Bentley and Netscape Team to Bring Digital Signature Security to Large-scale Engineering Projects on Intranets.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 4, 1997--

New Offerings Allow Managers to Electronically

Seal MicroStation-based Engineering Drawings and Models

Bentley Systems, Inc., and Netscape Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: NSCP), at Daratech's CAD/CAM, CAE Workshop, announced that they are teaming to bring enhanced security via digital signatures to large-scale engineering projects on intranets. Bentley plans to integrate the Netscape Certificate Server(TM) 1.0 software into its engineering software products which will allow users to electronically "seal" MicroStation(R)-based engineering drawings and models.

Large-scale engineering projects typically have tens or hundreds of milestones across many companies and organizations. With digital signatures available for Bentley's engineering models, managers can release electronic copies of drawings or models at milestones. Previously, managers were forced to plot, sign, and maintain paper copies -- an increasingly outmoded practice as projects become more complex and electronic interchange becomes more prominent.

"Bentley is taking an innovative approach in enterprise-scale engineering," says Marc Andreessen, chief technical officer of Netscape. "By integrating digital signature security technology with their server solutions such as ModelServer, Bentley leverages connectivity and information sharing in the large-scale, often global projects within their user community."

"Netscape's Certificate Server technology will help streamline the release processes of our users and increase the quality of their projects," notes Keith Bentley, CEO of Bentley. "Companies and organizations can confidently transact and maintain their projects in the same medium that they design electronically. Senders can take steps to protect released electronic drawings from alteration; receivers can verify theyve received the right version from the right person."

Public key certificates, or digital IDs, are a digital authentication mechanism similar to a drivers license or employee badge that can be used to verify someones identity on the Internet or intranet. Certificates are a stronger form of authentication than user name and password, and enable single user log-on to Web servers, intranet applications, and electronic mail. Netscape Certificate Server enables corporate MIS departments and others to act as their own certificate authority. They can generate, revoke, renew and otherwise manage certificates for intranet clients and servers. A certificate authority is an entity that attests to the identity of a person or an organization, and issues certificates verifying that identity.

Bentley will incorporate Netscapes Certificate Server technology into a new ModelServer(TM) product that generates and authenticates digital signatures. Through this product, electronic seals will be available to all MicroStation, ModelServer, and other engineering products. Copies of engineering models as well as electronic drawings of models can then be sealed with a digital signature. After sealing, the copy is permanently signed by the authorizing manager and can be viewed but not altered without breaking the seal. As a part of its product service, Netscape maintains a registry of authorized signers and passwords. This secure registry verifies users each time a digital signature is applied and verifies the signature each time a sealed copy is accessed.

For more information on the Netscape Certificate Server and any MicroStation or ModelServer products, please contact Bentley at 1-800-BENTLEY, [phone] (US), [phone] (Europe), [phone] (Asia), through E-mail at [e-mail] , or through http://www.bentley.com .

Additional information on Netscape Communications Corporation is available on the Internet at http://home.netscape.com , by sending E-mail to [e-mail] . Corporate customers can call [phone], while consumers can call [phone] for more information.

More on Netscape

Netscape Communications Corporation is a leading provider of open software for linking people and information over enterprise networks and the Internet. The company offers a full line of clients, servers, development tools, and commercial applications to create a complete platform for next-generation, live online applications. Traded on NASDAQ under the symbol "NSCP," Netscape Communications Corporation is based in Mountain View, California.

More on Bentley

Bentley Systems, Inc., is a worldwide leader in engineering software and user services. The company now serves over 250,000 professionals in building/plant engineering, geoengineering, and mechanical engineering. Its MicroStation desktop products are proven at over 70% of the largest U.S. engineering firms and are the software foundation of well-known buildings, roadways, machines, and industrial plants around the world. Its new line of Internet/intranet-based ModelServer products are the first to unite engineering and the enterprise. With revenues now over $120M annually, Bentley was listed as the fourth fastest growing company on the 1996 Softletter 100 and awarded 1996 Growth Company of the Year by the Eastern Technology Council. -0-

MicroStation is a registered trademark; Bentley, Engineering Back Office, and ModelServer are trademarks of Bentley Systems, Inc. Netscape is a trademark of Netscape Communications Corporation, which is registered in the United States and other jurisdictions. The Netscape Communications Corporation logo and Netscape branded products are also trademarks of Netscape Communications Corporation, which may be registered in some jurisdictions. Other brands and product names are trademarks of their respective owners.

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Michelle Allard

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