Association Unveils New E-Business Award at DISA's E-Business and Internet Conference & Exhibition March 7-9, 2001, Moscone Convention Center, San Francisco.

Business Editors/Hi-Tech Writers

E-Business and Internet Conference & Exhibition

ALEXANDRIA, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 12, 2000

Data Interchange Standards Association (DISA), the leading electronic business standards organization, launched the E-Business Enterprise (EBE) award recognizing new and innovative business data exchange applications.

DISA will award the first EBE to a company with the best implemented business-to-business solution during DISA's E-Business and Internet Conference & Exhibition, March 7-9, 2001, in San Francisco. The EBE award complements the Edward A. Guilbert Professional Award, granted annually at the DISA show to an outstanding individual in the electronic commerce arena.

"The EBE award will illuminate real-world success stories about the way organizations are using technology to improve operations, cut costs, reduce inventories, improve customer service and boost productivity," said DISA President and CEO Kerry C. Stackpole, CAE.

The EBE award will go to the business-to-business application that involves data exchanges between organizations and combines innovative use of open standards as well as tangible payoffs to those organizations. Entries must have been in operation for at least six months to be considered.

Judges from the EC Institute's board of directors will rate the entries on 10 criteria representing both business and technical factors. All entries meeting the entry criteria will receive recognition as nominees.

"The EC Institute is developing a professional e-business certification program based on a comprehensive body of knowledge that provides a solid context for our board of directors to judge the EBE entries," said John Lathrop, board chair of the EC Institute. Lathrop, who is business development director at the University of Denver's Daniels College of Business, added, "This award helps advance our goal of a more professional e-business workforce by recognizing the kind of system implementations competent professionals can achieve."

DISA will award the EBE and the Edward A. Guilbert Award at its 14th annual conference and exhibition on March 8, 2001 at San Francisco's Moscone Center.

This event, the only e-business event that combines the accumulated experience of electronic data interchange with the latest Web-based applications, features a keynote address by Kevin Kail, CEO of XML Solutions, executive forum, industry analyst panel, and 64 track sessions, in three concentrated days.

The conference also features a first look at the Electronic Business XML (ebXML) initiative with presentations and live demonstration of these new global specifications.

Additional information on the conference, the EBE and the Edward A. Guilbert Award can be found at DISA's web site, www.disa.org. Further details about the work of the EC Institute can be found at www.ecinstitute.org.

DISA, the association driving global e-business standards, is the leading provider of educational and networking forums.

Propelling e-business initiatives, DISA also provides technical management services to standards and XML specification development organizations, including the Accredited Standards Committee X12, the OpenTravel Alliance, the Interactive Financial Exchange Forum, the Mortgage Industry Standards Maintenance Organization, the Open Philanthropy Exchange, and the XML/EDI Group. DISA's affiliation with the Hotel Electronic Distribution Network Association, EC User Groups and emerging initiatives around the world facilitates an interchange of e-commerce topics hitting the marketplace.

In other international arenas, DISA and ASC X12 serve as the entry point for the United States into the United Nations/Electronic Data Interchange for Administration, Commerce and Transport (UN/EDIFACT), an international standard relating to the exchange of trade goods and services.