Year 2000 Wire/ Thinking Tools Announces Think 2000 Version 2.0; Y2K Risk Assessment Solution Now Offers Supply Chain Support; Link to Microsoft Project.

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 6, 1998--Thinking Tools, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSIM), today announced at the Brainstorm Year 2000 Symposium, the availability of Think 2000 version 2.0, a major upgrade to its Year 2000 Risk Assessment and Management Simulation (RAMS) software program.

Think 2000 is an interactive business simulation solution that enables executive decision-makers to assess the overall business impact of problems associated with the Year 2000 date change. The product maps interdependencies between business functions and technical resources and simulates possible project plan scenarios. The results provide executives with answers to questions like: "What should we fix, and when?" It ultimately helps organizations understand the business risks, prioritize Year 2000 remediation projects and document activities in the event of audits or litigation.

New Features

Think 2000 2.0 has many new enhancements including:

- Supply Chain Support: The external vendor risk can now be

factored into risk simulations. Think 2000 allows users to set

the compliance date, failure date, and confidence levels for

external dependencies.

- Enterprise Mapper: The new enterprise model mapper shows the

interdependencies between all business functions, technology

resources and external resources for the entire enterprise in one

window. It presents a picture of complete risks.

- Link to Microsoft Project and Other Project Management Tools:

Think 2000 now links to Microsoft Project, one of the most

popular project management software packages used by Y2K project

managers. In addition, Think 2000 also links to all other project

management tools that support MPX file format.

- Enterprise Inventory Data Import-Powerful import features are now

included to make model building quicker and easier.

- Support for Y2K Testing-Built in support for the Y2K testing

phase is now available in Think 2000. Now, the model drives a

report showing what resources need to be tested together.

Additionally, a test difficulty report flags problem areas for

testing to support triage during the test phase.

- Improved Audit Trail: Think 2000 now has improved audit

capabilities ensuring that a company has enough data to support

an audit and protect the company from potential litigation. Think

2000 v. 2.0 files are time stamped and cannot be altered.

"Many companies have waited too long to implement a Year 2000 conversion program and are now exploring alternatives to get their applications compliant," said Moshe Zarmi, president and CEO of Thinking Tools, Inc. "Think 2000 helps these companies by providing an enterprise map of all the interdependencies and setting up confidence levels to be factored into risk assessment. Previously, companies were focusing on the impact that Year 2000 conversion would have on their applications. Now with time running out, the trend is to identify and convert those programs that are most at risk and prepare contingencies for applications that cannot be addressed by the year 2000."

"Your vendors' date problems are yours and your date problems are theirs," said Steve Hock, president of Triaxsys Research LLC and Counsel to the law firm of Thelen, Marrin, Johnson & Bridges LLP. "A typical company interacts with hundreds of vendors on a daily basis. These vendors may or may not be Year 2000 compliant, which puts the company at risk. If one of your own company systems fails to be Year 2000 compliant, the legal ramifications are serious. If the failure occurs in your own external vendor supply chain, the legal liability can be massive. Think 2000 is a unique product that helps companies solve this complex problem by setting the compliance date, failure date, and confidence levels for all external suppliers and distributors."

How Think 2000 Works

- First, existing inventory data is imported into Think 2000 using

the import facility. Then the departments and applications are

connected together to reflect the interdependencies. The model

can be built by the user or by a Thinking Tools consultant to

simplify and speed the process.

- Second, the user enters or imports one or more proposed

mitigation plans or testing strategies.

- Third, Think 2000 runs a simulation based on the user's business

model. This displays a picture of the business impact that

reveals potential effects of alternative plans on revenue,

customers and productivity through the year 2005. The user can

then select an approach and determine the strategy based on the

simulated results.

- Fourth, Think 2000 supports ongoing refinement of plans and

actions as the user's awareness increases and the planning

process evolves. With Think 2000, companies can simulate possible

scenarios based on "what if" assumptions to get important

information about their risks.

Beyond The Year 2000

A major advantage of using Think 2000 today is the benefit beyond Year 2000. Think 2000's ability to map interdependencies, along with the software simulation capabilities provides organizations a powerful tool for risk assessment and management, contingency planning, auditing processes and resource allocation.

Pricing and Availability

Think 2000 2.0 is currently available from Thinking Tools. It is sold directly and through select Year 2000 service providers as part of their overall service and auditing offerings. Suggested retail price starts at $30,000. Price varies according to configuration and the scope of an organization's needs. For more information, call 1-408-373-8688, fax [phone], send an e-mail to [e-mail], or visit the Thinking Tools Web site at http://www.thinkingtools.com.

About Thinking Tools, Inc.

Thinking Tools develops interactive business simulation software that enables business professionals to grasp the interdependencies involved in complex problems and ultimately make better decisions. In 1993, the Business Simulation Division of Maxis Corporation, a leading computer game maker best-known for SimCity, was spun off to form Thinking Tools. Since then, Thinking Tools has applied the lessons learned from customers' experiences with interactive computer games including SimCity to developing business simulations for top organizations such as Andersen Consulting, Chevron Corporation, Coopers & Lybrand, MCI/SHL Systemhouse, Systems Engineering Solutions, the U.S. Department of Defense and Xerox Corporation. Examples of Thinking Tools' products developed for partners include Project Challenge, SimHealth, SimRefinery and TeleSim. The company completed its initial public offering in October of 1996 and trades under the symbol "TSIM" on the NASDAQ market. The company's web site is http://www.thinkingtools.com -0-

Note: Statements in this news release that are not statements of historical fact constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties or other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause such a difference include, but are not limited to, those discussed under the heading "Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" in the company's annual report on Form 10-KSB for the year ended December 31, 1997, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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