Product Launch

RNS Number:4511M
Electronic Data Processing PLC
18 June 2003

                                                              18 June, 2003


EDP first to market in the UK with eBIS-XML business document transmission and
archiving outsourcing service.


Today Electronic Data Processing PLC (EDP) is launching Quantum VS Highway, its
eBIS-XML secure managed outsourcing service for the electronic transmission and
archiving of business documents, designed to meet the growing market demand from
businesses of all sizes and particularly SMEs.

Quantum VS Highway is the result of a #2 million R & D investment, begun in
early 2000, with the initial trial users of the software product set
successfully implemented. The secure managed service leverages the investment
already made by EDP in its business grade ISP service, fastfreenet.com.

Quantum VS Highway, for an annual service charge of #1,995, provides the user
with the facility to transmit securely business documents to an unlimited number
of trading partners and to send and to receive an unlimited volume of documents.
The six years secure document archiving and retrieval service costs #795 per
annum, and includes a management information and business intelligence package.

Electronic transmission of business documents, through what is known as EDI, has
been used for the past twenty-five years but without an international standard.
As a result EDI has only been implemented by larger organisations, principally
due to its complexity and cost.

XML is an internationally accepted and adopted technology standard. The UK
Government has chosen XML as its standard document transmission technology.
Organisations of any size doing business with Government departments will need
to comply with this standard. The Government's XML implementation programme is
due to be completed in 2005.

The electronic transmission of business documents, such as orders and invoices,
from one computer system to another delivers immediate operating cost savings,
reducing the cost to a few pence per document. Paper, envelope, postage and data
entry costs are all saved. Documents are delivered through EDP's proprietary
service and are automatically archived, both in a matter of minutes. When
postage and data entry costs alone are multiplied by the number of documents
sent and received, the ROI of the Quantum VS Highway eBIS-XML service can
typically be justified in a matter of weeks or a few months.

EDP will initially market the new service to customers of its XML enabled high
performance wholesale distribution software solutions. Plans are in place to
extend the Quantum VS Highway service offering to all businesses of all sizes
from the beginning of the next financial year, starting 1 October.

EDP also plans to market Quantum VS Highway through independent software
vendors, which have a similar requirement for their own customer bases. Highway
will be marketed as well to organisations with an existing IT department and in
addition, may be licensed as a systems integration tool kit.

Group Chief Executive, Richard Jowitt, commented, 'Quantum VS Highway is the
first significant product deliverable from our next generation software product
R & D programme. As the first to market, we have an excellent opportunity to
gain market share and drive revenue growth based upon an ubiquitous,
internationally accepted technology that will, in due course, replace EDI and
eventually be used by all businesses of all sizes.'



                                     -Ends-


Enquiries:

Richard Jowitt                                Julian Wassell
Chief Executive                               Finance Director
0114 262 2001                                 0114 262 2007

                                              www.edp.fastfreenet.com




Notes to Editors

EDP is the largest IT solution provider to the UK independent Builders and
Timber Merchants market place and a leading supplier to the wholesale
distribution industry.


                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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