ATCOM/INFO to Display High-Speed Plug-And-Play Internet Access Software with Microsoft at HITEC.

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 22, 1999--

IPORT Software Proven in Over 8,500 Hotel Rooms

ATCOM/INFO will be demonstrating its industry-leading IPORT(TM) Internet access software at the Microsoft Corp. booth at the HITEC 99 show in Atlanta from June 22 to June 24. IPORT enables hotels to provide their guests with high-speed plug-and-play Internet access easily and cost-effectively. The IPORT software is designed to minimize the load on hotel staff - it manages service provision (setting up the Internet connection for the guest) and billing automatically, and features industry-leading plug-and-play capabilities developed with Microsoft, so guests are and running without any intervention from the hotel.

By simply plugging their Ethernet cards into their room's IPORT jack, hotel guests get an Internet connection at speeds 50 times faster than a typical modem - without reconfiguring their machines or loading any additional software. With IPORT's web-based billing system, online charges are automatically posted to the guest's room bill or credit card. Unlike many competing systems, the link to the corporate network is secure (IPORT complies with the industry standard IPSEC (IP security) protocol) to give users and their MIS managers confidence in connecting back to the office safely.

In addition to reduced management costs, ATCOM/INFO's solution gives hotels the opportunity to build their brands and sell additional services to their guests because users must reach the Internet through a portal site designed to the hotel's specifications. The portal, which can be tailored to the visitor, could contain local information, hotel services or links to additional premium services that will generate revenue for the hotel.

"For example," explained Tom Caldwell, ATCOM/INFO's VP of engineering, "I could sign up for Internet access from my hotel room in San Diego and the portal would greet me with `Welcome, Tom Caldwell in San Diego' and include my frequent guest points and features relevant to my profile. The portal gives hotels a tremendous opportunity to extend their loyalty schemes, develop customer databases, and build strong one-to-one relationships with their customers." In addition, building this sort of portal is straightforward because the IPORT server at the hotel (which handles user authentication and Internet service provisioning) integrates tightly with Microsoft Site Server, so any portal web site built on Site Server can be given easy access to relevant user data.

The IPORT software runs on the Microsoft BackOffice Server 4.5 platform. BackOffice includes Microsoft SQL Server 7.0to manage IPORT's billing, configuration and reporting functions, and Microsoft Internet Information Services with Active Server Pages (ASP) technology to enable IPORT's web-based Internet service provisioning. BackOffice Server 4.5 has unattended install features that greatly reduce the time and cost of setting up and rolling out IPORT Internet access.

"BackOffice Server provides hotel IT professionals with an easy way to deploy and manage a server solution for remote hotel properties," said Kevin Breunig, group product manager for BackOffice Server at Microsoft. "It gives ATCOM/INFO the benefits of an integrated platform that includes Windows NT Server, Internet Information Services and SQL Server."

About ATCOM/INFO

Based in San Diego, ATCOM/INFO is the leading provider of services and software for public high-speed Internet access. ATCOM/INFO Internet systems are targeted for use in public facilities and the hospitality market segment throughout the United States and the world, including airports, hotels, convention centers and other public areas. ATCOM/INFO's mission is to provide superior software products and services for information delivery to users in public places. This includes pay-per-use public Internet ports (IPORT Internet Access System), kiosk management software and custom software solutions designed to meet specific customer needs. For more information on ATCOM/INFO, please call 619-699-4048, fax at 619-699-4040, or visit their Web site at http://www.atcominfo.com.

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