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Empresas y finanzas

Sopra Group, For Its Subsidiary Axway, Announces Its Intention to Acquire The B2B Software Business Unit from Atos Origin in Germany


    Axway, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sopra Group (Paris:SOP), today
    announced its intention to sign an agreement with Atos Origin, a
    leading International Information Technology Services Company, to
    acquire the B2B software business of Atos Origin in Germany. On
    completion, the combined entity will gain leadership as the EDI and
    B2B solution provider in Europe, will become a major B2B software
    supplier in Germany and a leader in Collaborative Business Solutions.
    This project is subject to regulatory approval and should be finalized
    in early 2007. As a complement to this acquisition, Atos Origin and
    Axway will enter into a worldwide partnership agreement for B2B
    solutions.

    After all assets of the Atos Origin B2B software business in
    Germany have been transferred to a new company, Axway will acquire, in
    cash, 100% of the share capital of that company. Further details will
    be announced after the agreement is completed.

    This acquisition is in line with Axway's global development
    strategy. The complementary geographic positioning will create an
    undisputed B2B software leader in Europe. In addition, Axway's
    expertise in Collaborative Business Solutions and the expertise in
    business solutions provided by the Atos Origin B2B software business
    in Germany will create a global leader capable of serving the needs of
    the largest multinational corporations.

    Upon completion, clients will benefit from expanded features of
    the Axway Synchrony(TM) platform, such as BPM, BAM, and MFT, which
    complement the existing technologies currently offered by the Atos
    Origin B2B software business in Germany. Today, common clients already
    manage their collaborative business with the combined added value of
    both product lines. The Atos Origin B2B software products will be
    maintained and integrated in an updated version of Axway's
    Synchrony(TM) platform, thus enhancing EDI formats and process
    integration technology specific to the automotive sector, expanding
    the depth of Web EDI features and leveraging the privileged
    relationships with leading ERPs and the associated interconnection
    possibilities between B2B servers. In addition, Axway will maintain
    and develop the SaaS offering in partnership with Atos Origin Germany,
    who will continue to provide outsourcing infrastructure.

    Axway expects to capitalize on the fast-growing healthcare,
    financial services, automotive, logistics and transportation
    industries, its key market strengths post-acquisition. This operation
    will also offer enhanced career opportunities for the 1100+ employees
    of Axway.

    "This operation brings together two healthy companies," said
    Christophe Fabre, CEO of Axway. "We think the 8000+ clients and
    partners alike are going to be thrilled with the extended products and
    services our joint operations will be able to offer. By leveraging our
    combined strengths in SOA, B2B and vertical sector expertise, we will
    be very well-positioned to grow our operations in Europe, capitalize
    on a significant presence in Germany and create best-in-class
    solutions for global clients worldwide."

    With this operation, Atos Origin takes a further step in its
    strategy to focus on its core Consulting, Systems Integration and
    Managed Operations business and is convinced that the acquisition of
    the B2B Software unit in Germany by Axway offers the best opportunity
    to further grow this B2B software business. "The combination of Axway
    and the Atos Origin Germany B2B Software unit will create a de-facto
    B2B leader in Europe for managing real-time collaborations between
    business partners," said, Wolfgang Sturm, COO of Atos Origin in
    Germany. "Our B2B Software business has enjoyed great recognition from
    its 900 customers as a quality supplier of a large set of services
    that can meet all needs in the B2B area, a rapidly developing
    marketplace".

    What is today the B2B software unit of Atos Origin in Germany has
    a long experience in providing EDI and B2B solutions, mainly to the
    automotive sector. Since the mid-'80s, this unit has established a
    broad base of nearly 1,200 client installations. Since 2005, it has
    become one of the leading developers in Germany specialized in EDI and
    B2B software and offers its clients "On-Demand" services in order to
    help reduce IT costs. The Atos Origin Germany B2B Software unit
    employs 160 people in Berlin, Hambourg, Dusseldorf and Stuttgart. This
    unit proposes a modular, completely integrated product suite covering
    an extensive range of integration options from classic EDI solutions
    to Marketplace Connectivity and WebEDI. In addition to the extensive
    coverage of the automotive ecosystem, it also includes a predefined
    CPG offering and a large range of interface standards.


    B2B: Business to Business.
    BAM: Business Activity
    Monitoring.
    BPM: Business Process Management.
    CPG: Consumer Packaged Goods.
    EDI: Electronic Data Interchange.
    MFT: Managed File Transfer.
    SaaS: Software as a Service.
    SOA: Service Oriented Architecture.

    About Axway Software (www.axway.com)

    Axway is the leading global provider of Collaborative Business
    Solutions. Axway establishes the dynamic connections -- within and
    among enterprises -- that make companies easier to do business with.
    Over 7000 organizations worldwide depend on Axway to manage and
    control their business-critical information in motion -- improving
    value chain efficiency, regulatory compliance and quality of service.
    Axway's solutions feature a highly flexible integration and B2B
    framework, analytics, services, and customized applications for the
    financial services and life sciences industries. A subsidiary of Sopra
    Group, SA, Axway has dual headquarters in Paris, France and
    Scottsdale, Arizona, and offices in 20 countries.

    About Atos Origin

    Atos Origin is an international information technology services
    company. Its business is turning client vision into results through
    the application of consulting, systems integration and managed
    operations. The company's annual revenues are EUR 5.5 billion and it
    employs over 47,000 people in 40 countries. Atos Origin is the
    Worldwide Information Technology Partner for the Olympic Games and has
    a client base of international blue-chip companies across all sectors.
    Atos Origin is quoted on the Paris Eurolist Market and trades as Atos
    Origin, Atos Euronext Market Solutions, Atos Worldline and Atos
    Consulting. For more information, please visit the company's web site
    at http://www.atosorigin.com

    About Sopra Group (www.sopragroup.com)

    A leader in the European consulting and IT services market, with a
    total workforce of 9,600, Sopra Group provides the full spectrum of
    services enabling companies to transform their organisations and their
    information systems. Sopra Group is a total solution provider, from
    prior strategic reflection from an executive management perspective,
    through to the supervision and implementation of major systems
    integration and application outsourcing projects. Through its
    subsidiary Axway, the Group pursues the worldwide deployment of its
    activities in both application integration and collaborative business
    solutions, with a complete range of solutions and services.