ATLANTA - Dec. 20, 2006 - Computerworld, the “Voice of IT Management,” today announced that it selected Aline Ward, chief information officer for Mississippi Power and Southern Company transmission and distribution, as one of Computerworld's Premier 100 IT Leaders for 2007.  

Computerworld’s 2007 Premier 100 IT Leaders honors the 100 IT executives who have led their organizations by mentoring and motivating employees; envisioning innovative solutions to business challenges; and effectively managing and executing IT strategies.

“Aline demonstrates exceptional leadership and skillfully applies technology strategy. This honor is a testament to her hard work,” said Becky Blalock, Southern Company senior vice president and chief information officer. “Thanks to Aline’s direction during events such as the Hurricane Katrina restoration, IT successfully secured critical systems needed for managing the electric infrastructure and assisted in restoration efforts. We are proud to have her as a part of the IT leadership team.”

Southern Company’s information technology organization is made up of more than 1,000 employees who support all of the company’s computing and data transmission needs. IT supports more than 23,000 computers connected to the Southern Company network and manages more than 1,050 software applications run in the course of Southern Company’s business. The organization also oversees 3,500 miles of fiber, cable and wireless, which transports important business data across Southern Company’s 120,000 square mile territory. Five regional chief information officers oversee the technology and operations strategies throughout the Southern Company system.

Computerworld’s Premier 100 IT Leaders Conference involves companies across all industries, as well as government and educational organizations. This year’s recipients were selected from nearly 500 nominees, who were measured against Computerworld’s IT Leadership Index, a set of characteristics that describes executives who guide the effective use of IT in their organizations, and evaluated by the editors and by a panel of outside judges. The candidates were asked about a range of topics, including their backgrounds, work experiences, special accomplishments and leadership styles.

Crafted by the publication’s editors, Computerworld’s Premier 100 IT Leaders Conference is a unique and compelling departure from the standard technology conference. Rather than focusing on vendors and products, the spotlight is on great ideas, strategic use of best practices and real-world leadership from the IT and business executives who are advancing their organizations through technology.

“This year’s class of honorees is characterized by a diversity that demonstrates the value of unique backgrounds and approaches in building an outstanding IT organization. Yet what these individuals have in common is an expertise born of hard work and an intangible leadership quality they can tap to successfully champion IT not only as a business enabler, but as a business influencer,” said Don Tennant, editor-in-chief, Computerworld. “The professionals honored in Computerworld's 2007 Premier 100 IT Leaders program, and by extension the organizations they represent, are clearly mindful of their role and obligation as leaders of the global IT community. Their willingness to brave the scrutiny of the limelight as they share their experiences with their peers has won our respect, appreciation, and deep admiration.”

The 2007 honorees will be recognized at Computerworld’s upcoming Premier 100 IT Leaders Conference, March 4-6, 2007, at the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort in Palm Desert, Calif.

The complete class of Computerworld’s Premier 100 IT Leaders for 2007 appears online at http://www.premier100.com and in the Dec. 11, 2006, issue of Computerworld (www.computerworld.com). In addition to the class roster, a special report highlights the challenges IT leaders expect to face in the coming year, including developing their staff's skills, mapping current IT initiatives with the top priorities of their CEOs and driving innovation.

About Southern Company:

With 4.3 million customers and more than 41,000 megawatts of generating capacity, Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is the premier energy company serving the Southeast, one of America’s fastest-growing regions. A leading U.S. producer of electricity, Southern Company owns electric utilities in four states and a growing competitive generation company, as well as fiber optics and wireless communications. Southern Company brands are known for excellent customer service, high reliability and retail electric prices that are significantly below the national average. Southern Company has received the highest ranking in customer satisfaction among U.S. electric service providers for seven consecutive years by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Visit our Web site at www.southerncompany.com.

About Computerworld:

Computerworld is recognized worldwide as the premier source for news, information and opinion on the critical technology and management issues affecting senior technology professionals. Computerworld’s award-winning weekly publication, Computerworld.com Web site, focused conference series and custom research, form the hub of the world’s largest (58-edition) global IT media network. In the past five years alone, Computerworld has won more than 100 awards, including the 2004 and 2006 Magazine of the Year Award from the American Society of Business Publication Editors and Folio Magazine’s 2006 Gold EDDIE Award for the best technology/computing magazine. Computerworld has an online audience of over 1.9 million unique monthly visitors (Omniture) and a total print audience of 1,337,000 (IntelliQuest CIMS Spring 2006). Computerworld is on the Web at www.computerworld.com.

Computerworld is a business unit of International Data Group (IDG), the world’s leading technology media, research and events company. A privately held company, IDG publishes more than 300 magazines and newspapers, including CIO, CSO, Computerworld, GamePro, InfoWorld, Network World and PC World. The company features the largest network of technology-specific Web sites, with more than 400 around the world. IDG is also a leading producer of more than 170 computer-related events worldwide, including Storage Networking World®, Premier 100®, LinuxWorld Conference & Expo®, Macworld Conference & Expo, DEMO® and IDC Directions. IDC provides global market research and advice through offices in 50 countries. Company information is available at http://www.idg.com.

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