ATLANTA - July 13, 2007 – Southern Company announced today that IDG’s Computerworld, the “Voice of IT Management,” has selected it as one of the top workplaces for information technology (IT) professionals. This honor is part of the weekly IT publication’s 14th annual Best Places to Work in IT survey which was published in the June 18 issue of Computerworld and online at Computerworld.com.

Since 1994, Computerworld’s annual “Best Places to Work in IT” feature has ranked the top 100 work environments for technology professionals, based on a comprehensive questionnaire regarding company offerings in categories such as benefits, diversity, career development, training and retention. Only the 100 most outstanding IT organizations make the list.

“We’re very proud that Southern Company is recognized on the Best Places to Work in IT list,” said Anthony James, Southern Company executive vice president and president of shared services. “This is a testament of the hard work of all of our employees. They are the ones who help make the entire Southern Company a great place to work.”

In addition to the overall rankings, Computerworld created lists broken down by category. In the category of employee turnover, Southern Company ranked 12^th on the list. In the large company category, Southern Company ranked 21^st on the list of 48 companies with 10,000 employees or more. And Southern Company was the highest ranking power utility on the overall list.

Southern Company was nominated for the recognition in December 2006, and IT employees were surveyed by Computerworld in February. Each nominated company was evaluated based on the results of the 100-question survey and information gathered about benefits, retention strategies and rewards for performance.

“This year’s Best Places to Work rankings represent companies across the industry that recognize how a strong commitment to and investment in employees is synonymous with creating a great IT work environment,” said Don Tennant, editor in chief of Computerworld. “Once again, we found that IT professionals are looking for rewarding and challenging projects, access to leading-edge technologies, career growth and development and a comfortable work/life balance. Our Best Places companies not only offer these benefits, but do so in a manner that goes well above industry norms.”  

About Computerworld

Computerworld is the leading source of technology news and information for IT influencers worldwide. Computerworld’s award-winning weekly publication, Computerworld.com Web site (www.computerworld.com), focused conference series and custom research form the hub of the world’s largest (40+ edition) global IT media network. In the past five years alone, Computerworld has won more than 100 awards, including Folio Magazine's 2006 Gold EDDIE Award for the best technology/computing magazine, the 2004 and 2006 Magazine of the Year Award, and 2006 Best Overall Web Publication from the American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE). Computerworld leads the industry with a print audience of 1,252,000 readers each week (IntelliQuest CIMS Spring 2006) and an online audience of over 2 million unique monthly visitors (Omniture).

Computerworld is a business unit of International Data Group (IDG), the world's leading technology media, events, and research company.  IDG’s online network includes more than 450 web sites spanning business technology, consumer technology, digital entertainment and video games worldwide.  IDG publishes more than 300 magazines and newspapers in 85 countries including CIO, CSO, Computerworld, GamePro, InfoWorld, Macworld, Network World, and PC World. IDG’s lead-generation service, IDG Connect, matches technology companies with an audience of engaged, high-quality IT professionals, influencers, and decision makers.

IDG is a leading producer of more than 750 technology-related events including Macworld Conference & Expo, LinuxWorld Conference & Expo, Entertainment for All Expo (E for All), DEMO, and IDC Directions. IDC, a subsidiary of IDG, is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events. Over 900 IDC analysts in more than 90 countries provide global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends.

Additional information about IDG, a privately held company, is available at http://www.idg.com.

About Southern Company

With 4.3 million customers and more than 42,000 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 been listed the top ranking U.S. electric service provider in customer satisfaction for seven consecutive years by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Visit our Web site at www.southerncompany.com.

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Media Contact: Valerie Holpp, Southern Company Media Relations, +1.404.506.5333 or +1.866.506.5333, media@southerncompany.com