumers in central Moscow and outlying neighborhoods.

"We selected the Tandem server platform because it supplies us with the attributes that make an ATM network successful -- continuous availability, scalability, and outstanding communications and networking capabilities," said Michael Mysin, ATMR's information technology manager.

IBS 

Tandem has signed a value-added reseller (VAR) agreement with IBS, one of Russia's largest information technology companies, that focuses on the country's retail banking market and capitalizes on IBS' local expertise and industry knowledge.

"Russia right now is establishing an independent network of ATMs, a project in which IBS has been heavily involved," said Anatoly Karachinsky, president of IBS. "Having worked with many of the world's largest information technology companies and following a great deal of background research, we decided that Tandem would best meet our needs for the Russian retail banking market."

"We are committed to helping Russian companies develop and enhance their infrastructure, and we'll do that by concentrating on our core strengths -- continuous availability, scalability, and online transaction processing," said Leo Miklas, Tandem's managing director for Central and Eastern Europe. "Russia is a new frontier for Tandem, and we will provide the most innovative solutions to our customers and partners."

Tandem Computers Incorporated (NYSE: TDM) is the leader in continuously available, open, parallel processing, reliable client/server solutions, decision support systems, and enterprise networks. The company manufactures, markets, and provides services and systems ranging from the desktop to the data center as well as software to deliver complete customer solutions. Tandem, founded in 1974 and headquartered in Cupertino, California, has offices worldwide, including European operations centered in Amsterdam and operating companies or distributors in all European countries. -0-

Note to Editors: Tandem, NonStop, Himalaya, and the Tandem logo are trademarks of Tandem Computers Incorporated. All other brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

CONTACT: Tandem Computers Incorporated

Bob Major, 408/285-6176

http://www.tandem.com