MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (March 10, 1997) -- Netscape Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: NSCP) and more than 40 other leading companies including Hewlett-Packard, Novell, Oracle, Silicon Graphics, Sun Microsystems and VeriSign today announced support for a core set of open standards for enabling external networks or Extranets. The open standards -- which include directory, security and software distribution standards -- provide a common blueprint for companies to create a new breed of "Crossware" applications that strengthen links with customers, partners, suppliers and distributors over a common Internet infrastructure. Widespread support for these open standards for use in Extranet deployments will help ensure interoperability between products from various vendors and will provide customers with a roadmap for implementing their Extranet networks and applications.
The more than 40 companies supporting Extranet open industry standards include: Actra, Atalla, Banyan, Brio, BulletProof, Check Point Software, Consensus Development, CSC Index, Diffusion, Digital Equipment Corporation, Entrust Technologies, Gemplus, GE Information Services, Grant Thornton LLP, Hewlett-Packard, Inference, Informix, InfoSpace, Inventa, Litronic, Lucent, MegaSoft Online, Motorola ISD, NetDynamics, Netscape Communications, Novell, OpenConnect Systems, Oracle, RSA Data Security, SCM Microsystems, SCO, Security Dynamics, Software.com, Silicon Graphics, Sun Microsystems, Sybase, Trilogy, Trusted Information Systems, Vasco Data Security, VeriSign, Wells Fargo Bank, Whistle Communications and WhoWhere?.
"Now that companies have seen the benefits of Intranets, they are looking to extend that same online communications model to their outside suppliers, customers and partners," said Marc Andreessen, senior vice president of technology at Netscape. "Internet technologies and open standards deliver the infrastructure for this new generation of Crossware applications - that is, applications that seamlessly cross multiple operating systems, firewalls, databases, hardware platforms and business Intranets. With major companies lining up behind a common set of Extranet standards, enterprise customers can expect true interoperability between applications from a variety of companies going forward."
The core set of standards embraced by the companies supporting Crossware applications include:
"Sun clearly supports this initiative," commented Dr. Eric Schmidt, chief technical officer of Sun Microsystems, Inc. "Open standards like the ones announced today are critical to protecting the existing investments that customers have made in information technology. In addition, these open Extranet standards will enable fundamentally new methods of 'business-to-business' collaboration across a wide variety of platforms. Sun is delighted to be a part of the effort."
"Crossware" describes "on-demand" software applications that run across networks and operating systems, and easily extend to partners and customers. Crossware is built on open standards and is uniquely suited to automate the information flow and extend the corporate Intranet to the entities a company does business with - customers, prospective customers, suppliers, distributors, resellers, dealers, outsourcers, contract manufacturers and consultants.
This type of application is in sharp contrast to traditional applications that are tied to particular operating system versions, which can't scale or be extended beyond the firewall. Crossware applications offer the following advantages:
"Our core competency has always been managing extended enterprise electronic commerce communities," said Bruce Chovnick, GE Information Services vice president of Internet Consulting and Services. "We see these Extranet standards as further enhancing our portfolio of end-to-end services for businesses that want to do electronic commerce over the Internet."
"HP is helping customers take advantage of the opportunity to build their own Extended Enterprises based on Internet technologies through our extensive work with standards bodies," said Fred Luiz, division general manager, HP Internet Technology Group. "The Crossware initiative is a positive step towards creating a set of standards that our customers can rely upon as they build their Extranets. We look forward to contributing to the efforts in areas such as digital signatures and other security technologies."
The companies supporting the collection of open standards today released an initial draft of a white paper entitled "Overview of Extranet Standards." This white paper describes Extranet standards. The companies intend to release in the second quarter of this year a detailed white paper called, "Blueprint for Extranet Standards Implementation" which describes how to leverage Crossware technologies across the enterprise. Other standards will be added to this blueprint as they become available.
Netscape Communications Corporation is a premier provider of open software for linking people and information over enterprise networks and the Internet. The company offers a full line of clients, servers, development tools, and commercial applications to create a complete platform for next-generation, live online applications. Traded on NASDAQ under the symbol "NSCP," Netscape Communications Corporation is based in Mountain View, California.
Additional information on Netscape Communications Corporation is available on the Internet at http://home.netscape.com, by sending email to info@netscape.com, or by calling 415/528-2555 (corporate customers) or 415/528-3777 (individuals).
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