Partner Press Release
Sterling Commerce Senior Engineer Apointed RosettaNet Chief Architect

Sterling Commerce Joins RosettaNet Board, Extends Industry Leadership

For Release October 16, 2002

Columbus, OH --

Suresh Damodaran, Ph.D., senior software architect, Standards and Applied Technology for Sterling Commerce, has been named chief architect at RosettaNet. The appointment is a highly visible, — one-year assignment with the consortium.   In this role reporting to RosettaNet’s chief technologist, Damodaran will drive the development of RosettaNet’s architectural strategy and lead the ongoing activities of RosettaNet’s Architecture Office.   The appointment of Damodaran by RosettaNet underscores Sterling Commerce’s more than 25 years of electronic commerce experience and continued leadership with industry standards efforts to advance inter-enterprise integration.

“We are pleased to welcome Suresh to RosettaNet where he will serve a highly critical function within the consortium,” said Paul Tearnen, vice president of Standards Managment, RosettaNet.   “Suresh’s solid background in leading next-generation technology initiatives, coupled with Sterling Commerce’s commitment to B2B standards and supply chain integration, makes him an excellent match for the important position.”

Damodaran’s background includes work on distributed tools for high performance systems with Hewlett Packard and Los Alamos National Laboratory with roles including software engineer, software architect, hardware design engineer researcher and lecturer.  

RosettaNet is a non-profit consortium of more than 450 of the world's leading information technology, electronic components, semiconductor manufacturing and solution provider companies working to create, implement and promote open e-commerce business process standards.   RosettaNet is recognized as being the first industry consortium to deliver an exhaustive set of standards that encompasses the entire high tech supply chain spectrum. 

In August 2002, RosettaNet merged with the Uniform Code Council, Inc. (UCC) as an independent subsidiary.   The merger is intended to drive joint development of B2B standards supporting interoperability across multiple industries, resulting in more rapid supply chain integration and efficiency.

To further demonstrate leadership in the industry, Sterling Commerce also has joined RosetteNet’s Solution Provider (SP) Board, representing the consortium on a global basis.   The SP Board includes leading enterprise application developers, solution integrators, consultancies and eMarketplaces that drive critical development and implementation strategies in support of key RosettaNet initiatives.  

“Suresh’s recent appointment and our involvement on RosettaNet’s SP Board furthers Sterling’s ability to respond to customers’ needs by contributing to the development and adoption of open electronic commerce standards that align business processes between trading partners ,” said Sam Starr, chief operating officer, Sterling Commerce.   “We’re proud to extend our standards leadership for these critical roles at RosettaNet and are enthusiastic about the opportunities that this initiative provides for multi-industry supply chain integration.”

Sterling Commerce has been actively involved with RosettaNet since 1999 and continues support for the RosettaNet Implementation Framework (RNIF) 2.0 though the latest release of Sterling Integrator, a business process-centric integration broker, and Gentran:Server, a data transformation software solution.   RosettaNet’s RNIF 2.0 assists in the reduction of B2B integration support costs, increased trading network capabilities, and improved collaboration across the supply chain.  

For more information, call 800.873.7945 and ask for program number M-91402NR or go to http://www.sterlingcommerce.com

About SBC and Sterling Commerce
Sterling Commerce, a wholly owned subsidiary of SBC Communications Inc. (NYSE:SBC) is one of the world’s largest providers of business-to-business commerce solutions. For Global 5000 companies and their customers, suppliers and partners, Sterling Commerce software and services help maximize business performance and improve business metrics through integration of applications, external partner systems and people. With more than 25 years of experience serving tens of thousands of customers in a vast range of industries, Sterling Commerce is a recognized pioneer in business-to-business commerce through its longstanding expertise in EDI. Today, as customers explore new ways to improve business performance via the Internet, Sterling Commerce continues to innovate its software and services to further the global adoption of e-commerce while offering its customers strategic solutions that leverage existing technology. For more information, visit www.sterlingcommerce.com.

SBC Communications Inc. ( www.sbc.com ) is one of the world's leading data, voice and Internet services providers. Through its world-class network and its subsidiaries' trusted brands - SBC Southwestern Bell, SBC Ameritech, SBC Pacific Bell, SBC Nevada Bell, SBC SNET and Sterling Commerce - SBC companies provide a full range of voice, data, networking and e-business services, as well as directory advertising and publishing. A Fortune 27 company, America's leading provider of high-speed DSL Internet Access services, and one of the nation's leading Internet Service Providers, SBC companies currently serve nearly 60 million access lines nationwide. In addition, SBC owns 60 percent of America's second largest wireless company - Cingular Wireless - which serves more than 21 million wireless customers. Internationally, SBC has telecommunications investments in 28 countries.

About RosettaNet
RosettaNet is a non-profit consortium dedicated to the collaborative development and rapid deployment of open Internet-based business standards that align processes within the global high-technology trading network.   More than 450 companies representing over $1 trillion in annual information technology, electronic components and semiconductor manufacturing revenues currently participate in RosettaNet’s standards development, strategy and implementation activities.