Schlumberger Joins the World's Software Elite

Schlumberger LimitedUK-based Product Development Center of Schlumberger Test & Transactions in Ferndown, Dorset, has achieved the prized Software Engineering Institute (SEI) Level 3 rating for the exceptional quality of its software development processes. SEI is a federally funded R&D authority sponsored by the US Department of Defense and operated by Carnegie Mellon University. The Ferndown Center earned its Level 3 status following a rigorous assessment by a team of independent experts.Schlumberger Limitedmajor role played by software in today's electronic and computer products, and the increasing pressure on time to market, mean that customers are placing increasing emphasis on the quality of the software development process when choosing a supplier. As a result, good processes are now a key differentiator. The Ferndown Center develops software for the full range of Schlumberger Test & Transactions products, including smart cards and mobile communications applications, point-of-sale terminals and the latest generation semiconductor test equipment. The SEI Level 3 status provides important confirmation of the high quality of the software development process, across the product range.

"We work with many different customers worldwide, across time and geographical boundaries, and from our perspective good processes are absolutely fundamental to our operations," said Herman Desmier, director of the Center. "It's very rewarding, to see the strength of our development processes - and the culture of the software engineers who use them - acknowledged independently."Schlumberger LimitedFerndown Center achieved the Level 3 rating on an unusually short timescale- after its first attempt and less than a year after reaching Level 2. The assessment was based on a sophisticated capability maturity model for software, which evaluates the processes involved in software development - definition, design, estimates, planning, change control, test and so on - rather than the software content itself. The quality of these processes is vital to the timely delivery of robust software which meets customers' requirements, so the assessment team is primarily concerned with an organization's ability to perform consistently against defined standards for developing software.

SEI standards are extremely high. Only one in five of the organizations that apply for Level 3 are successful, and of those that do succeed, the majority do so on their second or subsequent attempt. To date less than 250 software development organizations worldwide have reached this level.Schlumberger LimitedUK Center is part of a worldwide network of Schlumberger Product Development Centers and is the first to achieve an independent SEI Level 3 rating.

About Schlumberger Test & Transactions
Schlumberger Test & Transactions provides consulting, integration and products for testing and measurement of semiconductor devices, smart card-based transactions, IP (Internet Protocol) network security and wireless services. With 1999 revenue of $1.2 billion and over 7000 employees in more than 40 countries, it is a business segment of Schlumberger Limited [NYSE: SLB], a global technology services company with 1999 revenue of $8.4 billion. More information is available at www.slb.com.

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