MICROSOFT OFFERS FREE INTERNET JUMP START CD CREATED SPECIALLY FOR HIGHER
EDUCATION

REDMOND, WASH. - MAY 29, 1996 - The Internet became more accessible to
institutions of higher education today as Microsoft Corp. made available
10,000 copies of a specially created CD at no charge.

The Internet Jump Start CD for Education provides college technical
administrators with tools that will enable them to set up, explore and
publish on the Internet or World Wide Web. The CD assembles in one package
a set of fundamental products including two of Microsoft's most powerful
server products: the Windows NT Server network operating system and the
new MicrosoftR Internet Information Server. Jeff Raikes, senior vice
president of Microsoft North America, said, "Microsoft is investing
heavily in resources focused on the education market, including formation
of the new Microsoft education customer unit.

"The Jump Start CD is one of many examples of Microsoft's commitment to
education. The CD will help thousands of colleges and universities
worldwide by providing information technology specialists with everything
they need to fully integrate Web technology into the classroom or
administrative areas of their campus."

The CD, which can be obtained by calling the Jump Start CD for Education
Hotline at (800) 867-6824, features an easy-to-use graphical interface,
including an informational wizard that helps users establish a Web server.
Using Windows NT Server and Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS),
institutions can customize their Web server to suit their academic or
administrative purposes, and even set up a campus intranet.

In conjunction with the Jump Start CD offer, Microsoft today also announced
a contest for colleges and universities that demonstrate innovative use of
Microsoft IIS in academic or administrative computing.

The contest will run until Oct. 9, 1996. The top 50 entries will receive,
at no charge, a one-year subscription to Microsoft TechNet - worth $699 -
as well as a direct link to the Microsoft higher education Web site.
TechNet is a database that provides in-depth information on an array of
Microsoft products and is the resource used by Microsoft product support
staff.

Details of the contest will be available from the Microsoft Higher
Education Web site, located at HTTP://WWW.MICROSOFT.COM/HED/.

The Jump Start CD features technical information (including how to migrate
to Windows NT Server from UNIX and other proprietary servers), examples of
colleges and universities that have set up Web pages, white papers and
links to other home pages - all in a simple point-and-click format.
Information on the CD can be viewed through an existing Web browser or
Microsoft Internet Explorer, which is included on the CD.

The Internet Jump Start CD for Education includes Windows NT Server,
Microsoft Internet Information Server and Microsoft Internet Explorer,
plus Internet Assistants and Viewers for Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel
and the PowerPointR presentation graphics program.

The CD also features easy integration with existing databases. The Internet
Database Connector is an easy and fast way to publish databases on the
Internet and connects to industry-standard databases such as Microsoft SQL
Server (Microsoft IIS includes SQL Server drivers), Microsoft Access,
Oracle, Informix, SYBASE and other ODBC-compliant databases.

Windows NT Server and Microsoft Internet Information Server are already in
use at several universities and colleges nationwide, including the
University of Vermont, where the School of Business Administration uses
Microsoft Internet tools to maximize its recruiting efforts and
administrative efficiencies.

"We were amazed at how easy it was to connect Microsoft IIS to our database
and Microsoft SQL Server," said Jim Kraushaar, an associate professor of
management information systems at the school. Kraushaar said that a suite
of Microsoft solutions, including the WindowsR 95 operating system,
Office, Windows NT Server, Microsoft IIS and Microsoft Exchange, created
efficiencies that enabled the school to increase its recruiting efforts,
leading to a 25 percent surge in enrollment for next fall.

The Jump Start pack can also help campus organizations manage tremendous
numbers of "hits" to their Web pages. For example, CAUSE, based in
Boulder, Colo., is an association whose members are charged with managing
information technology and resources on college campuses. The association
recently switched its Web server to Microsoft IIS.

"The old hardware we had was crashing almost daily during peak times due to
the sheer volume of simultaneous hits to the server, " said Randy Richter,
director of information resources for the 1,400-member campus association.
"But with Microsoft IIS, we haven't even rebooted the machine since we
started it up, so it's very reliable that way. And I'm extremely impressed
with the speed of the system. We have 3,000 documents and videos on our
Web page, and with not even the blink of an eye you can search those using
keywords."

The new Microsoft IIS also allows CAUSE members to register for conferences
online and search the CAUSE database for information, a task previously
possible only by switching to a Gopher server.

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.

For more information on institutions mentioned in this release:

Jim Kraushaar, (802) 656-8327

Associate professor of management information systems in the University of
Vermont's School of Business Administration

E-mail, kraushaa@bsadpo.emba.uvm.edu

University of Vermont home page: HTTP://WWW.BSAD.EMBA.UVM.EDU/

Randy Richter, (303) 939-0314

Director of information resources for CAUSE, the association for managing
and using information resources in higher education

E-mail, rrichter@cause.colorado.edu

CAUSE home page: HTTP://CAUSE-WWW.COLORADO.EDU/
 
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