IBM Announces New Products, Services That Make Internet Real for Business

L.L. Bean Signs Up with IBM

SAN JOSE, Calif., May 1 (Internet World, Booth # 1207) . . . IBM today
charged ahead with its broad-based network computing strategy with the
announcement of a series of products and services that make it easier and
safer for companies to conduct business on the Internet.

Among the announcements made today is the initial availability of IBM's
flagship electronic commerce product -- the IBM Net.Commerce system --
software that makes it possible for businesses to quickly, easily and
safely create virtual storefronts on the Internet. The Net.Commerce system
has been fully operational -- 24 hours a day, seven days a week -- since
March 10 as the Olympic Ticket Server for the 1996 Olympic Games, the
largest electronic commerce site on the Internet. Fans have purchased over
32,000 tickets through the Internet using this system***.

The Net.Commerce system is intended for customers and business partners
that want to develop highly customized, on-line stores that can
accommodate a world of shoppers while individually serving each customer.
L.L. Bean, Inc. of Freeport, Maine, will be the first catalog retailer to
host its electronic catalog on an IBM Net.Commerce system.

Other IBM announcement highlights include:

*    The availability of Cryptolope* containers as part of IBM infoMarket,
an Internet-based information service which allows content to flow
securely over the Internet.  The Cryptolope is a secure cryptographic
envelope that can be used to distribute copyright-protected information
over the Internet while providing payment to content providers. In
addition, IBM also announced the selection of SRA International, Inc. as
an integration services provider for infoMarket; the intent of America
Online, Inc. to use IBM infoMarket Cryptolope containers to deliver
software, hardware and other digital content; and an agreement with Xerox
to jointly develop and integrate key technologies to protect intellectual
property on the Internet.

*    The availability of IBM infoSage, an online news and information
delivery service that plays an integral part in IBM's networking computing
strategy. IBM infoSage (http://www.infosage.ibm.com) filters thousands of
information sources to pinpoint and deliver industry-specific news and
information that business professionals need to stay competitive. IBM also
announced the beta for the Lotus Notes delivery of the service and the
addition of a retrospective search feature, which gives customers the
ability to search archived information.

*    Beta version of IBM's Internet Connection Phone (IC Phone), a software
telephony application which enables anyone using the Internet to enjoy
high quality Internet voice communications with friends, relatives and
business associates using their existing Internet access connection. Users
can place calls from computer to computer using their IC Phone or from
their IC Phone to a regular telephone.
(http://www.internet.ibm.com/iphone)

*    Immediate availability of evaluation copies of IBM's Internet
Connection Secure Server. Evaluation copies of IBM's pre-release versions
(beta) of a new version of the secure Web servers for AIX*, OS/2 Warp* and
Windows NT** are now available through downloading from the Internet.
These secure servers, which are part of the recently announced IBM
Software Server family, enable businesses to move from their intranets, or
internal networks, to the Internet safely.
(http://www.ics.raleigh.ibm.com)

*    Immediate availability of the OS/390* Internet BonusPak, a software
tools and services package which delivers a fully-enabled Website to
System/390* customers, free of charge. A significant amount of the world's
original business critical data resides on S/390* servers. With this
software, customers can now more readily leverage these abundant resources
to help grow their Internet-driven businesses. In fact, American Airlines
and Holiday Inn Worldwide are appearing with IBM at Internet World to
explain how they are using S/390s as an integral part of their Internet
business activities.

*    Other S/390-related announcements include: availability dates for
DB2*, CICS*, IMS* and MQSeries* Internet gateways for S/390 servers; beta
testing of Java for S/390; and the September availability of key security
protocols on S/390. Also being announced is integrated ATM support for
S/390, including enhancements to the Open Systems Adapter 2* (OSA*)
high-speed communications card.

*    Availability of Lotus Notes: Newsstand on the Web. Lotus
(http://www.lotus.com) announced today the availability of a solution
which enables publishers to quickly and easily deliver business
periodicals to millions of Internet users worldwide.

*    Strategic Security Alliance between IBM and RSA. IBM and RSA Data
Security, Inc. (RSA), two leaders in computer security, today announced
they have signed an agreement to broadly license RSA technology and
products to IBM, providing open cryptography for the Internet and other
networks to enable secure electronic commerce.

These and other IBM network-related products give customers the benefits of
extended global reach; increased speed to market; the ability to find new
revenue sources, new markets and new customers; and the business
intelligence necessary to develop new products and services.

"Current wisdom about the Internet states that businesses that take
advantage of the 'Net and computing networking technology will succeed;
those that do not will fall behind. IBM recognizes the challenges inherent
in that statement, and has positioned itself to be the businessperson's
Internet partner," said Irving Wladawsky-Berger, general manager, IBM
Internet Division. "IBM can help businesses get to the Internet easily and
securely while maintaining investment protection in currently used
technology. Today's announcements ease the way for businesses to pursue
electronic commerce successfully."

Lotus & the Internet: Electronic Application Frameworks

Today's Newsstand on the Web announcement is the first implementation of
Lotus Notes-based electronic application frameworks that allow users to
rapidly deploy Web-enabled applications. Each electronic application
framework will provide "building blocks" and tools specifically designed
to extend to the Internet a corporation's publishing, marketing, customer
service or electronic commerce applications. Lotus also previewed a
forthcoming Notes-based solution for creating and managing Web sites,
Webmaster's Apprentice.

Also announced by Lotus this week is a new worldwide Business Partner
Program designed for Business Partners to leverage and benefit from Lotus'
leadership position in the integration of groupware, messaging and the
Internet.

"With Lotus Notes, we have the strongest solution available to create
business process applications for the Internet," Jeff Papows, executive
vice president and chief operating officer of Lotus Development Corp. "Now
with the delivery of Newsstand on the Web, the first implementation of an
electronic application framework, we are further demonstrating the value
that Notes provides for developing, managing and hosting collaborative,
business applications for millions of Web users."

Technology, Service Previews

IBM also previewed new technology and services that illustrate how people
and organizations will benefit from a universally connected world that
puts them in touch with one another. Highlights include:

*    infoMining*, one of the first data mining services that will take
advantage of the power and convenience of the Internet. IBM has received
considerable customer interest in the availability of data mining/decision
support services over the Internet, and has been exploring such a program
with financial services companies. Data mining is the systematic analysis
of large volumes of collected data with the intent of discovering patterns
and relationships in the data about customers, products, services and
other activities that can lead to new and more profitable business
opportunities.

*    Interactive Marketing Service, an offering that will enable large- and
medium-sized companies to outsource their on-line catalogs to IBM,
allowing merchants to get "up and running" immediately without having to
invest in hardware, software, technical support and network access.

*    Secure payment system, an early version of a set of technologies that
implement the Secure Electronic Transactions (SET) protocol which IBM has
been working closely with MasterCard International Inc. and Visa
International Inc. to develop. IBM today demonstrated the SET capabilities
for electronic commerce, showing how a consumer could safely purchase
merchandise through the use of a browser, such as Netscape Navigator**,
connected to a merchant server. (http://www.ibm.com/news/ls960201.html)

*    VisualAge* Technology for Java and the World Wide Web. IBM
demonstrated new technologies for developing applications, disseminating
information and conducting commerce on the World Wide Web (WWW). Among the
technologies shown were VisualAge tools for Java development and Web
connections for award-winning VisualAge for Smalltalk and C++ products.

*    IBM powers Internet World: as an example of how IBM designs and builds
networks for customers, IBM built and is managing the network for the
entire Internet World show. It is providing the network management,
trouble shooting, alarm and reporting functions. All Internet traffic at
the show is being carried over the IBM Global Network -- a high-speed
data, voice and video network servicing over 25,000 businesses worldwide.

IBM

IBM has been a pioneer in the development of the Internet. It designed
special hardware and software, and provided operations support for key
networks that make up today's Internet, including the Internet's primary
backbone, the NSFnet. IBM also helped form Advanced Network & Services
(ANS), the organization which had been responsible for managing and
servicing the NSFnet from its inception until the beginning of 1995.

IBM offers hardware, software, consulting and services to help customers
take advantage of the potential of the Internet. Whether addressing an
individual need or creating a total enterprise solution, IBM provides the
expertise required to plan, design, implement and operate an Internet
solution for businesses.

To learn more about IBM's Internet activities, visit the IBM Internet home
page at: http://www.internet.ibm.com or the IBM Corporation home page at
http://www.ibm.com.

Please Note: Questions about the content or currency of this press release
should be directed to your local IBM representative.
 
 =========================================================
 From the 'New Product News' Electronic News Service on...
 AOL (Keyword = New Products) and Delphi (GO COMP PROD)
 =========================================================
 This information was processed from data provided by the
 company/author mentioned. For additional details, please
 contact them directly at the address/phone# indicated.
 Trademarks are the property of their respective owners!
 =========================================================
 All submissions for this service should be addressed to:
 BAKER ENTERPRISES,  20 Ferro Dr,  Sewell, NJ  08080  USA
 Email:   rbakerpc@aol.com   --or--   rbakerpc@delphi.com
 =========================================================
