Honolulu, HI July 17 2001–Inovaware Corporation a leading supplier of billing and customer care software to next-generation Internet service and communication companies, today announced that it has joined a selected group of other industry-leading independent software vendors as part of the Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) Operating Support Systems (OSS) Working Group.

Established within the Microsoft Windows Telecommunications Alliance, the OSS Working Group facilitates the collaborative evolution of telecommunications software applications (known collectively as OSS/BSS) across major functional areas such as billing, customer care, provisioning and metering. The organization is seeking to improve interoperability between OSS/BSS applications through new technologies such as XML, SOAP, directory services and development of an industry-standard OSS Markup Language (OSSML).

Inovaware will participate in the OSS Working Group by circulating proposals, collecting comments and making collective decisions on standards with other member companies. Collaborating closely with Microsoft and other member companies, Inovaware will help develop best-of-breed OSS platforms that deliver rapid system deployment and seamless cross-application interoperability to ASPs, web hosts, ISPs, and other providers of Internet services.

By creating a unified OSS/BSS industry framework, the OSS Working Group is playing an important role in helping OSS vendors deliver products that conform to the rigorous requirements of next-generation Internet and communications services. Inovaware and its modular, open and flexible billing and customer care software will assist OSS Working Group members as they strive to lower costs for service providers while increasing performance and promoting synergy across the entire OSS environment.

"Windows 2000 and SQL Server 2000 provide a reliable platform for companies to run their critical OSS/BSS applications with the high availability required in mission-critical environments," said Inovaware CEO Marc Rapoza. "Componentization, integration across application borders, and the ability to build intelligence into the OSS/BSS environment are challenging issues facing service providers planning to optimize their e-business efforts.

"The work done within the OSS Working Group is key to address interoperability issues among leading-edge software vendors as they prepare to deliver the next-generation of integrated OSS/BSS solutions to customers," said Rapoza.

ABOUT INOVAWARE
Inovaware Corporation is a leading business systems provider for the Internet industry. With clients in over 30 countries worldwide, the company provides advanced billing and customer management software to ISPs, ASPs, broadband services , content providers and other next generation service providers. Inovaware's Synchronized Business Infrastructure is the only framework that integrates separate customer-centric operations such as billing, customer management and helpdesk processes into one centralized system–lowering overall cost and time-to-implementation. The company's customers include financial news provider Morningstar, Inc.; salesforce automation ASP, salesforce.com; project collaboration ASP eRoom Technology, Inc.; and NTT DoCoMo's NetTime Corporation. More information about Inovaware and its product offerings can be found at the company's Web site, www.inovaware.com.