Monday November 20, 8:01 am Eastern Time
Press Release
CenturyTel Selects Mercator to Integrate Multiple
Business Systems
Seventh Largest Local Exchange Telephone Company Deploys Mercator Enterprise Broker for
SAP(TM)Integration; Foundation for B2B and C2B Strategy
WILTON, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 20, 2000-- Mercator® Software, Inc. (Nasdaq: MCTR - news) the
e-business transformation company(TM), today announced that CenturyTel, Inc., has selected Mercator Enterprise Broker as
its integration architecture. CenturyTel uses Mercator Enterprise Broker streamline transactions between its financial and billing
systems from multiple business units with its SAP R/3 applications. CenturyTel can respond faster to new business initiatives
with this integrated system in place. The Louisiana-based communications company can also more easily leverage
Internet-based business-to-business and consumer-to-business applications to reach new customers.
``Our information, billing and financial systems have grown exponentially due to our expansion through acquisitions,'' said Jake
Ford, CenturyTel SAP support manager. ``The integration of these applications with revenue information from multiple billing
systems - which generate millions of transactions - with our SAP applications was key to our initiative to streamline our
business operations around SAP R/3.'' CenturyTel was able to develop interfaces to integrate internal systems with its SAP
applications in less than two months using Mercator Enterprise Broker, he said.
CenturyTel created more than 50 interfaces between the SAP FI applications and various CenturyTel billing systems in less
than two months, speeding their ability to get a complete picture of their relationship with customers across all applications.
Mercator technology allows CenturyTel to make daily changes to these interfaces so the company can respond more quickly to
evolving business requirements and opportunities.
``CenturyTel's success and rapid implementation cycle exemplifies the significant return on investment benefits from Mercator
technology,'' Jim Schadt, CEO, Mercator. ``With Mercator Enterprise Broker as its strategic integration foundation,
CenturyTel is in a very good position to take advantage of numerous new business opportunities through Internet-based
initiatives.''
About CenturyTel
CenturyTel, Inc. provides communications services including local exchange, wireless, long distance, Internet access and
security monitoring services to nearly three million customers in 21 states. The company, headquartered in Monroe, Louisiana,
is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol CTL. CenturyTel is the 8th largest local exchange
telephone company, based on access lines, and the 8th largest cellular company, based on population equivalents owned, in the
United States. Visit CenturyTel's corporate Web site at www.centurytel.com
About Mercator
Mercator integration software enables the seamless flow of information throughout any business enterprise and with the
applications of each of its customers and partners. Mercator quickly and accurately locks in the benefits of e-business while
fully leveraging current technology investments at every step.
More than 5,000 customers, across every industry, use our software to accelerate their transformation to e-business. Over 100
partners, including application software providers, systems integrators and Net markets, embed or resell our technology to
enhance their product or service offerings. Additional information about Mercator can be found at www.mercator.com
Mercator is a registered trademark of Mercator Software, Inc. ``the e-business transformation company'' is a trademark of
Mercator Software, Inc.
Legal Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this press release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements, including statements regarding
Mercator Software's beliefs, expectations, hopes or intentions regarding the future. Forward-looking statements in this release
include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the growth of the enterprise application market, the demand for the
company's application integration solutions and the speed of deployment of new products, including combined Mercator
E-business Integration Broker products. It is important to note that actual outcomes and the company's actual results could
differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially
include risks and uncertainties such as changes in demand for application integration or e-business integration software and the
company's Mercator E-business Integration Broker suite of products in particular, the ability of the company to expand its
international operations, the ability of the company to manage expanded global operations, the ability of the company to
continue to add resellers and other distribution channels, and the success of third parties in utilizing and marketing the
company's products, or seasonality in operating results. Readers should also refer to the risk disclosures outlined in the
company's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements and reasons why results
might differ included in this release are made as of the date hereof, based on information available to the company as of the date
hereof, and the company assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statement or reason.
Contact:
Mercator
Jonathan Cohen
(203) 761-8600
jcohen@mercator.com
or
Lois Paul & Partners
Karen Nichols or Ted Weismann
(781) 238-5700
karen_nichols@lpp.com
ted_weismann@lpp.com |
