Sterling Commerce Speeds Long-Distance Delivery of Large Files

VIENNA, AUSTRIA--(Marketwire - September 15, 2008) - SIBOS 2008 Conference -- Sterling Commerce, an AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) company, today announced Sterling File Accelerator™ (SFA). SFA combines the power of the company's Connect:Direct® point-to-point file transfer software -- optimized for high-volume, secure, assured delivery of files -- with a new UDP Data Transfer-based file transport (UDT) -- an application-level data transport protocol that overcomes the latency issues associated with transmission control protocol (TCP)-based transmissions.

"File transfer protocol (FTP) alone is not a viable option to provide the insight, security, performance and, ultimately, the risk mitigation necessary to responsibly and strategically conduct business," said L. Frank Kenney, analyst for Gartner. "Fortunately, there is a set of vendors that offer the technologies, services and disciplines to help manage all aspects of the transfer of information -- including alternate solutions for across-the-globe, large file transfers."

"Trends such as globalization and outsourcing have increased file sizes and the distances they have to travel," said Geoff Baird, vice president, Global Product Line, Managed File Transfer, Sterling Commerce. "As these demands continue to grow, Sterling Commerce is in a unique position to add the speed of the UDT protocol to our category-leading managed file transfer (MFT) offerings to deliver a solution designed to more effectively use today's high-speed connections."

Most file transfers use TCP, which has been used for decades to transport small files short distances. But larger files, such as those with digitalized content, are experiencing significant delays when traveling long distances. Sterling File Accelerator regulates network traffic more efficiently by using flow-control algorithms, enabling users to speed up file-based business processes and meet tighter processing windows as needed.

The Sterling Commerce MFT suite assures the delivery of mission-critical data payloads between enterprises in diverse industries, including financial services, telecommunications, retail, manufacturing and distribution. The company's MFT suite provides increased performance and aims to remove the risk associated with FTP-based solutions by increasing management visibility and security compliance and reducing management cost. The solutions also provide a scalable environment that supports the growth of partner communities, increases customer retention and decreases liability.

Earlier this year, leading analyst firm Gartner positioned Sterling Commerce as a "Leader" in the Magic Quadrant for Managed File Transfer.(1) More information about Sterling File Accelerator can be found online at http://www.sterlingcommerce.com/products/mft/sterlingfileaccelerator/. Sterling Commerce is making another MFT-related announcement, "Sterling Commerce Delivers a Managed File Transfer-Enabled Integration Gateway," at SIBOS 2008 (Sept. 15-19 in Vienna) and is exhibiting its broad portfolio of financial services solutions at stand C617, hall C. To find out more about Sterling Commerce activities, visit http://www.sterlingcommerce.com/About/Events/.

About the Magic Quadrant

The Gartner Magic Quadrant is copyrighted June, 2008 by Gartner, Inc., and is reused with permission. The Magic Quadrant is a graphical representation of a marketplace at and for a specific time period. It depicts Gartner's analysis of how certain vendors measure against criteria for that marketplace, as defined by Gartner. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in the Magic Quadrant, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors placed in the "Leaders" quadrant. The Magic Quadrant is intended solely as a research tool, and is not meant to be a specific guide to action. Gartner disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

About Sterling Commerce

Sterling Commerce, an AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) company, helps customers thrive in a global economy by connecting their business communities, processes, people, and technology. More than 30,000 customers worldwide -- including 82 percent of the Fortune 500 -- use Sterling Commerce solutions for business process integration, multi-channel selling, and supply chain fulfillment to improve profitability inside and outside their company walls. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Sterling Commerce has offices in 19 countries and most major cities around the world. More information on the company can be found at www.sterlingcommerce.com.

(1) Garter, Magic Quadrant for Managed File Transfer, L. Frank Kenney, James Lennard, June 23, 2008

Contact Information: For more information, contact: Emily Hall Sterling Commerce (614) 790-8607 Jamie Leicht Fleishman-Hillard (619) 237-7711