TOUCHAMERICA Signs ASP Deal With Synygy for Enterprise Incentive Management

Business Wire, Oct 1, 2001

Business Editors/Hi-Tech Writers

CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 1, 2001

Synygy Inc., the largest provider of Enterprise Incentive Management (EIM) software and services, today announced that TOUCHAMERICA, the broadband service provider subsidiary of The Montana Power Company (NYSE:MTP), has chosen Synygy Compensation 9 software and services to manage the variable pay plans for over 400 of its employees and external agents.

"TOUCHAMERICA sees pay-for-performance as an important tool to drive the right behavior and ensure that employees focus on doing the things that will make the company successful," said Eric Kellenberger, director of Sales Systems Integration at TOUCHAMERICA. "We wanted an EIM platform that was flexible enough that we could change the plans quickly to respond to changes in our market. Synygy was the best choice for us."

Synygy provides clients with a complete range of EIM solutions--from application service provider (ASP) solutions installed at Synygy's data center and used over the Internet, to enterprise software (ES) solutions installed at a client site, to business process outsourcing (BPO) solutions where Synygy performs all plan management activities.

TOUCHAMERICA has selected Synygy's ASP solution, with Synygy Compensation software hosted by Synygy at Synygy's data center and used by TOUCHAMERICA for a monthly rental fee over the Internet, saving TOUCHAMERICA hundreds of thousands of dollars in up-front and annual software licensing fees that are typical of other EIM solutions.

"Synygy is the only EIM software company that implements its software with its own staff of plan management experts, without using third-party consultants, and hosts its ASP solution at its own data center, without using third-party hosting vendors," said Mark A. Stiffler, president and CEO of Synygy. "We are pleased that TOUCHAMERICA recognizes the value of Synygy's single-vendor capabilities and the tremendous financial benefits of Synygy's ASP pricing model."

Synygy's clients are many of the world's largest companies, including American Home Products (NYSE:AHP), Coors Brewing Company (NYSE:RKY), Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY), GE Lighting (NYSE:GE), PerkinElmer, Inc. (NYSE:PKI), and Sun Microsystems (NASDAQ:SUNW).

Synygy is a member of the Citrix Systems, Inc. (CTXS: Nasdaq) Citrix Solutions Network(TM)as a Silver Solutions Provider. Synygy uses Citrix(R)MetaFrame(TM) application server software as the platform for implementing the Synygy Compensation EIM software as an ASP solution.

About TOUCHAMERICA

TOUCHAMERICA is a national broadband fiber-optic and regional wireless telecommunications company, providing customized voice, data, and video transport, as well as Internet services, to wholesale and businesses customers. TOUCHAMERICA's fiber-optic network will be 26,000 miles by year-end, making it one of the largest and highest capacity long haul networks in the U.S.

The company provides the latest in IP, ATM and Frame Relay protocols and private line services to transport data with speed, privacy, and convenience. TOUCHAMERICA will transition from a wholly owned telecommunications subsidiary of the Montana Power Company (NYSE:MTP) to a stand-alone telecom corporation this year.

TOUCHAMERICA's focus and growth strategies are broadband fiber-optic and wireless spectrum services backed by 24 x 7 customer support. More information can be found at www.tamerica.com

About Synygy Compensation

Synygy Compensation, now in version 9, is unique in the EIM marketplace. Continuously developed over the past ten years, Synygy Compensation is more than just an incentive compensation calculator. It is an integrated solution that includes enhanced data processing, advanced reporting, and workflow management functions--without the need to write custom code.

The result is a truly flexible system that can be easily adapted over time as the data, calculation, reporting, and workflow requirements change--without having to hire a staff of programmers or consultants to write computer code.

About Synygy

Synygy Inc., The Incentive Compensation Company(TM), is the largest provider of Enterprise Incentive Management (EIM) software and services. Synygy created the EIM industry in 1991, and Synygy Compensation software, now in version 9, has been used to implement and manage the variable pay plans for more of the world's largest corporations than any other solution.

Based in suburban Philadelphia, Synygy's success and rapid growth have been recognized on the Inc. 500 for the past four years and the Philadelphia Business Journal's Philly 100 for the past six years. Synygy was recently awarded the prestigious 2001 Workforce Optimas award for Vision in its human resources practices. For more information on Synygy, visit www.synygy.com.

Synygy and "The Incentive Compensation Company" are registered trademarks and Synygy Compensation is a trademark of Synygy, Inc. All other trademarks are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.