PORTLAND, ME–(EMWNews – July 21, 2008) – Kepware Technologies, the leader in

Communications for Automation, announced today that it was selected as the

primary provider of device communications by Columbia Weather Systems.

Columbia Weather Systems is a leading manufacturer of Weather Stations for

fixed mount, vehicle mount and portable applications. Their microprocessor

based weather station interface (Weather MicroServer) offers data

communications through both Modbus and SNMP protocols enabling integration

with automation systems. Columbia Weather Systems has selected to support

and resell Kepware’s KEPServerEX communications, providing the interface

from their supported protocols to automation industry products through the

standard interface of OPC (for OPen Connectivity). In addition, Columbia

Weather Systems is leveraging the wide range of relationships Kepware

enjoys in order to deliver a proven solution with all major HMI/SCADA

automation solutions. The “Connected with Kepware” designation signifies

an ongoing partnership with Columbia Weather Systems to ensure they are

aware of upcoming technology and will stay current with Kepware

developments in order to offer the best connectivity for their customers.

“Columbia Weather Systems is an excellent example highlighting the value of

our new ‘Connected with Kepware’ program,” says Roy Kok, VP of Sales and

Marketing for Kepware. “They can focus their efforts on their core

competency, excellent weather stations, and can rely on Kepware for proven

automation system interfaces. Kepware will continue to work closely with

Columbia Weather Systems, keeping them abreast of all technology

developments and will work with them ensure our partners are aware of this

vendor endorsed connectivity.”

“Our research showed that Kepware is the ideal partner for us, enabling us

to guarantee proven and reliable connectivity to systems in the automation

market,” explains Nader Khoury, President for Columbia Weather Systems Inc.

“We know Kepware is accepted as the industry standard for communications

among the automation software suppliers and the only work we needed to

perform was the validation of their Modbus driver with our Weather

MicroServer interface. Kepware has been a great company to work with and

we look forward to a long and fruitful relationship.”

About Kepware

Kepware is the world leader in communication software for automation and

offers a unique experience in both OPC and embedded device communications.

Since 1995, Kepware has focused on the development of communication drivers

to automation controllers, I/O and field devices. Applications include M2M

(Machine to Machine) and M2E (Machine to Enterprise) communications.

Operating system support includes; Microsoft Windows Desktop, Windows

Server and Windows Embedded (Windows CE and Windows Embedded NT/XP).

Today, Kepware delivers connectivity to thousands of devices through over

130 communication protocols, and through the efforts of our direct sales,

distribution and embedded partners, Kepware is the leading provider of

communications with annual shipments exceeding 100,000 units. Kepware’s

responsiveness to customer needs and strong partnerships with other leading

automation suppliers ensures that your next application will be a success.

Ask around and you’ll hear why automation professionals everywhere consider

Kepware Technologies “Automation’s Best Friend.” www.kepware.com

About Columbia Weather Systems

Columbia Weather Systems manufactures the Capricorn 2000 and Orion families

of weather monitoring systems that include weather stations for permanent

installations, vehicle-mount systems for mobile applications, and portable

weather stations for rapid deployment applications. The Capricorn 2000

line offers modular flexibility with a variety of meteorological sensor

options, while Orion weather stations feature a compact “all-in-one” sensor

head with ultrasonic wind measurement.

A small, privately held company, CWS offers customers flexibility and quick

response in product development and packaging, as well as personal customer

service. www.columbiaweather.com

All product and company names listed are trademarks or trade names of their

respective companies.