MICROSOFT ADDS COMPONENTS TO MICROSOFT BACKOFFICE SERVER SUITE 2.0

Windows NT Server-Based Suite Includes Built-in Internet and Intranet
Features; Price Remains Unchanged

SAN JOSE, CALIF. APRIL 30, 1996 Microsoft Corp. today updated its Microsoft
BackOffice family of integrated server software to include messaging and
groupware, a high-performance Web server and an updated database, all with
built-in support for the Internet and intranets.

Microsoft BackOffice Server version 2.0 - a suite of integrated server
applications designed for Windows NTR Server - now contains Microsoft
Exchange Server 4.0 and the Microsoft Internet Information Server 1.0, as
well as an update to the Microsoft SQL Server 6.5 database. These products
join the Windows NT Server 3.51 operating system, Systems Management
Server 1.1 and SNA Server 2.11. The Microsoft-suggested price of Microsoft
BackOffice Server remains unchanged, even with the additional components.

"With the Microsoft BackOffice family, we have set high standards,
providing customers with everything they need for intranets," said Jim
Allchin, senior vice president of the desktop and business systems
division at Microsoft Corp. "With the addition of Microsoft Exchange,
Microsoft SQL Server 6.5 and the Internet Information Server, we now have
a complete set of best-of-breed products in an integrated server suite for
our customers."

MICROSOFT BACKOFFICE FAMILY SUPPORTS THE INTERNET AND INTRANETS

The Microsoft BackOffice family is built on Windows NT Server, the only
network operating system that is multipurpose, scales from the workgroup
to the enterprise and has native Internet support built in. With its
native integration between messaging and groupware, database and Web
components, customers can combine groupware applications with traditional
database systems for both Internet and intranet communications. The
integration between the Microsoft BackOffice applications optimizes
performance for all components and offers ease of use for system
administrators, thus reducing cost of administration.

New components for Microsoft BackOffice Server 2.0 include the following:

* Microsoft Exchange Server, released in April, is the first integrated
messaging and groupware server for Internet and intranet communications.

* Microsoft Internet Information Server, available since February, is the
first Web server integrated with Windows NT Server and allows customers to
deploy Web sites within minutes. It performs more than four times faster
than other Web servers running on Windows NT Server.

The database within Microsoft BackOffice Server has been upgraded with
Microsoft SQL Server 6.5, an enterprise-class database that supports large
Internet and intranet Web databases on a low-cost, standard hardware
platform.

PRICING AND AVAILABILITY

Microsoft BackOffice 2.0 is being shipped to distributors throughout the
United States and Canada. Microsoft BackOffice 2.0 is available in two
retail packages - Microsoft BackOffice Client Access License and Microsoft
BackOffice Server. The Microsoft BackOffice Client Access License allows a
desktop to access any component of the Microsoft BackOffice family running
on any server in an organization or the Microsoft BackOffice Server
package. In most cases, the Microsoft BackOffice Client Access License is
the most cost-effective solution for desktops accessing more than three
components of the Microsoft BackOffice family. A five-user license costs
approximately $1,309.

Microsoft BackOffice Server 2.0 will be available for approximately $3,508
for a five- user license - the same suggested price as the previous
version. Current customers of Microsoft BackOffice Server 1.5 can upgrade
to version 2.0 for approximately $769 per server license and approximately
$459 for a five-user client access license. Microsoft BackOffice Server
must be run on a single machine and may not be split across multiple
machines. Customers require both client and server licenses to run
Microsoft BackOffice Server. For customers who don't want to run all the
Microsoft BackOffice products on a single server, each of the server
components can be licensed individually.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in
software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of
products and services for business and personal use, each designed with
the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take
advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.
 
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