AT&T, Intel and Lotus Working Toward Seamless Integration of Desktop Conferencing, Messaging and Stored Data; Alliance Building Next Generation Collaborative Communications Infrastructure.

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 18, 1995--AT&T, Intel Corporation and Lotus Development Corporation today announced an alliance to pursue the extension of real time collaborative communications capability. The co-development will link AT&T WorldWorx(sm) Network Services, AT&T Network Notes(sm), Intel ProShare(tm) Personal Conferencing, Lotus Notes(r) and Lotus Video Notes(tm) across LAN, WAN, ISDN and standard phone lines.

The three companies intend to provide integrated, interoperable conferencing products and services through this alliance. These next generation products would allow Notes users to place multipoint ProShare video and data conference calls over the WorldWorx network. A user could leave video messages, and store and retrieve video and data files from Notes or AT&T Network Notes. They could record these meetings for future reference, all from Notes applications with ProShare technology from their desktop. A Notes user could leave a video message for someone who is out or access the latest corporate information through the WorldWorx service or on the local area network from one application on his or her PC.

Notes developers will be able to access these capabilities on the Notes platform through Notes application programming interfaces (APIs). Lotus will provide application programming interfaces (APIs) and software developer kits (SDKs) to allow third party developers to build applications which exploit these new capabilities. AT&T, through the WorldWorx Developers' Forum, will bring these capabilities to their WorldWorx partners to enhance their products. Trials of the applications using these products are scheduled for later this year, integrated products are targeted for delivery in 1996.

The companies will accomplish this integration by extending their current products. AT&T plans to extend WorldWorx access to add integrated Notes, database and messaging capability, linking WorldWorx with AT&T Network Notes. The linked products will, in turn, use Lotus Video Notes to record and play video files. Lotus will add capabilities to Notes to enable Notes users to place point-to-point and multipoint video and data calls using ProShare Personal Conferencing and WorldWorx Network Services. Intel will enhance ProShare Personal Conferencing to allow meetings to be recorded and played back and to enable video messaging.

The alliance builds on existing agreements among the three companies. AT&T and Lotus have been working together for the last year to provide the AT&T Network Notes service. AT&T and Intel have been co-developing multipoint capabilities in the WorldWorx network for ProShare Personal Conferencing. Intel and Lotus have a co-development and marketing agreement to provide video and data conferencing facilities in Notes. In addition to this work, the three companies will continue their leadership role in the Personal Conferencing Work Group (PCWG) and AT&T's WorldWorx Partners and support the organizations' mutual goals of enabling interoperable, standards-based conferencing and communications products. The companies expect to contribute the interfaces to build products utilizing this extended capability in future versions of the PCWG's Personal Conferencing Specification.

"We've joined together to create the next generation of collaborative communications," said John Petrillo, president of AT&T Business Communications Services. "Our collaborative strengths in networking, PC architecture and workgroup software would bring a never before possible level of functionality to customers. For the first time, customers would be able to work across networks--both LAN and ISDN, while sharing video and data, either in real-time or store and forward mode."

"AT&T, Intel and Lotus share a common vision of making the PC a robust communications device," stated Frank Gill, senior vice president and general manager of the Intel Products Group. "It is important to begin work now on the communications infrastructure and the PC applications required for easy-to-use integrated PC-based collaborative communications."

"This alliance brings us closer to our goal of making Lotus Notes the ultimate communications tool. It allows us to respond to our customers' need to make real-time group collaboration as easy to use and as ubiquitous as the rest of Notes. We look forward to seeing the great applications our more than 9000 business partners will build with this technology," said John Landry, Lotus' chief technology officer.

The companies plan to deploy this new real time collaborative communications capability in a series of joint customer trials to start in 1995. The integrated capability is targeted to be introduced within their respective product lines in 1996.

AT&T is the world's networking leader, providing communications services and products, as well as network equipment and computer systems, to businesses, consumers, telecommunications services providers and government agencies. Intel, the world's largest chip maker, is also a leading manufacturer of personal computer, networking and communications products.

Lotus Notes is the industry standard client-server platform for developing and deploying groupware applications. Lotus Video Notes incorporates stored digital video into Notes documents and distributes video over local- wide-area networks.

Lotus Development Corporation (NASDAQ:LOTS), founded in 1982, offers high quality software products and support services that reflect the company's unique understanding of the new ways in which individuals and businesses must work together to achieve success. Lotus' innovative approach is evident in a new class of applications that allows information to be accessed and communicated in ways never before possible, both within and beyond organizational boundaries. The company now markets its products in more than 80 countries worldwide and provides numerous support services, both from its consulting division and its award-winning 24-hour support center.

CONTACT: AT&T

Steven Plavny, 908/658-5084

or

Intel Corporation

Vicki Pierce, 503/264-6278

or

Lotus Development Corporation

Lois, Paul and Partners

Victor Cruz, 617/860-5617