ASP-One EUROPE Signs Portal Software for ASP Customer Management and Billing

Business Wire, Sept 25, 2000

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

CUPERTINO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 25, 2000

Portal Software, Inc. (Nasdaq:PRSF) today announced its first European Application Service Provider (ASP) customer, ASP-One EUROPE. Portal's ASP strategy for the European market builds on experience gained in North America where Portal's Infranet(R) software is a leading customer management and billing platform for ASP businesses.

ASP-One EUROPE is an ASP operator for large companies and small to midsized businesses. The company is already present in the rural sector, the health sector, and the CRM (Customer Relationship Management) market. In addition to large accounts, ASP-One EUROPE plans to develop a PSP (Professional Service Provider) network and to establish itself in industries such as accounting, architecture, and construction. The packages of applications and services that ASP-One EUROPE offers for rental are accessible anywhere, anytime via a Web browser and its customers avoid the expense of maintaining an IT department and support staff.

Infranet(R) is a customer management and billing platform that provides the key piece of business infrastructure that ASPs need. Infranet helps ASPs develop, price and supply new services quickly and manage their use and invoicing efficiently. Portal's flexible, real-time technology allows providers of Internet services to generate more income and compete more effectively.

"Portal Software's Infranet will help us to better manage our relationship with our customers and gives us the flexibility to adapt ourselves to this promising market," said Jean-Francois Bensahel, CEO of ASP-One EUROPE. "Portal's user-oriented design makes it easy for us to offer a complete line of services that perfectly match the expectations of our customers. Additionally, the software is so flexible we plan to escape the flat-fee billing model that is so prevalent in the ASP industry. Shortly, we expect to offer packages in which the user is charged based on attributes such as the duration of their application usage or the number of reports generated," added Bensahel.

"We are very pleased to be working with ASP-One EUROPE, a pioneer in the promising ASP market in Europe," said Paul Hoff, senior manager, ASP market development, Portal Software. "For ASP-One EUROPE to meet the needs of its customers it will need to automate many of its manual functions. Infranet's ability to do this will enable ASP-One EUROPE to serve its booming customer base more efficiently."

This European ASP announcement builds on Portal Software's ASP success worldwide with over 25 ASP customers including: Agillion Inc., Agiliti, Corio, ebaseOne and Hewlett-Packard. Portal's ASP strategy is to leverage its success in other IP services markets such as ISP and web hosting into the ASP market. Portal brings the sophistication, reliability, and flexibility of a software package that is in use by over 300 existing service provider customers, to the ASP market. In order to provide a complete, best-of-breed solution, Portal Software has entered into strategic relationships with Cisco, Microsoft, Ensim, and Xevo to provide an Internet infrastructure that supports ASP businesses.

About ASP-One Europe

In order to build up an international application hosting service, the Prologue Software Group announced the creation of ASP-One, Inc. in January 2000. As part of its worldwide ASP strategy, ASP-One, Inc. created ASP-One EUROPE in January 2000. With headquarters in Les Ulis near Paris, France, the company is managed by Christian Leonetti and Jean-Francois Bensahel.

ASP-One EUROPE brings together all of the technological capacities and competencies necessary for distributing software, information and Web sites over high-speed networks nationally and throughout Europe. ASP-One EUROPE makes its technological capacities available to large companies and small to midsized businesses (through its PSP network). For additional information, please visit our website at: http://www.aspone.net.

About Portal Software, Inc.

Portal Software, Inc., is building business infrastructure for the Internet. Based in Cupertino, Calif., Portal is the leading provider of customer management and billing software for Internet and emerging, next-generation communications services. The company's real-time solution enables service providers to manage customers, support services and collect money. Portal's customers include US WEST, Qwest Communications, Inktomi, Covad, Deutsche Telekom's T-Online, Telenor Mobil AS, Juno Online and France Telecom. Information about Portal and its products can be found at http://www.portal.com.

Note to Editors: Infranet is a U.S. registered trademark, and Portal Software, the Portal logo, and Infranet are trademarks of Portal Software, Inc. All statements made in this press release are made only as of the date set forth at the beginning of this release. Portal undertakes no obligation to update the information in the event facts or circumstances subsequently change.