META Group Expands Its Energy Industry Practice To Cover Unregulated Markets; Senior Member Added to Energy Industry Research and Advisory Staff

Business Wire, March 7, 2001

Business Editors

STAMFORD, Conn--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 7, 2001

META Group Inc. (Nasdaq: METG), a leading information technology (IT) research and consulting firm, today announced its Energy Information Strategies service is expanding coverage to include business and technology relevant to competitive energy companies, including emerging vendors and energy service providers.

In conjunction with this announcement, Zarko Sumic, who will be appointed as a vice president within the service, will help integrate META Group's new unregulated offerings in areas such as customer relationship management (CRM), e-business, and distributed generation.

"We are seeing an evolution of the energy value chain, where new unregulated segments such as generation, trading, and retail are reaching critical mass," said Rick Nicholson, vice president and director of Energy Information Strategies. "Our research indicates that IT spending in these segments will be above the average for energy and utility companies during the next two to three years. Energy Information Strategies is already a leading business and technology advisory service to regulated energy companies in North America, and this move will enable us to provide the same level of service to unregulated players," added Nicholson.

Dr. Sumic is a well-known writer and a sought-after speaker on topics such as customer information systems, IT sourcing strategies, artificial intelligence, and power system engineering. Dr. Sumic is currently chief technology officer for ConneXt, an unregulated subsidiary of Puget Sound Energy, where he is responsible for corporate technology direction and product development strategy. His background includes nearly 25 years of energy industry information technology experience. Dr. Sumic holds a PhD from the University of Washington.

"I am delighted to have Zarko join our group," said Nicholson. "His skill set and experience make him an excellent complement to the other members of the team and a valuable resource to our clients. His combination of technology, business, and research skills will help our clients integrate their business and technology strategies, which is a critical success factor for companies operating in competitive energy markets."

About META Group

META Group is a leading research and consulting firm, focusing on information technology and business transformation strategies. Delivering objective, consistent, and actionable guidance, META Group enables organizations to innovate more rapidly and effectively. Our unique collaborative models help clients succeed by building speed, agility, and value into their IT and business systems and processes. Connect with http://www.metagroup.com for more details.