Software AG and Cambridge VoiceTech Announce Alliance to Provide New Speech Recognition...

Business Editors/Hi-Tech Writers

RESTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 18, 2002

Software AG's Tamino and EntireX XML Products and Cambridge

VoiceTech's VoiceXML Gateway Enable Rapid Integration of Speech

Capabilities Into Cost-Saving Customer Service and Employee-Facing

Software AG, Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of Software AG, Europe's largest systems software provider and a pioneer in XML technologies, and Cambridge VoiceTech, a leading provider of VoiceXML speech recognition platforms, today announced a strategic alliance to deliver complete speech recognition solutions to enterprise and government customers, using a unique combination of XML and VoiceXML technologies.

The combined power of Software AG's Tamino and EntireX XML technology and Cambridge VoiceTech's VoiceXML Gateway will enable clients to cut costs, build better customer relationships, and streamline employee access and business processes by easily extending web and legacy applications--ranging from customer care and product ordering to sales force automation and human resources functions--via speech recognition to ordinary telephones.

Under this mutual referral agreement, Software AG and Cambridge VoiceTech will actively market the combined solution. Software AG's XML technology allows rapid integration and easy access to multiple enterprise application and data sources, while Cambridge VoiceTech's VoiceXML Gateway provides a seamless bridge between XML data and user-friendly speech recognition applications accessed by phone.

The result is an unprecedented versatile and easy-to-deploy speech solution, even in the most complex enterprise or government data environments.

User-friendly speech recognition technology enables clients to achieve major cost savings--up to 90 percent per transaction--by fully automating an increasing percentage of customer interactions, while at the same time enhancing customer satisfaction. Extending enterprise applications to the ordinary telephone allows firms and agencies to more conveniently serve an ever-growing customer base.

Moreover, the powerful data integration capabilities of the Software AG-Cambridge VoiceTech XML-VoiceXML solution provides clients with superior data coordination and management of business processes.

The new open-standards XML-VoiceXML architecture means significantly shorter development times and greater ease of application maintenance and modification than can be achieved with speech applications based on proprietary architectures.

Software AG's Tamino is a multi-award-winning XML server that stores structured and unstructured data natively. It can store and process XML data without first converting it to another data format. As a result, response times are faster and require lower administrative efforts than with traditional databases.

Cambridge Voice Gateway is the first fully compliant and fully scalable VoiceXML 2.0 platform for Windows. It incorporates today's most advanced speech recognition and text-to-speech technologies in a carrier-class, true VXML platform designed for mission-critical enterprise and telecom environments.

"Together with Cambridge VoiceTech, we are adding value to Tamino and EntireX users' experience," said Lori Williams-Peters, Software AG, Inc.'s Vice President of Sales. "This partnership will enable Tamino and EntireX users to leverage their application and data resources by readily extending them to user-friendly speech applications over the ordinary telephone. Tamino and EntireX also enable enterprises and agencies with complicated legacy infrastructures to take full advantage of the new cost-saving speech technologies."

"This marriage of VoiceXML and XML will make speech recognition a very cost-effective choice for an increasing number of companies and government agencies," said Lou Abbruzzesi, Chief Technology Officer of Cambridge VoiceTech. "The Software AG-Cambridge VoiceTech partnership solves the core integration challenges of a speech deployment, providing rapid deployment and high reliability. It will enable many more companies and agencies to benefit from one of today's most formidable cost-saving and customer-friendly interaction technologies--the power of speech."

Cambridge Voice Gateway Features

Cambridge Voice Gateway is a fully compliant and fully scalable VoiceXML 2.0 deployment platform providing rapid development and carrier-class performance for multiport telephony-based speech recognition applications.

Cambridge Voice Gateway integrates Intel Dialogic Telephony components, SpeechWorks OpenSpeech Recognizer, and SpeechWorks Spechify Text-to-Speech in a highly efficient and reliable Windows-based VoiceXML 2.0 engine, designed for mission-critical enterprise environments.

Cambridge Voice Gateway includes its own VXML Development Environment, Cambridge Voice Studio, and provides a range of powerful tools for integrating VoiceXML applications in the enterprise application and data environment.

The award-winning technology of Cambridge Voice Gateway combines the latest in open-standards architecture with know-how based on years of experience developing traditional "touch-tone" customer-care telephony applications for major carriers. For more information, visit http://www.cambridgevoice.com/.

Tamino and EntireX Features

Tamino is the first native XML server for Internet database management capable of storing XML documents natively, without transformation to other formats.

Used by more than 500 private and public organizations worldwide, including DaimlerChrysler, Virginia Tech University and the California Board of Equalization, Tamino facilitates the fast and efficient storage, retrieval and management of data critical to eBusiness. Three of the largest web application server providers, IBM, BEA, and HP have all selected Tamino as their default XML server.

For more information on this award-winning server and developing enterprise-scale XML-based applications, visit http://www.softwareagusa.com or the Tamino developer community at http://www.tamino.com/developer/.

EntireX is a highly flexible and easy-to-use component-based solution for integrating enterprise applications across heterogeneous operating systems. EntireX offers application integration at high speed - both, in terms of implementation time and performance. The strong DCOM capabilities make EntireX the product of choice when connecting NT to mainframe applications.

By connecting previously disparate worlds, EntireX enables enterprises to lay the foundation for a seamless implementation of electronic business applications.

About Cambridge VoiceTech

Reston, Va.-based Cambridge VoiceTech is the first to provide a complete, fully compliant and fully scalable VoiceXML 2.0 solution for Windows.

Founded by engineers and executives with decades of experience developing traditional "touch-tone" customer service applications for major telephone carriers and other firms, the company delivers best-of-breed VoiceXML solutions for voice-enabling web infrastructure, call center voice automation, unified messaging, telephone access for enterprise application and data systems, automated notification systems for supply-chain and workflow management, and numerous other voice-driven telephony applications.

The company's product suite includes Cambridge Voice Gateway, the complete VoiceXML platform for Windows NT, and Cambridge Voice Studio, the convenient Windows-based integrated development environment for VoiceXML.

Cambridge VoiceTech's award-winning VoiceXML implementation shortens development for sophisticated speech recognition and voice automation applications from standard times of four to six months to as little as four to six weeks.

With its powerful VoiceXML platform and development environment, as well as its extensive experience in commercial computer telephony, the company is positioned to play a dominant role in the rapidly expanding speech technology and application market.

About Software AG, Inc.

Based in Reston, Va., Software AG, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Software AG, Europe's largest system software provider and a major global player offering cutting edge technology for data management and electronic business. Since 1998, the company has focused its development activities on XML products for the Internet.

With about 3,300 employees and representatives in over 70 countries, Software AG had revenue of 589 million euros in 2001. Its distribution and technology partners include market leaders such as IBM, Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard as well as innovative IT solutions providers like Tridion and Stellent.

Software AG's products control the central IT processes of thousands of renowned companies worldwide to include Lufthansa, Siemens, Citibank, Merck, DaimlerChrysler, Sony, BP and Telefonica. Software AG is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (MDAX, Security identification number 724264 / SOWGn.F).

For additional information, go to http://www.softwareagusa.com.

Software AG, Tamino, and EntireX are trademarks of Software AG. All other product, service or company names mentioned are used for identification purposes only, and may be trademarks or service marks of their respective owners.