BEA to Provide COM Interoperability for BEA M3 Using ObjectBridge from Visual Edge Software.

CUPERTINO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 21, 1998--

Visual Edge's Pioneering ObjectBridge Technology Enables BEA 

Customers to Build Mission-Critical, Enterprise-Wide Transaction

Processing Applications for the Windows Desktop

Visual Edge Software, Ltd., a leading application integration vendor, and BEA Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:BEAS), a market-leading supplier of distributed enterprise middleware solutions, today announced that BEA has licensed Visual Edge's pioneering and patented ObjectBridge(TM) to provide COM-CORBA interoperability for BEA M3(TM), in order to provide seamless integration with Windows-based application development tools.

ObjectBridge is designed to allow seamless interoperability of business objects between different component models, facilitating communication of Microsoft COM (Common Object Model) and ActiveX on a client with BEA M3 Object Transaction Manager (OTM) on the server.

BEA M3 is a standards-based OTM implementing the Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) object model. The combination of ObjectBridge and BEA M3 helps give BEA customers the ability to build robust, enterprise-wide, mission-critical, object-based applications that span multiple component models, including COM, CORBA (Common Object Request Broker Architecture) and EJB (Enterprise JavaBeans).

Together with BEA Connect, this combination also helps allow customers to access applications and services that reside on legacy systems.

"We believe it's very important to provide BEA customers with the means to develop, deploy and manage their mission-critical transaction-based applications across multiple hardware platforms, databases and operating systems," said Alfred Chuang, executive vice president of product development and chief technology officer for BEA.

"Seamless integration of BEA M3 with Windows and COM was a top priority. One of the pieces that BEA M3 customers need to achieve this is a COM interoperability solution. We feel confident our decision to incorporate Visual Edge's ObjectBridge in BEA M3 was the right one for BEA and our joint customers.

"This decision was supported by our previous success integrating Visual Edge technology with both BEA ObjectBroker(R) and BEA TUXEDO.

"By partnering with Visual Edge, we give our customers the ability to easily access and utilize all BEA M3-based applications and services from their Windows desktops, and also to build truly scalable, mission-critical transaction processing applications from those desktops using Windows-based application development tools such as Microsoft Visual, Basic and Sybase PowerBuilder.

"In a world where a flexible IT architecture can translate into meaningful competitive advantage, BEA M3 and ObjectBridge make a powerful combination."

"Object-oriented technology has become increasingly important in enterprise applications," said Mike Foody, president of Visual Edge Software. "BEA M3 is the next-generation product that is designed to make these innovative, cost-effective solutions possible.

"We are pleased that BEA chose to license Visual Edge's ObjectBridge technology. The two products, in combination, offer large-scale customers a means to integrate all of their diverse IT systems. By partnering with BEA, we help our mutual enterprise customers leverage their valuable IT investments."

About BEA M3

BEA M3 is the first and only production-ready Object Transaction Manager (OTM), the next generation of middleware that can serve as a scalable, mission-critical application platform, designed to answer the need for the safe development and deployment of objects in the enterprise. BEA M3 is standards-based, helping provide maximum flexibility and easy interoperability with other applications.

Customers will be able to use the Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) standard and Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB) as component models for C++ and Java-based development within BEA M3. Through BEA's wor production availability on July 24, 1998.

Ab, distributed applications that work seamlessly in client/server, Internet and legacy environments. BEA prov In addition to its product line, BEA provides complete solutions through its extensive partner network, aices in 24 countries around the globe. The comp Visual Edge is the software developer of theseamlessly integrate software applications across the enterprise. Through its products and services, large-scale corporate customers can create an integration architecture that facilitates the rapid change of business processes.

The headquarters of Visual Edge's development effo823. Fax: [phone]. Web: http://www.visualetered trademark in the United States and other countries. BEA M3 is a trademark of BEA Systems, Inc.

@visualedge.com

or

Sterling Communications, Inc.

Ilene Sterns, 408/441-4100

[e-mail]

or

BEA Systems, Inc.