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Press Release

Cast Iron Systems Targets Global Enterprises With Its Cutting-Edge Application Router®

New Approach to Integration Brings Significant Savings, Increased Efficiency

London, UK, May 12, 2004 —Cast Iron Systems, the pioneer of application integration appliances, today announced the release of its Application Router® 1000 for global enterprises — a special purpose hardware device which provides a fundamentally new approach to business integration.

The new integration solution was developed by Cast Iron Systems to enable enterprises to dramatically reduce their up-front and ongoing IT costs and shorten the implementation time of business information applications regardless of protocols and data formats.

The Application Router is already playing a key role in tobacco giant British American Tobacco's (BAT) strategic move from its current heterogeneous environment to a Web Services enabled Service Oriented Architecture (SOA).

BAT, one of the world's largest international tobacco groups, has successfully completed laboratory evaluation of the Application Router, and is now deploying the device in operational field trials in several countries.

Kevin Poulter, Application Technology Manager at BAT, commented: "Cast Iron's Application Router enabled us to integrate applications within hours. It was simple to install and easy to operate, giving us the means to deliver application integration without the hassle."

Fred Meyer, CEO of Cast Iron Systems, said: "The Application Router is a perfect complement to the existing Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) and Application Server markets because it solves a critical yet underserved market that requires low-cost, quick to implement, and easy to manage integration solutions with little or no learning curve."

In mapping its Web services strategy, BAT identified a problem common to many large companies — that much of its key operating information lay in non-core data systems. BAT also found that few Web services companies had products – or even a vision – that embraced these data sources.

"The combination of Cast Iron's unique network router-like approach to provide rapidly implemented integration solutions and its experienced management team was very compelling," said Poulter. "Cast Iron is saving us significant amounts of money on maintaining and operating our infrastructure."

BAT is now deploying Application Routers as an extension to the corporation's messaging backbone that will enable BAT's smaller international operating companies to more efficiently integrate with core systems, such as SAP.

The Application Router will also serve as a business-to-business integration tool that can replace existing EDI and FTP links with a more cost-effective way to communicate with BAT's wholesale and retailer customers. BAT believes the Application Router will deliver significant ROI and operational efficiencies.

About BAT

British American Tobacco is the world’s most international tobacco group, operating in more countries than any other. British American Tobacco is the world’s second largest quoted tobacco group, with a market share of 14.6 per cent. It has 85 factories in 66 countries and has more than 85,000 employees. For more information, visit British American Tobacco’s website at www.bat.com

About Cast Iron Systems

Cast Iron Systems is the inventor of the Application Router™, and is working with a premier group of customers and investors to build a revolutionary solution to application integration. Cast Iron's unique products enable enterprises to drastically reduce their integration costs by offering a simple yet scalable device. Based in Mountain View, California, Cast Iron was founded in 2001 and consists of a world-class team committed to solving the costly and complex IT application integration challenges facing today's Fortune 500 organisations.