1stWorks Introduces the 1stWorks Peer Network, The Secure and Scalable Peer to Peer Platform for Encrypted Internet Connectivity and Global Collaboration.

Business/Technology Editors

SUDBURY, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 18, 2001

Innovative and Patent Pending p2p Internet technology provides a secure, scalable and inexpensive foundation for major advances in peer to peer application delivery. 1stWorks applications, announced and available today, include hotComm, IM-Live and ezPeer.

1stWorks Corporation today announced the deployment of the 1stworks Peer Network, the foundation for a new generation of peer to peer (p2p) software solutions. 1stWorksPeer Network manages peer to peer connections through the Virtual Network Server (VNS) which is specifically designed to monitor and manage the dynamically allocated IP addresses (or port numbers for NAT protected users) issued by Access Providers or Corporations when users connect to the Internet. The VNS enables these connections by relating the dynamic IP address, which changes every time the user connects to the Internet, to the user's email address, which is relatively constant. Only management of the current location of registered users requires a central server. The desktop software handles everything else, including contact availability status.

Since there is no central server managing data flow, there is no single point of failure or gateway for unauthorized access. Security is further insured through the use of a streaming cipher of all session data encrypted with a unique key based on the specific combination of the particular session and the individual participants.

hotComm

hotComm is a multifunction desktop client for group collaboration across the 1stWorks Peer Network. Whenever a user launches an Internet session, hotComm automatically updates the name entry in the VNS with the user's current IP address or port. The clean, intuitive graphics show each registered user which of their contacts are currently online and connects with any or all of them simply by selecting their names from the Peer List. Sessions may include single or multiple contacts of up to 255 users, peers are linked directly, securely and interactively, from person to person, desktop to desktop, however and wherever the Web connections are created.

hotComm supports multiple communication modes: Text Messaging transmits every single word separately so that messages build dynamically in front of the recipients. Clicking on the microphone icon seamlessly switches to Voice and provides a direct audio contact with colleagues. "Drag and drop" File Transfer allows a user to provide protected access to individual data files on his computer system to other users, to groups of users or to anyone on the World Wide Web. With the hotWeb feature, when any peer selects a Web page including documents, the pages are automatically presented on the screens of the other session members for collaborative discussion and modification.

IM-Live

IM-Live is an innovative advance in real time interactive Java messaging based on the 1stWorks Peer Network. Simply clicking on a link embedded on a Web page, or even in an email message, enables immediate and secure interaction with visitors to your Web page. Now Web pages become a highly cost effective means to create immediate interactive connections to customers, to close the loop on sales or to provide timely support from resources located anywhere on the Web. The 1stWorks Peer Network can directly connect hotComm Peers on ports or dynamic IP addresses, making them consistently accessible resources whether physically located around the corner or around the globe. And the Web page selection feature of hotComm enables you to dynamically change the Web page the visitor is looking at, adding to your flexibility in managing the relationship.

ezPeer

ezPeer is the simple way to publish your home page on the Web right on your own computer and have visitors find you, even though you only have a dynamic IP address assigned by your Access Provider. With the VNS working in conjunction with the Web's DNS, you can establish and maintain your own virtual identity, for example www.yourname.ezpeer.net. Your web page is hosted by you, on your own machine, no files to move, no problems with ftp updates or file size restrictions. The combination of the DNS and 1stWorks VNS means requests for your Web page will be effortlessly redirected to your currently active IP address, consistently reaching your Web presence when your computer is connected.

1stWorks is rapidly developing and releasing additional products to extend the functionality of 1stWorks Peer Network. In addition, a P2P Developers Tool Kit with the VNS, the client DLL and patented API driven address management technology is available for software developers who want to "peer to peer" enable their existing Windows applications quickly.

Visit www.1stworks.com and www.hotcomm.com to learn more, and to download your free 30 and 60 day trial copies of these exciting p2p applications.

After your free trial, we will offer introductory pricing for unlimited use. hotComm, including ezPeer, will be available for $19.95 for a 3 month license or $64.95 for a full year. And hotComm, with both ezPeer and IM-Live, will be available for only $59.95 for the 3 month license or $174.95 for a full year.

About 1stWorks Corporation.

Founded in mid 2000 by executives from several successful Internet software startups and based just outside Boston, MA. 1stWorks has created a scalable p2p network architecture capable of supporting global connections among hundreds of millions of simultaneous users. 1stWorks applications connect any number of users simultaneously, using secure Peer to Peer connections to support interactive text messaging, voice connections, file transfer and Web publishing.

Copyright 2001, 1stWorks Corporation. All rights reserved