Birst Partners With Zedi Inc. to Provide Oil and Gas Producers With Instant Access to Critical Safety and Production Information

SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire - Oct 11, 2011) - Birst, Inc., the leading provider of software-as-a-service (SaaS) and cloud business intelligence (BI) and analytics, today announced that Zedi Inc. (TSX-V: ZED) will leverage its industry-leading technology to provide oil and gas producers with instant access to critical safety and production information. Zedi, which specializes in end-to-end management of oil and gas production operations, will utilize Birst to deliver out-of-the box reporting and analysis that will help customers make faster, more-informed decisions.

Zedi provides systems and services that help oil and gas producers better manage people, assets, and information. The organization will embed Birst technology within its software solution, combining proprietary data generated by multiple applications into a single source. Customers will be empowered to make better decisions with immediate access to key performance indicators (KPIs) such as safety incidents by field, actual field production compared to forecasted production, and field maintenance cost compared to the average. Users will also be able to view information related to specific districts or fields and drill-down for additional detail. Birst's powerful analytics will ultimately simplify data analysis and reporting to deliver to Zedi and its customers high-impact business value.

"By partnering with Birst, we will be able to help our customers better understand and gain more value from their existing information," said Aaron Howard, Product Manager, Zedi Inc. "Birst offers a value proposition that is unmatched. It joins the easy-to-use, advanced functionality oil and gas producers need to gain a competitive advantage, with the ongoing support and fast-time-to-market we look for in a long-term partner."

In its continued effort to evolve its systems and services, Zedi initially considered developing its own BI solution, but quickly concluded that a third-party SaaS solution would be more affordable, easier to implement and maintain, and require fewer IT resources. After beta-testing and comparing Birst with a number of solutions, Zedi determined that Birst could be deployed far faster due to its innovative SaaS technology and the exceptional level of support provided through Birst's partner program.

"Whether embedded or not, Birst's technology provides a flexible platform that readily adapts to the needs of the user," said Brad Peters, CEO of Birst, Inc. "With the ability to satisfy any analytical requirement, from relatively simplistic reporting to the most advanced analysis, Birst effectively 'future-proofs' a solution, providing a low-cost, low-risk way for our partners to meet the changing demands of their clients."

About Zedi
Zedi Inc. (TSX-V: ZED) provides integrated services, applications, and technology to oil and gas producers to help efficiently manage their production operations. Having established a leadership position in our base market, we continue to grow globally by operating in 25 countries around the world. Our expertise helps producers increase revenue while reducing operating costs and ensuring regulatory compliance.

About Birst
Birst is the SaaS Business Intelligence leader. With its comprehensive cloud BI suite and new SaaS-based BI appliance, Birst brings the benefits of analytics and fact-based decision-making to a much broader audience by making it affordable, fast, and easy to use. Birst is the winner of the Red Herring Global 100, TDWI Best Practices, and Software Standard of Excellence Web awards. Birst customers include Citrix, RBC, Securian, Key Technology, and other leading organizations. For more information, visit www.birst.com.