Asia Online Unveils CenoSuite Office Application Service.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

WALNUT CREEK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 5, 2000

Asia Online, the pan-Asian Internet business solutions provider with U.S. headquarters based here, has introduced CenoSuite in Hong Kong, the first in a range of software services that save time and money by eliminating the problems of IT maintenance and upgrades. By delivering various software applications (starting with Microsoft Office 2000) and hardware functionality in a hassle-free manner, CenoSuite meets Asia Online's objective of helping customers gain the strategic advantage of the Internet at a fraction of today's costs in the Asia region.

CenoSuite is being offered with the CenoStation -- an appliance the size of a paperback book that supports an Internet connection, keyboard, mouse and monitor -- with various models sourced from Dell Computer, IBM and Wyse Technology. CenoSuite is also available as a software-only option for use with existing PC infrastructure. In either case, the actual application runs on Asia Online's "industrial strength", financial-grade data centre servers, supplied by Dell, with the CenoStation or a standard PC providing the user interface.

"Asia Online has very ambitious plans in the application service arena and CenoSuite is just the tip of the iceberg," said Siu Fung Chan, Asia Online's Director of ASP Services. "It is the foundation upon which we will erect a broad range of application software solutions that meet horizontal and vertical business requirements."

Besides licensing Microsoft Windows 2000 and Office 2000, Asia Online has just signed a software partnership agreement with Lotus Development that will enable it to introduce collaborative computing solutions based on Lotus Notes and Domino. The company is also in the process of finalising deals with several other software vendors in the areas of accounting, human resources management, enterprise resource planning, customer relationship management and e-commerce. Asia Online will also work with customers to identify specific vertical industry solutions.

"The launch of CenoSuite here in Hong Kong is just the first step in our goal of offering the world's best technology to businesses without requiring them to invest heavily in the hardware, software, network or support infrastructure that characterises traditional IT environments," said Chan.

"We will be moving rapidly to implement CenoSuite across the whole Asia Online regional network, with the next roll-out in Australia. Our vision is to become an application service supermarket where our customers can find the exact software and hardware solutions they need to be competitive."

Asia Online's initial targets for CenoSuite Service in Hong Kong include hotels, business centres, smart buildings, schools and selected companies such as property developers that operate mobile offices. As it adds more applications, Asia Online will expand its offerings into other business sectors.

"Using CenoSuite with our new thin client device, CenoStation, is an amazingly cost effective way of setting up an office with business software. There's zero up-front investment required and, since Asia Online runs the service, upgrades the software and maintains the thin client, there is zero support and maintenance overhead," said Chan.

"According to the GartnerGroup, operational costs are more than five times the capital investment in a networked PC over a five-year lifecycle, that is an incredible saving!"

Asia Online is making use of Citrix Systems' MetaFrame software to enable CenoSuite applications to be rented, not purchased. Citrix Independent Computing Architecture (ICA) technology provides the foundation for thin-client computing at the customer end. It also makes CenoSuite and other Asia Online solutions accessible from any Web browser.

"This infrastructure is so efficient that you get solid CenoSuite performance just using a modem to connect to the Internet. It is not necessary to have broadband Internet access in order to use our service although it can be a valuable upgrade for offices with multiple CenoSuite users," said Chan.

Asia Online is providing a special introductory price for the software-only CenoSuite Service option for a monthly fee of HK$400 per desktop. CenoSuite Service bundled with an entry-level CenoStation will initially be priced at HK$600 per month. The CenoStation comes with Fast Ethernet, sound ports, keyboard, mouse and 15-inch monitor.

Asia Online Ltd. is the holding company for Asia Online operations in Hong Kong, the Philippines, Malaysia, India, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Japan, Canada and the United States. Asia Online currently offers a variety of Internet-related services including dial-up, leased lines, ISDN, roaming, systems integration, web design and hosting, co-location, unified messaging, portal management, advertising and e-commerce. Through partnerships with leading US Internet companies and internal development, Asia Online plans to offer Internet-based communications products to both international and domestic customers. These will include audio conferencing, video conferencing, voice-over-IP and digital signatures, to mention a few. Additional information about Asia Online is available at www.AsiaOnlineLtd.com.

Issued on behalf of Asia Online by Firebrand Communications

In Asia, for further information please contact: Anthea Lee (Asia Online): (852) 2837 8918 (email: [e-mail]) Fergus O'Rorke (Firebrand): (852) 2122 9761 (email: [e-mail])