AT&T and Sterling Commerce Accelerate Office Depot’s Order-Processing Capabilities

Software Automates Order Processing and Assists Compliance Efforts at Office Depot

Boca Raton, Florida, Office Depot delivers faster order fulfillment, courtesy of instant digital conversion of faxed orders from AT&T* software that processes orders securely and efficiently.

AT&T and Sterling Commerce today announced that Office Depot (NYSE: ODP), a leading global provider of office products and services, has implemented Sterling Fax Conversion Services from AT&T. With this solution, Office Depot will better serve its customers by automating the manual processing of all faxed orders across its customer service call centers. Automating this process will also provide Office Depot with the reporting and visibility capabilities necessary to help achieve Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance. PCI security standards serve as a guideline to help organizations that process payments to prevent fraud, hacking and various other security threats.

“By implementing this new solution from AT&T, Office Depot will be able to provide flexible IT systems that enable our customers to do business with us the way they want to do business, while still ensuring the highest levels of security,” said Tim McGrath, vice president of Customer Service for Office Depot. “Additionally, this new solution helps Office Depot meet important PCI compliance requirements, providing an added level of confidence for our customers.”

Office Depot receives many orders directly by fax from consumers, and they require manual order entry and processing. By automating this process through Sterling Fax Conversion Services, Office Depot will increase the level of accuracy and reduce the overall time, requirements, and costs.

Sterling Fax Conversion Services converts incoming faxes into electronic data interchange (EDI) or extensible markup language (XML) documents and reverses the process for outgoing documents. This solution combines human and artificial intelligence into a single streamlined process that minimizes human intervention and manages costs by efficiently converting fax transactions while detecting and handling errors.

“AT&T helps industry leaders like Office Depot improve their business velocity and maintain their competitive edge,” said Jose Gutierrez, executive vice president-Global Enterprise Solutions, AT&T Business Solutions. “AT&T and Sterling Commerce are delivering a solution that helps Office Depot service its customers — large and small — with prompt, efficient order fulfillment.”

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

About Office Depot
Every day, Office Depot is Taking Care of Business for millions of customers around the globe. For the local corner store as well as Fortune 500 companies, Office Depot provides products and services to its customers through 1,705 worldwide retail stores, a dedicated sales force, top-rated catalogs and a $4.9 billion e-commerce operation. Office Depot has annual sales of approximately $15.1 billion, and employs about 49,000 associates around the world. The Company provides more office products and services to more customers in more countries than any other company, and currently sells to customers directly or through affiliates in 48 countries. Office Depot’s common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ODP and is included in the S&P 500 Index. Additional press information can be found at: http://mediarelations.officedepot.com.

About Sterling Commerce
Sterling Commerce, an AT&T Inc (NYSE:T) company, helps customers thrive in a global economy by connecting their business communities, processes, people and technology. More than 30,000 customers worldwide use Sterling Commerce solutions for business process integration, multi-channel selling, supply chain fulfillment, and payments management to optimize business performance inside and outside their enterprise. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Sterling Commerce has offices in 24 countries around the world. More information can be found at www.sterlingcommerce.com.

About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates, AT&T operating companies, are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. Among their offerings are the world’s most advanced IP-based business communications services, the nation’s fastest 3G network and the best wireless coverage worldwide, and the nation’s leading high speed Internet access and voice services. In domestic markets, AT&T is known for the directory publishing and advertising sales leadership of its Yellow Pages and YELLOWPAGES.COM organizations, and the AT&T brand is licensed to innovators in such fields as communications equipment. As part of their three-screen integration strategy, AT&T operating companies are expanding their TV entertainment offerings. In 2008, AT&T again ranked No. 1 in the telecommunications industry on FORTUNE® magazine’s lists of the World’s Most Admired Companies and America’s Most Admired Companies. Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com.