Netscape and World's Leading Telcos to Offer Hosted Intranets and Extranets for Enterprise Customers

Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8 Netscape and World's Leading Telcos to Offer Hosted Intranets and Extranets for Enterprise Customers


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NETSCAPE AND WORLD’S LEADING TELCOS TO OFFER HOSTED INTRANETS AND EXTRANETS FOR ENTERPRISE CUSTOMERS New Netscape SuiteSpot Hosting Edition Enables Telcos To Build Global Internet Applications Backbone So Companies Can Outsource IT Infrastructure and Individuals Can Get Web and Email Access MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (September 23, 1997) -- Netscape Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: NSCP) today announced Netscape SuiteSpot Hosting Edition, an enhanced new version of Netscape SuiteSpot server software specifically designed to enable telecommunications (telcos) and large corporate partners to offer hosted Internet, Intranet and Extranet services for individuals and enterprise customers. The company is working with the world’s leading telcos to build a global Internet applications backbone that enables them to offer Internet services for individuals and corporations. Netscape SuiteSpot Hosting Edition links people and businesses together with solutions from simple Internet connectivity and email, to premium services such as Intranet hosting and electronic commerce. Netscape already has significant momentum in building this global applications backbone and enabling this new Internet, Intranet and Extranet hosting market. Today, more than 30 telcos distribute Netscape® Navigator worldwide as part of the Netscape Everywhere initiative, and leading telcos and large companies are already hosting more than two million mailboxes based on Netscape SuiteSpot server software. "Netscape has a clear vision and powerful products to enable the world’s largest telcos and companies to build a global Internet and messaging backbone that provides Internet services to individuals and Intranet hosting services to enterprise customers large and small," said Jim Barksdale, president and chief executive officer of Netscape. "Netscape and its partners are enabling customers to benefit from Intranet and Extranet services such as publishing, messaging, group discussions and directories by simply plugging into this backbone through their local telco." The more than 35 leading telcos and large companies distributing Netscape software include: Austria PTT, Bell Atlantic Internet Solutions, Bell Canada, BellSouth.net, Bejing Telecom, Blue Window (Swiss PTT), Cable and Wireless, Commonwealth Telephone Co./Epix Internet Services, Concentric Network, Deutsche Telekom, EarthLink Network, Erol’s Internet, France Telecom, Global One, Guangdong Telecom, Hong Kong Telecom, KPN Royal Dutch PTT, Italia Online, MediaOne, Micron Internet Services, Multi.Net of Emtelco S.A./Colombia, NETCOM On-Line, Optus, Pacific Bell Internet Services, Bell Internet Services, Singapore Telecom, Sprint Internet Passport, Sweden Post, Swiss Online, Taiwan Seednet, TeleDenmark, Telefónica of Spain and its Latin American associates, Telecom Malaysia, Telecom New Zealand, Telstra, Universo Online/Brazil, US WEST ENTERPRISE Networking Services and World Access Planet Internet. In addition to SuiteSpot Hosting Edition, Netscape is offering partners the Netscape® CommerceXpert family of Internet commerce application solutions. Developed by Actra, these applications allow business-to-business and business-to-consumer commerce to be conducted on the Internet. Netscape CommerceXpert is built on Netscape SuiteSpot servers and consists of five products focused on buying, selling and merchandising over the Internet. Leveraging existing Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and enterprise application investments, the CommerceXpert family also enables partners to host Internet commerce applications on Web sites. The CommerceXpert family includes ECXpert, SellerXpert, BuyerXpert, PublishingXpert and MerchantXpert. Independent software vendors such as AimQuest/GRIC, American Internet, ichat, Kenan Systems Corporation, Portal Information Network, Solect and Technology Applications, Inc. are also building value-added products that support Netscape SuiteSpot Hosting Edition. Solutions providers such as Bellcore, CapGemini, KPMG Consulting and Siemens Internet Solutions plan to offer value-added services and help install the new software. Netscape is also working closely with hardware vendors including Digital Equipment Corporation, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Intel, Silicon Graphics, Inc. and Sun Microsystems to optimize performance of Netscape SuiteSpot Hosting Edition on their operating platforms. "The flexibility that comes with open standards and cross-platform products such as Netscape Messaging Server and Netscape Directory Server opens many doors, and we are pleased with the scalability performance of Netscape server software that will make it possible to service more than a million Internet users," said Wouter Nieuwenhuizen, technical director responsible for the implementation of the messaging system at World Access Planet Internet a leading Internet Service Provider in the Netherlands. "Not only will our clients enjoy the advantages of a user-friendly and rich email system, but the functionality of the central servers we have installed will also indirectly benefit our customers. Think about the high-quality and rapid service we can offer through Netscape Directory Server software managing all the directory information of our customers: We will be able to answer their questions in a short amount of time because the information will be efficiently managed." Modular, scalable, cross platform and standards-based, Netscape SuiteSpot Hosting Edition delivers a complete solution for hosting Intranet services such as publishing, messaging, group discussions and directories. Netscape SuiteSpot Hosting Edition includes: Netscape® Messaging Server Hosting Edition – an open standards-based messaging system that provides superior scalability, performance and administration for telcos and large companies hosting millions of consumers and enterprise mailboxes. Netscape® Collabra Server Hosting Edition – a scalable and standards-based server for hosting and managing group discussions that enables telcos to host virtual communities for millions of individuals and corporations. Netscape® Directory Server Hosting Edition -- a scalable and standards-based Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) directory server that gives service providers a way to centrally manage user and group information across Netscape SuiteSpot Hosting Edition. Netscape Directory Server Hosting Edition provides a single point to add, change and delete user information and manage subscribers, servers and services using LDAP, the Internet directory standard. Netscape® Enterprise Server Hosting Edition – a scalable Web hosting product that allows service providers to host thousands of virtual Web sites easily from one physical server. It can also give individuals an advanced tool set for content creation and management. Netscape® Proxy Server Hosting Edition – a caching and filtering server that helps service providers maximize network access, protect network content and infrastructure, and control access to network resources. Netscape® Mission Control Hosting Edition – a powerful set of tools that allow service providers to reduce costs and streamline processes by providing a way to centrally deploy, manage and customize the many copies of Netscape® Communicator client software distributed by their services. Netscape SuiteSpot Hosting Edition is expected to ship in the fourth quarter of 1997. US licensing fees for Netscape SuiteSpot Hosting Edition are expected to be US$13 per seat per year for hosting individual users and US$39 per seat per year for hosting corporate Intranet services, with volume discounts available through Netscape. Integrated Netscape Communicator and SuiteSpot pricing is also available. Pricing for Netscape ECXpert begins at US$50,000. Pricing for Netscape PublishingXpert begins at US$75,000. Pricing for Netscape SellerXpert begins at US$195,000. ECXpert on Sun Solaris is available now from Netscape and its channel partners. ECXpert on Windows NT and PublishingXpert 2.0, and SellerXpert on Sun Solaris are all scheduled to be available within the next 30 days. 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 moreinfo@netscape.com or by calling 415/937-2555 (corporate customers) or 415/937-3777 (individuals). Netscape, Netscape Navigator, and the Netscape N logo are registered trademarks of Netscape Communications Corporation in the United States and other countries. Other Netscape logos, product names, and service names are also trademarks of Netscape Communications Corporation, which may be registered in other countries. Founded in April 1996, Actra is a joint venture between Netscape Communications Corporation and GE Information Services (GEIS). Benefiting from GEIS' market expertise as the world's leading provider of business-to-business Internet commerce services and Netscape's leading position in developing and marketing software for the Internet, Actra provides next-generation Internet commerce applications solutions for both business-to-consumer and business-to-business commerce markets. Additionally, Actra is taking an active role in promoting open standards for Internet commerce. For more information about Actra: http://www.actracorp.com. Actra contact: Suzanne Burnip (408) 542-3181