B2B Best Practices Featured in EXTOL-Sponsored Report on Multi-Enterprise Supply Chains.

Aberdeen Group Identifies Process Collaboration As Key to Supply Chain Success

POTTSVILLE, Pa. -- An EXTOL-sponsored report conducted and released this week by Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company (NYSE:HHS), states that businesses are finding an increasing need for multi-enterprise supply chains to be focused on process integration and collaboration.

The report also profiles Pressman Toy, which has implemented an EXTOL business integration solution in order to realize the major business benefits in that company's interactions with overseas suppliers and US-based customers and distributors. These benefits are achieved through an important aspect of B2B integration called process collaboration, which the report singles out as a key element in supply chain success.

The benchmark report, "Process Collaboration in Multi-Enterprise Supply Chains," reports that businesses are being forced to focus on process integration and collaboration, due to a variety of business pressures such as rising costs, global competition, and the need for reduced cycle times. Working in a multi-enterprise supply chain world requires bi-directional electronic connectivity (referred to as process integration in the report), as well as process collaboration, to succeed.

"Mid size companies face B2B requirements as complex as those of larger enterprises," stated Tony Baran, CEO of EXTOL. "And, they have fewer resources and small IT teams. EXTOL became an underwriter of this research in order to help these companies understand the nature of the B2B environment, how it impacts their internal systems and how to address the their B2B challenges, with their existing teams and existing skills, in order to achieve superior supply chain performance."

"The lengthening of supply chains at both the suppliers' and the customers' side of the equation has resulted in an increased need for both structured and unstructured collaboration," said Nari Viswanathan, Aberdeen's Research Director, Supply Chain Management and author of the report. "Structured collaboration refers to traditional approaches of creating a standardized and parameterized business process for which electronic connectivity approaches such as EDI, XML, AS2, etc., are used. Unstructured collaboration refers to creating semi-standardized business processes using internet and telecommunication tools."

EXTOL customer Pressman Toy has implemented a business integration solution that has resulted in EDI and process integration evolving into full-blown customer collaboration. The solution has enabled Pressman to respond immediately and accurately to customers' requests for shipments, information and process changes - almost as if they were a department within their customers' organizations. They have been able to keep up with the steady growth of the complexity of business processes associated with the order life cycle.

To obtain a complimentary copy of the Aberdeen report, visit: http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?cid=5291.

About EXTOL

EXTOL International, Inc. is a leading provider of B2B and internal integration software for resource constrained companies. EXTOL solutions deliver ready-to-use services that target multiple B2B and internal challenges empowering existing IT teams to respond rapidly to new business opportunities and demands. EXTOL solutions are also available preconfigured to address specific electronic commerce applications including EDI, AS2, web services integration, global data synchronization, and the integration and management capabilities required to take full advantage of supply chain functionality. For more information, visit www.EXTOL.com.