Asseco

Asseco announces a tender offer for 100 percent of shares in Sygnity

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0100

On 22 February 2012, Asseco Poland has announced a tender offer for up to 100 percent of shares in Sygnity, proposing to pay PLN 21 per share in cash. Asseco Poland offers to acquire 11,886,242 ordinary bearer shares in Sygnity, in a transaction totalling PLN 250 million.

The tender offer aims at further development of the Asseco Group. The Management Board believes that entering into cooperation with Sygnity will help strengthen the Asseco Group’s market position in the sectors of banking, public administration, power industry, and enterprises. Consequently, the Asseco Group will enhance its ability to compete with the world’s largest IT players.

“I am confident that this transaction would have a positive impact on the professional development of Sygnity’s employees. The exchange of know-how and the ability to work within international business divisions of the Asseco Group would both provide great opportunities for long-term careers of the professional teams at Sygnity,” says Adam Góral, President of the Management Board of Asseco Poland.

In the Management’s opinion, the price per share proposed by Asseco Poland shall be perceived as attractive by Sygnity’s shareholders. It offers a 22% premium over the weighted average market price in the last 3 months; whereas, in the case of 6-month period such bonus is 18%. Additionally, the Sygnity’s PE ratio is 29.8 as calculated on the basis of the company's recently announced results for the four quarters of 2011.
The tender offer shall be effectively completed on condition Asseco Poland acquires a minimum of 7,951,900 Sygnity shares, representing 66.9% of the share capital of the target company, and obtains an unconditional approval from the Polish Office of Competition and Consumers Protection for obtaining control over the target company (or upon expiry of the statutory deadline for giving such approval).

The tender offer schedule is presented below:
• 22 February 2012 – announcement of the tender offer and filing an application with the Polish Office of Competition and Consumers Protection (OCCP);
• 12 March 2012 – commencement of the acceptance of tenders;
• 10 April 2012 – completion of the acceptance of tenders (subject to the OCCP’s approval);
• 13 April 2012 – date of concluding the transaction on the Warsaw Stock Exchange;
• 18 April 2012 – settlement of the transaction.

The historical development of Asseco Poland, involving among others the consolidation of the information technology market, demonstrates highly effective utilization of professional resources of companies incorporated into the Group. Owing to the successful implementation of such strategy, Asseco Poland holds a leading position in the domestic IT market, and ranks seventh among the largest European software vendors according to the Truffle100 ranking.

Asseco becomes Poland's first company to earn SAP AQM accreditation

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Asseco Poland S.A. is SAP's first Polish partner that has been granted accreditation in the global Active Quality Management program. This accreditation is a confirmation of exercising active quality management in the processes of sales and implementation.

Active quality management translates into increased customer satisfaction and helps to successfully implement and avoid escalation of projects. Participation in the SAP AQM program also provides access to advanced models and processes, enabling a significant reduction of risks involved in project implementation. Therefore, Asseco, as the first company in Poland, acceded to this global quality accreditation program already in 2011. Owing to our intensive participation in the program, the accreditation was obtained within the planned time frame.

“Asseco Poland derives a lot of benefits from its participation of in the SAP Active Quality Management program and the related accreditation. Close cooperation between SAP and Asseco specialists as well as joint interim analyses of our operations in the market for SAP software made it possible to verify our sales processes and implementation methodologies against the SAP’s recommendations and best practices for software vendors. Within the framework of SAP AQM program, we have gained access to materials and tools applicable for active quality management, as recommended by SAP, and we treat that as an opportunity to improve our implementation processes as well as to eliminate or reduce the risks involved in this area. We hope that the quality accreditation awarded to Asseco will strengthen our position in the market for SAP software implementations, enhance the positive image of both Asseco and SAP in the eyes of our existing clients, and eventually increase our chances of attracting new customers,” said Marek Gruchowski, the program coordinator at Asseco Poland.

Asseco Poland S.A. is the largest IT company listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange and a major player in the European software production market with headquarters in Rzeszów. It employs almost 3500 people. The Asseco's SAP technology competence centre has more than 80 vastly experienced specialists, who have already carried out dozens of major projects for the largest Polish companies in various industries (including mining, oil, and chemical enterprises). Our consultants have experience in the area of implementation of integration platform based on SAP NetWeaver PI, creation of applications in accordance with the Enhanced SOA model in the SAP Enterprise Portal, and core data management based on SAP Master Data Management.

Asseco to offer Magic Software's solutions

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

The distribution agreement concluded with Magic Software, an Asseco Group company and the producer of internationally recognized uniPaaS and iBOLT technologies, will enrich the Asseco Poland's portfolio within systems development and integration.

Magic Software Enterprises Ltd. (NASDAQ: MGIC), a global provider of mobile and cloud-enabled application development platforms and business system integration solutions, has signed an agreement with Asseco Poland S.A. under which it shall act as a distributor of Magic Software's products in Poland.

Wojciech Wożniak, Vice President of Asseco Poland S.A., commented: "I am extremely satisfied that our offering has been enriched with the advanced technology of Magic's iBOLT and uniPaaS platforms. Asseco has become a main distributor of these products in the Polish market, and has, therefore, gained the ability to provide its clients with high-end development and integration solutions. We will also use our best efforts to attract more potential users of uniPaaS and iBOLT technologies."

Commenting on the agreement, Guy Bernstein, CEO of Magic Software, said: "This agreement is an important step forward as we pursue our strategic goal of broadening and invigorating our community of distributors. Moreover, we anticipate that this will open the door to additional activities with other Asseco Group subsidiaries, such as Asseco Central Europe, Asseco Germany, Asseco Spain, and Asseco South Eastern Europe." He added: "The fact that one of Europe’s largest and most influential software vendors has chosen to become our distributor is a significant vote of confidence in our company, our technology stack, and our business potential in the region. We aim to leverage on Asseco’s mighty footprint in the Polish market to expand our local presence, and will also seize this opportunity to increase our business activities in other Central and Eastern European countries."

uniPaaS platform is known in Poland as Magic or Magic eDeveloper. It is used by central offices, power companies, insurance companies, many enterprises from various industries as well as by a myriad of small businesses. uniPaaS is a powerful code-free platform for the development of mobile applications, independent of the operating system, database, and hardware platform used, in a remarkably short time that is unachievable using other tools. This is possible as all functionalities of an application (data structures, operating algorithm, business logic, presentation of data) are created in an interface-controlled high-level environment.

iBOLT platform is one of the latest tools developed by Magic Software. This solution is designed to support the integrated management of business processes. It guarantees quick and easy customization of IT infrastructure to changing business needs. It also enables the implementation of service-oriented architecture (SOA) in order to improve efficiency, reduces operating costs and optimize IT infrastructure.

Asseco is a leading vendor in Central European Government sector

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

The Top 10 IT vendors serving the government sector in Central and Eastern Europe's Visegrad Group (V4), consisting of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia, account for over half of total government IT spending in the region. According to a study by IT market research company IDC released in December, the top vendors in the government sector were: Asseco, Atos, BIW Koncept, HP, IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, SAP, Telefonica O2 Business Solutions and T-Systems.

“With more than $2.2 billion in government spending in play in 2011 and $2.35 billion forecast for 2012, the stakes are high in the V4 government sector," says Mark Yates, research analyst for IDC Government Insights. "While winning contracts through tenders depends on making a compelling case, it also depends heavily on reputation and branding, and vendors that stay top-of-mind through concerted promotions and outreach have a significant edge."

The three leading vendors – Asseco, HP and IBM – accounted for more than half of the revenue from the top 10 and more than a quarter of total IT spending in the government sector. According to IDC examination - Asseco proved formidable competitor to global players, particularly in our home country market.

IDC expects competition for contracts to intensify as budgets get cut, the eurozone crisis continues, and recession threatens the Western half of the continent. IDC also believes an independent, high-level assessment of the key players is essential to vendors looking to maintain (or even expand) market share in the government sector. Top IT Vendors in the Government Sector in Central Europe alerts IT vendors to the competitive environment in the government sector in the four core Central European markets of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia. It ranks the top 10 IT vendors serving the government sector by revenue, examines their positions (strengths, weaknesses, etc.), and offers insight into how to further develop the sector.

About IDC
International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. IDC helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community to make fact-based decisions on technology purchases and business strategy. More than 1,000 IDC analysts provide global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries worldwide. For more than 47 years, IDC has provided strategic insights to help our clients achieve their key business objectives. IDC is a subsidiary of IDG, the world's leading technology media, research, and events company. You can learn more about IDC by visiting www.idc.com.

Asseco and Microsoft jointly developed a power industry solution

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

AUMS-CRM is a software solution dedicated to the power industry, delivering all the key functionalities required to properly handle the processes of selling and billing electricity to consumers. It was developed by integrating the Asseco Utilities Management Solutions with Microsoft Dynamics CRM. The solution features a modern billing system and an array of functionality to support professional and comprehensive customer service. Owing to its flexibility and open architecture, AUMS-CRM allows for easy integration with other systems as well as for adding new functions without disruption to ongoing business processes.

“Our cooperation was necessary in order to create a comprehensive offering for power companies because no single supplier possessed a technology that would satisfy all the essential needs and requirements of the industry. Therefore, Microsoft embarked on a partnership with Asseco, which has a well-established leading position in the market of IT solutions for the utilities sector. The rationale behind such cooperation seems pretty clear given that almost 60 percent of all electricity bills in Poland are generated from the proprietary billing systems implemented by Asseco. Owing to the above and a truly open approach, Asseco and Microsoft decided to integrate their IT solutions in order to provide the suppliers of electricity with an integral technology tailored to their needs,” said Jarosław Szymaniuk, Director of Sales to Industry & Utilities Sectors at the Polish division of Microsoft.

Customer service has become more important than ever in the power industry. Liberalization of the energy supply market allows the customers to change their electricity providers thereby creating an arena for competitive activities. Hence the success of power firms is increasingly conditioned by their innovative approach to the sale of electricity in a competitive environment. Their effectiveness depends, to a large extent, on the ability to offer and promote new products and services, attract new customers, as well as to build customer loyalty. Furthermore, electricity sellers will have to face the problem of deregulated prices for retail customers. Operating in a competitive free market, just as other industrial companies, they will be subject to evaluation by consumers, who demonstrate increasing awareness in choosing their suppliers.

Such competitive environment requires electricity providers to implement new processes in their organizations, which may be facilitated by innovative information technology solutions. The integrated AUMS-CRM solution supports the customer service and billing processes, while adapting both to the seller's individual product policies and non-standard settlement methods, in particular in the domains of:
- Sales and Customer Retention;
- Billing and Receivables;
- Customer Service;
- Offering Management.

The CRM and AUMS systems have been integrated at the file level of customers, contracts, products, implementation of processes and workflows, taking account of the steps and actions in both the systems, providing complete information on the actual status of operations performed.

“Asseco has got vast experience in building and deploying customer service systems for the utilities sector. Aiming to leverage on our know-how, we quickly decided to responded to this new market demand and support the power suppliers by offering them a dedicated solution that combines comprehensive end-customer services with our state-of-the-art billing software,” said Tomasz Bendlewski, Director of Power and Gas Industry Division at Asseco Poland. “We needed to select an optimal CRM solution. Having analyzed the market alternatives, being convinced by positive customer references and a high assessment by Gartner analytical company, and taking into account the ease of integration, we chose Microsoft technology. While developing the AUMS-CRM solution we benefited from synergies between Microsoft’s fully configurable Dynamics CRM system and Asseco’s proprietary billing system, which is rooted in the realities of the Polish law, industry regulations as well as in the local business context. In our opinion, the integration of both the solutions gives AUMS-CRM a major competitive advantage over other systems of this class available in the market,” he added.

Given the role played and challenges to be faced by a seller on the power supply market, it is absolutely critical to gather and manage information on customers. In order to provide a comprehensive customer service, one needs to have full knowledge of the client, which cannot be dispersed. So far the main source of customer information were billing systems that, apart from handling the client settlements and financial operations, were also used to support the customer service processes. In the new business conditions, effective acquisition and retention of customers has become the foremost challenge for the energy sector. Therefore, neither CRM nor billing systems should be operated in isolation from each other. Owing to their integration within the AUMS-CRM solution, an employee obtains a complete image of the client being served.

The solution supplied by Asseco Poland brings together the functions of a system for handling and analysis of events involved in customer relationships (CRM) and a domain management system (AUMS). Being furnished with a multitude of interfaces, the solution is able to exchange information with other domain systems and the entire IT environment, and thus can be seamlessly integrated into the corporate architecture of any modern power supply company.

OTAGO to co-create the Gdańsk Education Platform

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

On Friday, 20 January, OTAGO IT Services Ltd., a subsidiary of the Asseco Group, concluded a contract with the Municipal Office of Gdańsk for construction of the Gdańsk Education Platform.

For the first time in Poland, information technology employed for education purposes covers such a wide range of functionality and is implemented on such a large scale. The Gdańsk Education Platform will facilitate communication among offices, schools, teachers, pupils and their parents, as well as it will support the management and operations of educational establishments in all teaching, administrative, and financial areas. The project worth nearly PLN 16 million will be carried out by a consortium of three companies which have been selected in a tendering procedure. Completion of the project has been scheduled for the end of January 2013.

Acting as a member of the consortium, OTAGO will be responsible, among others, for the delivery and implementation of an integrated IT system to support budgeting and financial management at educational institutions. The company is going to deploy its proprietary OTAGO solution based on a central database. The system will be used by both the administrating body and employees of all 191 educational establishments. The OTAGO's planning and budgetary analysis system will provide a set of innovative electronic tools to facilitate organizational and financial planning, as well as to enable gathering and analysis of the organizational and financial data. Furthermore, the system will be used to maintain the accounts and draw up budgets for all the educational institutions managed by the city.

The Municipal Office of Gdańsk has been a client of OTAGO for many years. The OTAGO system has been developed and operated at the Municipal Office since the 1990s and nowadays it supports almost all spheres of its activities. By implementing the system into further areas of city management, the Municipal Office aims towards the construction of a central municipal system, which will cover subsequent processes in the future and lay a necessary foundation for development of the envisaged common services centre.

OTAGO is a company responsible for coordination of the Asseco Group sales within the local government market. The company operates with a purpose to provide possibly the broadest and most comprehensive offer to that segment of the market. Last year OTAGO decided to expand its portfolio with education management software, which would be complementary to its integrated municipal management system. Hence, the company concluded an agreement to purchase an organized part of the enterprise of Cracow-based Silvermedia, embodying a number of state-of-the-art solutions designed to support management processes in education. In addition, OTAGO took over a team of highly qualified employees, including software designers, developers and implementation engineers, who were the power base for the acquired solutions.

As noted by Jarosław Jastrzębski, OTAGO's CEO, it is just owing to the takeover of a portion Silvermedia's business and incorporation of their education management tools into the company's flagship system that OTAGO was able to successfully participate in the tender for the Gdańsk Education Platform, and now can think positively about a return on this investment.

Asseco Poland has signed an agreement with HP Poland to provide services for ARiMR

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Asseco Poland S.A. continues to cooperate with the Agency for Restructuring and Modernization of Agriculture (ARiMR) by providing the maintenance and development of the Agency's Information System (AIS). The Company and HP Poland have concluded a subcontractor agreement worth PLN 33.9 million net.

The contract covers the Agency's Information System that includes the Integrated Administration and Control System, known as IACS, for handling of EU subsidies to farmers. It is one of the most complex systems within the Polish administration, being operated by nearly 6.5 thousand users who generate 12 million documents a year. The system has been developed by Asseco Poland S.A. during over a dozen years of collaboration with ARiMR. An important part of the IACS system is the application for identification and registration of livestock (IRZ) which is critical for the process of veterinary checks on animals.

Under this contract Asseco Poland S.A. will be also maintaining multiple other applications built for the Agency. These shall include, among others, the system for management of subsidies granted under the Rural Development Programme, as well as the platform that enables sharing of data collected by ARiMR with other institutions and allows farmers to submit their subsidy applications over the Internet.

"The systems developed by Asseco Poland S.A. make it possible for ARiMR to fulfil its obligations of a payment agency, which are strictly controlled while any negligence could even result in the withdrawal of EU aid. Therefore, ensuring a properly operating information system is of fundamental importance to this institution. By assigning this task to a company with an appropriate team of professionals, ARMA is able to focus on its business priorities," says Witold Malina, Managing Director of the Agriculture Division at Asseco Poland S.A.

The contract shall be carried out by a team of 120 specialists of Asseco Poland S.A. till the end of 2012.

BRE Bank and Asseco to implement the Silesian Public Services Card

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Payments for parking, traveling by public transportation, entrance to museums and fees at offices – all of these and much more will be available for settlement with the Silesian Public Services Card (SPSC). Poland's largest project to launch a city payment card has been initiated. The project implementation has been assigned to the consortium of BRE Bank and Asseco Poland.

The Municipal Transport Union of the Upper Silesian Industrial Region, responsible for public transportation services in Silesia, has signed a contract with the consortium of BRE Bank and Asseco Poland, the winners of a tender worth nearly PLN 190 million. The introduction of the Silesian Public Services Card shall take 16 months, during which the first 400 thousand cards will be issued out of the total 700 thousand cards in target.

BRE Bank, acting within the consortium, will be responsible for the production and personalization of cards, preparation of the SPSC settlement system, clearing of settlements among the parties involved in the system, and handling of payments made in public places where the cards will be used.

This is a very important project for us and the first one carried out on such a large scale in Poland. It will be implemented over a wide area and in a very short time. It also requires the cooperation of many entities - says Przemysław Gdański, Member of the Management Board of BRE Bank responsible for corporate banking. The introduction of SPSC will make life easier for the inhabitants of Silesia. We believe they are going to appreciate the project benefits quickly - he adds.

Asseco Poland will implement a modern fee collection system in all vehicles managed by the Municipal Transport Union, and is going to install 109 multifunctional ticket vending machines, 232 parking fee machines, and create a network of 1200 points designed to accept and recharge the cards. The entire SPSC settlement system will be managed by state-of-the-art software installed on huge computing power servers located in two data processing centers. Asseco Poland will also create a web portal available for the system users.

Asseco decided to participate in the Silesian Public Services Card project and this was a good decision. We have an opportunity to implement a solution that is very innovative and unique in Europe. We strongly believe that our success in Silesia will allow us to implement similar projects also for other cities in Poland. Together with BRE Bank, we have adequate working capacity and knowledge to bring a higher level of technology into the municipal services provided in Poland. Silesia has been preparing for this project for several years, and our consortium will do everything required to introduce a new quality of life for the region's inhabitants as soon as possible - says Wojciech Woźniak, Vice President of Asseco Poland.

The SPSC system is the largest project of this kind in Poland. It will enable the urban agglomeration residents to make payments with the card when using public transportation or parking lots, as well as when visiting museums or municipal offices. The card payments will be accepted in the total of 120 public utility centers situated in 21 municipalities across the province. In addition to the electronic purse (e-money instrument), the card will be also utilized as the holder's ID and electronic signature carrier.

Introduction of the card is a great convenience for the residents of Silesia. It will allow an easy way to benefit from municipal services, and carry an electronic ticket. By analysing various information, including the amount of payments collected in individual vehicles, we will be able to effectively adapt our transportation services to the actual needs of passengers - says Roman Urbańczyk, Chairman of the Management Board of the Municipal Transport Union.

The total cost of the Card project implementation and maintenance till 2018 is estimated at PLN 190 million. Whereas, a substantial part of the project financing will be provided by the European Regional Development Fund.

The Silesian Public Services Card is yet another innovative solution implemented by the corporate banking division of BRE Bank. Recently, the Cracow City Card project has been launched also in collaboration with BRE Bank. Previously, the bank has successfully marketed the Sports Fan Cards in Kielce and Szczecin, and Open’er Festival Cards, just to mention a few. In October 2011, BRE Bank issued its pre-paid card number 100 thousand. This service has been already used by more than 400 companies.

Matrix acquires 60% of the American EXZAC Company for $6.75 million

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

EXZAC is in the field of risk management for financial institutions that deal with commerce and it specializes in the area of enterprise fraud management.

Matrix, the leading IT services company in Israel, had announced today that it is acquiring 60% of the EXZAC Company for $6.75 million. The purchase also determined mechanisms for additional revenue based on the company’s performance in the future, which won’t extend over $2.5 million. In addition, the company and sellers have mutual options to sell the remaining stocks of the sellers in the acquired company to Matrix.
EXZAC is an American company that is a leader in risk management for financial institutions that deal with commerce, and it provides application services in three main operation lines: fraud management and prevention, anti money laundering and solutions for withstanding the regulatory demands in these areas. Among its customers are major financial groups all over the world, including: Deutsche Bank, City Bank, CFTC (US Commodity Futures Trading Commission), HSBC, Wells Fargo, Bank of Tokyo, Barclays Capital and many more.

EXZAC was established by two Israeli partners: Guy Avtalion, who was the former chief architect and director of the Compliance product line at Actimize and Alon Even-Chen, who was one of the first employees of Actimize, where he was the chief project manager of application who faced key customers.
EXZAC is growing at a rapid pace and had recently opened offices in Hong Kong for the Asian-Pacific market (APAC). The company now employs 80 workers, most of whom are content specialists and technological experts. Among its employees are many Israelis who are carefully selected from prestigious military projects. The company applies and assimilates a variety of leading software products, while maintaining a neutral approach and selection of solutions that are best suited to the customer’s needs.

Moti Guttman, Matrix CEO: “The acquisition of EXZAC is a pivotal point for Matrix. We have determined to be exposed to the American market through the purchase of a successful, self-made company that matches the same content worlds in which Matrix specializes. EXZAC fits this definition completely. Guy and Alon, the founders of the company and its managers in the years to come, have been smart in creating a unique value and presenting an impressive growth with the leading banks in America and worldwide, in areas of expertise that are both desired and critical to their activity – regulatory compatibility, fraud prevention and anti money laundering. The impressive customer base, the company’s reputation, the managers’ reputation and the nature of its relationship with its customers bring Matrix a plethora of opportunities for future expansion with these customers in Matrix’s areas of expertise and varied offerings that appeal to enterprise organizations and especially to those in the financial sector.”
Guy Avtalion, EXZAC Co-CEO: the fraud management area of operation is considered a “hot” area and is characterized by a rapid growth rate in the USA, in Israel and worldwide. This is due in part to the multiple regulations in the area, in its complexity and constant changes. For these reasons, and based on the meticulous selection of employees and uncompromising professionalism, EXZAC has been constantly growing and expanding since its establishment. We are happy and proud to join the Matrix family. We have found in Matrix a variety of high-quality skills and specialties that suggest a synergy between the two companies and are relevant to the further expansion of EXZAC.”

Matrix, which employs 5100 IT professionals, is the leading IT company in the Israeli market. Matrix deals with performing the biggest integration projects, technologies development and implementation, software testing, software solutions and products, consultation services, offshore, outsourcing, training and assimilation, representing and distribution worldwide leading software products, leading hardware solutions and IT infrastructures. Among its customers are hundreds of leading Israeli groups and companies from the areas of industry, commerce, banking and finances, telecom, security, health and the public-government sector.
Matrix is traded at the Tel Aviv stock exchange in the Tel Aviv 100 index. The Matrix 2010 turnover was 1.53 billion NIS, and the net profit was 88.6 million NIS. Over 20 investment houses and banks chose the Matrix stock among the 5 recommended stocks of 2010. Matrix is also traded in the Tel Div index, which includes large companies that distribute dividends. The research companies rate Matrix in first place in the IT services field in Israel. STKI has been rating Matrix in first place for the past six years in a row and IDC has been rating Matrix in first place for the past four years in a row.

Accurate Hydrological Forecasts Thanks to Asseco Poland's System

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Asseco Poland S.A. signed an agreement with the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management (IMWM) to develop and implement the IT System for Quality Control of Hydrological and Meteorological Measurements and Hydrological Forecasts, expand the Customer Service System, as well as to create and implement the Central Historical Database. The contract value exceeds the amount of PLN 25 million (gross).

Implementation of the system will enable centralization of all the key data generated by individual function systems used at IMWM, also providing for the unification of access and better storage security of such data. The system also aims to improve the quality of hydrological forecasts prepared and to streamline the distribution of products developed for IMWM's customers. The system will be built on a centralized architecture, matching the latest standards of service-oriented architecture (SOA) and using the enterprise service bus (ESB).

Under this project Asseco Poland will furthermore supply the necessary hardware infrastructure, install third-party software, conduct a pre-deployment analysis, implement five modules of the system, and provide appropriate user training.

"We feel honoured that IMWM, acting in accordance with the World Bank procedures, has chosen our company to implement such a mission-critical system. Floods, which occur more and more frequently in our country, have emphasized the need for using an efficient and reliable system capable of processing the data on actual water levels and rainfall forecasts. Implementation of the new system will significantly enhance the quality of hydrological forecasting, and improve the distribution of information to adequate state services, local authorities, other public organizations as well as to the public. This is our first large size project for IMWM and we hope it will bring a lot of satisfaction to our client, thereby triggering further long-term cooperation within the supply and maintenance of customer-tailored systems," says Witold Malina, Managing Director of the Agriculture Division at Asseco Poland S.A.

The planned project duration is one and a half years (the contract also provides for a three-year warranty period).