Riposte included in Smithsonian Permanent Research Collection of Information Technology Innovation

Boston, Mass. - June 11, 1997 - Escher Group's Riposte technology, a message-oriented middleware system optimized for international post office automation, provides the foundation for the An Post's (Irish post office) CounterAction system, which was recently honored by the Smithsonian for Information Technology Innovation.

CounterAction, a unique system developed by An Post, automated 1,000 of Ireland's busiest post offices. On June 10, it was included in the Smithsonian Institution's Permanent Research Collection of Information Technology Innovation at the National Museum of American History in Washington D.C.

The CounterAction system relies on the Riposte infrastructure to enable An Post's network of post offices to offer customers a wide variety services. Improved services including automated welfare, household bill and financial payments, passport application facilities and on-the-spot personalized savings & investment information. Up to 1.6 million people, half of the population of the Irish Republic, use at least one of these services each week.

Commenting on An Post's achievement, Dr. David Allison, Chairman of the National Museum of American History's Division of Information Technology and Society said "An Post is using information technology to create strides toward remarkable social improvement in government and nonprofit. We are delighted to have this excellent example of how information technology is being used to improve our world included in the national collection."

Mr. Terry Reynolds, Director of Post Offices, An Post, said that the Irish Post Office was greatly honored to have the CounterAction programme included in this prestigious collection. "The Riposte technology, which is the basis of the CounterAction programme, has now been selected by postal administrations in the UK, Slovakia, Singapore and most recently Australia. For the first time in history there is a real opportunity for post offices to develop common products and share transactions across international boundaries."

Founded in 1989, the Computerworld Smithsonian Program searches for and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated vision and leadership as they strive to use information technology in innovative ways. This year, 321 innovative applications of information technology from 21 countries and 39 states will be presented to the permanent Smithsonian collection.

The collection serves as a critical historical purpose by helping the National Museum of American History record the information technology revolution and the impact is has on our lives.

About Escher Group, Limited

Escher Group Limited is a leading provider of distributed transaction processing and data management solutions and services. The company offers a business-to-business XML-based transaction management environment, used in thousands of locations worldwide. Since its introduction in 1993, Riposte®, Escher's flagship messaging solution, has grown to become the market leader in post office counter automation.

Trademarks: WebRiposte and Riposte are trademarks or registered trademarks of Escher Group, Limited in the United States and/or other countries. All other product names mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective owners.

Contact Information:

Escher Group Limited
information@eschergroup.com