ATLANTA, June 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Southern Company today announced that IDG's Computerworld Magazine ranked it among the best workplaces for information technology (IT) professionals in its annual "100 Best Places to Work in Information Technology" list. Southern Company placed 28th among all companies for the second year in a row.

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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. In addition, this year Computerworld surveyed more than 27,000 IT workers for the list, and their responses factored heavily in determining the rankings.

"Southern Company is pleased to be recognized as one of the best places to work in information technology," said Becky Blalock, executive vice president and CIO, Southern Company. "Our IT employees are truly among the most talented in the profession and it's their hard work and innovative thinking that makes Southern Company among the best places to work."

Southern Company offers commuting options including ride-sharing services, vanpools and a program offering subsidized mass transit passes. Plus, nearly 1,000 IT employees have the ability to telecommute, and about 300 of them do so regularly. IT workers also have multiple opportunities for professional development, including job-shadowing arrangements and on-the-job training programs. The company also encourages employees to get experience in new jobs, either within or outside of the IT department. Through an employee council, workers help IT executives address concerns such as workgroup fairness. And a group known as the IT Green Place to Work Team finds ways to use technology to benefit the environment.

"To be among the Best Places to Work in IT, it's not enough just to seek out and hire the most talented IT people, offer them competitive pay and provide great benefits," said Scot Finnie, editor in chief of Computerworld. "The organizations that made this year's Best Places to Work list sustain a dynamic work environment in which IT professionals keep their hands on the latest technologies and work on projects that are business critical. In the months and years ahead, IT is going to become a key accelerator of business growth.

With 4.4 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. 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 below the national average. Southern Company is consistently listed among the top U.S. electric service providers in customer satisfaction by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Visit our Web site at www.southerncompany.com.

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SOURCE: Southern Company

Web site: http://www.southerncompany.com/