Microsoft Announces Microsoft Mail Special Edition
Special Promotion Offers Flexibility to Meet Individual Needs

SAN JOSE, Calif. - August 4, 1993 - Microsoft Corporation  announced today
a special edition of Microsoft Mail for PC  networks version 3.2, which
uses its inherent extensibility to  incorporate the flexibility and power
of Outside In from Systems  Compatibility Corporation; WinRules from
Beyond Incorporated; and  Absentee Manager from Management Software
Limited.  With  Microsoft Mail Special Edition, users will have the
freedom to  customize their workstations to meet their individual needs.  
Microsoft Mail Special Edition provides added features like  rules-based
filtering, absentee notification and viewers that  enable Microsoft Mail
users to manage their electronic mail more  efficiently.

This special six-month promotion will retail at a suggested  price of $995
for 10 workstation licenses, a savings of more than  $2,000.

"Microsoft Mail users have a wealth of new productivity  options available
as a result of the tremendous support  independent software vendors (ISVs)
like Beyond, Management  Software and Systems Compatibility have given our
product," said  Tom Evslin, general manager of the workgroup division at 
Microsoft.  "All these ISVs are helping Microsoft Mail be not  only one of
the best electronic mail packages in the market  today, but also the most
popular." Microsoft Mail Special Edition Provides Customized Messaging 
Solutions

Microsoft Mail for PC Networks version 3.2, the best-selling  LAN-based
electronic mail package, offers users a graphical and  powerful messaging
system that enables communication across a  workgroup, an enterprise and
between organizations.  Microsoft  Mail was inherently built to be
extensible, allowing for easy  customization.

For those users who want to organize and prioritize their  messages,
Microsoft Mail and WinRules from Beyond Inc. can do  this and much more. 
Using Beyond's rules-based filtering, users  can automatically file
messages based on user-defined criteria.   For example, if the user has
any messages containing specific  words or names like budget and
accounting, Beyond's WinRules can  file those messages in the budget
folder and forward a copy to  the accounting department.

The system can be told to delete old messages, notify when a  folder is too
full or remove messages with low priority.   Beyond's WinRules, in working
with Microsoft Mail, can also be  applied not only to a single user, but
to an entire organization  as a set of "house rules."

"Intelligent message processing is important to our  messaging strategy and
the Microsoft Mail extensibility allows us  to integrate Beyond's WinRules
into our system," said Michael  Young, manager, software tools integration
at W.R. Grace and Co.   "With the options WinRules gives us to create our
own rules in  Microsoft Mail, we are able to tailor our messaging system
to fit  our specific situation."

More often than not, large organizations run computers in a  heterogeneous
environment with multiple desktop platforms and a  variety of software
programs.  By using Microsoft Mail and  Outside In from Systems
Compatibility Corporation, users can  view, print, edit and copy any file
from more than 120 file  formats within their Microsoft Mail system.

Outside In can identify the format of a file and display it  with full
formatting, so users don't need the application that  created the file. 
If the user wants to modify the file, Outside  In can either launch the
application or copy the file onto the  clipboard for use in other
applications.  If all the user simply  wants to do is view the document
and print it out, Outside In has  full printing capabilities.

"Outside In has provided us with the ability to view every  format our
employees use as well as any message attachments,"  said Bea Anderson,
office automation coordinator, Regional  Information Systems.  "The
government agencies we provide  services for can communicate with much
greater efficiency by  using Outside In with Microsoft Mail."

A challenge in electronic mail management is what to do with  messages when
users are out of the office on business or  vacation.  Messages still come
in and need to be handled, even if  the user's machine is turned off. 
With Microsoft Mail and  Management Software Ltd.'s Absentee Manager, the
user can have  messages sorted and forwarded to an appropriate
destination.  If  they are important, the messages can be prioritized and
the user  can respond depending on the level of importance.  An out-of-
office message can be returned to the sender and when the user  returns,
there is a full status report of the messages sent,  forwarded, replied to
and any errors in messaging.  

With the server-based Absentee Manager, the user sets up the  system with
dates of departure and return, and will be the only  user with access to
the absentee information via their password.

"We installed Microsoft Mail as our LAN-based messaging  system and have
been extremely happy with the seamless use  Absentee Manager has provided
us," said Bob Beacham, office  systems manager of B.M.W. of North America.
 "It's nice to know  one of our people in Europe is going to get an
out-of-office  response if they send something to us and we are gone on 
business." 

In addition to these solutions, Microsoft Mail is the choice  of more than
30 other messaging ISVs.  The products and services  offered by all the
ISVs help users get the most out of their  Microsoft Mail system by
meeting specific customer needs.   Microsoft Mail goes beyond simple
messaging.  It is the platform  of choice for workgroup solutions across
the enterprise.  

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.

Microsoft Corp, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052-6399
206-882-8080,  fax: 206-93MSFAX

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