VIASOFT introduces new software, Visual Recap.

PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 24, 1996--VIASOFT Inc. (NASDAQ NM:VIAS) Wednesday announced the introduction of Visual Recap(TM), a software product that provides Information Technology (IT) managers with the ability to accurately collect and analyze quantifiable information relating to the value, delivery, quality and efficiency of their enterprise applications, thus aiding significantly in decision-making processes.

Visual Recap is composed of both graphical user interface/ workstation and MVS components, and it is immediately available. Visual Recap is based on VIASOFT's VIA/Recap(R) software, the portfolio analysis component of Existing Systems Workbench (ESW).

The integrated workstation and MVS components will be marketed and distributed collectively as "Visual Recap." Visual Recap's workstation component runs on the Microsoft Windows(TM) 3.1 Windows 95 and Win-OS/2 operating systems.

Visual Recap generates industry-standard metrics, such as function points and cyclomatic complexity, and then formats them into easy-to-read reports and charts that can help manage projects and verify the results. The product also allows users to customize their metrics model, using data from project plans and budget resources, to provide a complete set of business measures.

Patricia Seymour, principal of Performance Solutions, a Danville, Calif.-based firm that specializes in process improvement and re-engineering, commented, "To successfully manage information systems in the 1990s, managers must be able to identify and replicate practices that result in higher productivity, lower costs and higher quality.

"Measurement programs are critical to avoid subjective guesses and inaccurate estimates. Visual Recap measures and delivers data in a format that dramatically improves the decision-support process and enables organizations to align business and technical goals."

According to VIASOFT's director of Strategic Marketing, Bill Scully: "Information Technology organizations can't improve what they can't measure. Visual Recap acts as a decision support system, therefore, providing historical, progressive and statistical graphs and reports of the metrics data.

"It combines technical software and business metrics into a common repository of information. This information is then easily leveraged into year 2000 and other ongoing IT efforts. By verifying that resources are being applied to those applications that need it most or that have the greatest business value to the organization, Visual Recap helps companies align their IT resources with business objectives."

The data provided by Visual Recap supports the portfolio assessment conducted as part of VIASOFT's business solutions, including VIASOFT's Insourcing(SM), VIASOFT's Enterprise 2000(SM) and VIASOFT's Legacy Transitions(SM), and provides a means to document and measure the productivity and quality gains realized through these solutions.

Customer feedback to Visual Recap has been positive. According to Ron Quiggins, director of Year 2000 Services at Shell Services Co. in Houston: "This initial use of the beta version of Visual Recap clearly demonstrated its value as a tool for graphically displaying the metrics of systems being analyzed. We expect that it will add a dimension of business value to our customers, providing them a more robust view of their system portfolio."

VIASOFT is a leading provider of business solutions, consisting of integrated technology and specialized professional consulting services, designed to enable customers worldwide to cost effectively manage the evolution of their enterprise applications.

With headquarters in Phoenix, VIASOFT provides sales and services through regional offices in the United States and a network of subsidiaries and distributors internationally.

For more information on VIASOFT's products and services, visit the company's World Wide Web site at http://www.viasoft.com.

CONTACT: VIASOFT Inc., Phoenix

Steven D. Whiteman, 602/952-0050

Linda Vande Vrede, 602/952-0050 (ext. 1309)

[e-mail]

or

Silverman Heller Associates, Los Angeles

Lynne P. Farris, 310/208-2550