SUNNYVALE, CA -- May 19, 1997 --
Actra, a joint venture between GE Information Services
and Netscape Corporation, today announced immediate
availability of ECXpert™, the first product in
Actraís CrossCommerce™ portfolio of Internet
commerce application software. ECXpert addresses the needs
of traditional Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) programs as
well as providing a foundation for emerging EDI on the
Internet. ECXpert includes advanced functions for
communications, data translation, document tracking, and
trading partner relationship management. ECXpert is the
first EDI software product available designed from the
ground up on interoperable Internet standards. ECXpert is
also the first EDI software product to use Netscape server
products as core components and the first EDI product to
have a Java user interface.
ECXpert provides communications through open,
standards-compliant support of FTP, SMTP, and HTTP. To
provide security and data integrity, ECXpert employs Secure
Socket Layer (SSL), RSAís S/MIME for data encryption
and partner authentication and X.509 v.3 certificates.
ECXpert is fully compliant with the Internet standards
defined by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) EDI
Work Group, EDIINT, and is the first product commercially
available that has successfully completed all levels of
interoperability testing sponsored by CommerceNet and led by
Actra.
"With ECXpert and the Internet, EDI is now simpler and
far less expensive than using traditional EDI software. It
enables organizations to extend their reach to trading
partners that do not have EDI programs as well as leverage
the existing EDI programs for more cost effective,
streamlined Internet commerce programs," said Jim Sha,
President and CEO of Actra. "The pay by the drink model has
been challenged by ECXpert and the cost efficiency and
openness of the Internet which encourages volume use. Many
existing Netscape customers have been searching for an EDI
product that shares the same Internet standards-based
architecture as their existing intranet infrastructures, to
create an extranet environment. ECXpert is that new
product."
By providing integration to legacy applications and
databases, ECXpert enables organizations to leverage and
extend their existing software investment. ECXpert can map
between most data object types, including traditional EDI
standards and proprietary data formats. ECXpert enables
companies to pass data from an existing EDI system directly
into ECXpert for transmission to the trading partner,
allowing companies to use investments in current EDI mapping
programs.
Robert Chlebowski, Senior Vice President, Electronic
Commerce, at Wells Fargo Bank was instrumental in the
decision to use Actraís ECXpert product. " Wells
Fargo is a significant player in EDI and is committed to
business-to-business electronic commerce. The fact that
Actra is driving EDIINT standards to enable secure,
interoperable Internet standards and that ECXpert is built
upon those security standards was a huge benefit to our
customers. Proprietary systems that require our partners and
customers to have the same software as us, in order to
communicate, has never been a satisfactory option. Actra
ECXpert offers an open, secure alternative that makes the
Internet a viable business alternative for communication. We
need a product that will enable us to carry out a complete
commerce cycle from our back-end systems through to any
number of small, middle market or large corporate customers
needing to enact payment. Wells Fargo looks forward to
working with businesses interested in electronic commerce
solutions to meet their business needs, and as an early
adopter of Actra ECXpert stands ready to assist companies
with their implementations."
"As a leading internetworking company, we leverage
Internet technologies such as ECXpert to remove the barriers
of distance and time when conducting business," said Maynard
Webb, CIO of Bay Networks. "Our testing shows that by
integrating ECXpert with our SAP system we will be able to
seamlessly transact business with our key partners either
directly over the Internet or via EDI. We believe this will
drastically reduce our operating expenses and increase
efficiency, allowing us to more tightly focus our resources
on our core competencies."
A Total, Integrated Solution
Through ECXpertís Java-based user interface,
customers can take advantage of the core functional
components of the ECXpert product including communications
and security, activity tracking capabilities, including
non-repudiation, systems monitoring, document management and
trading relationship controls. Actra ECXpert also leverages
underlying base technology such as the Netscape FastTrack
Server, Netscape Mail Server, Netscape Navigator Gold, TSI
Mercator System, Oracle7 Workgroup Server, Seagate Crystal
Reports, RSA S/MIME encryption and authentication, and
VeriSign Digital IDs.
The Java user interface enables organizations to quickly
establish precise, cross-enterprise relationships, document
workflow and user privileges across multiple platforms. By
leveraging popular Web browsers, ECXpert offers ease of
installation, administration, and report generation to
systems administrators. "Using ECXpert is as easy as
clicking on a bookmark in your browser," said Actra product
manager Lincoln Yarbrough. "Now, EDI users can migrate to an
operating environment that is next-generation."
"GE Information Services looks forward to working closely
with Actra to help companies reap the benefits of Internet
commerce," said Bruce Chovnick, vice president of Global
Internet Solutions, GE Information Services. "The
combination of Actra's software and GE's global systems
integration and Internetworking expertise creates a potent
Internet commerce solution for the business marketplace."
Pricing and Availability
ECXpert runs on Sun Solaris 2.5.1 systems and Intel-based
Windows NT 4.0 and 3.51 workstations and servers. ECXpert
pricing is based on a per processor pricing model, with
final pricing to be determined by Actraís
distribution channel. ECXpert is available immediately
through Actra's master distributors, including GE
Information Services and Netscape Communications. For more
information call Netscape at 1 800 638 7483, GEIS at
1-800-560-4347 or Actra at 408 542 3183 and check out
Actraís website at www.actracorp.com. Outside the US
and Canada please contact a Netscape or GEIS representative.
About Actra
Founded in April 1996, Actra is a joint venture between
Netscape Communications Corporation and GE Information
Services (GEIS). Benefiting from GEISí market
expertise as the worldís leading provider of
business-to-business Internet commerce services and
Netscapeís leading position in developing and
marketing software for the Internet, Actra provides
next-generation Internet commerce applications solutions for
both business-to-business and business-to-consumer commerce
markets. Additionally, Actra is taking an active role in
promoting open standards for Internet commerce.
CrossCommerce and ECXpert are trademarks of
Actra. All other products mentioned are trademarks or
registered trademarks of their respective companies.
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