Boole & Babbage First to Provide End-to-End Availability Management for Microsoft Message Queue Server, Code-Named Falcon; Extensions to Command MQ Management Solution Underscore Boole & Babbage Commitment to Rapid-Growth Middleware Market.

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 9, 1997--Boole & Babbage Inc. (NASDAQ:BOOL), announced today that it is extending its leadership position in the message-oriented middleware market with the introduction of new capabilities in Command MQ that support Microsoft Message Queue Server (MSMQ) -- formerly code-named Falcon -- designed to provide the smooth exchange of information in distributed Windows NT operating environments.

With its extended functionality, Boole & Babbage Command MQ now provides customers with advanced, automated management for the MSMQ message-queuing middleware across the distributed enterprise.

As Windows NT continues to gain confidence from users deploying new client/server applications, MSMQ middleware is expected to provide a greater degree of flexibility and maintainability to simplify the burden of program-to-program communication.

As MSMQ gains acceptance in production environments, it becomes another critical enterprise component that must be proactively managed to maintain uninterrupted service to key business applications. With today's announcement, Boole & Babbage is delivering its proven expertise in message-queuing middleware management to MSMQ and Windows NT 4.0 customers through the industry-leading Command MQ solution.

"With the introduction of MSMQ, customers can choose the Windows NT-based message-queuing technology that best fits their business needs," said Mike Bunyard, senior marketing director at Boole & Babbage. "Based on customer feedback, we anticipate that many will decide to run a mix of MSMQ and MQSeries. Our strategy is to provide a centralized management approach that offers flexibility to manage both technologies from a single point-of-control."

Command MQ provides a centralized console for managing IBM's MQSeries and MSMQ and overseeing the primary areas of their operations in distributed environments. Command MQ integrates the management of message-queuing middleware into the overall enterprise structure to effectively control availability and maintain service to middleware-reliant applications.

Already a mainstay in companies deploying IBM's MQSeries, Command MQ is unique in its ability to deliver a centralized end-to-end management view that reaches the middleware layer and the underlying enterprise infrastructure that can affect reliability and message delivery.

"Microsoft is including MSMQ with Windows NT Server 4.0 because we see message queuing as an essential part of business-critical, enterprise distributed computing environments," said Peter Houston, Microsoft Product Manager for MSMQ. "With Command MQ, customers will be able to make optimal use of MSMQ to significantly reduce costs and simplify management even when message queuing applications span across many different platforms."

Messaging Middleware and the Need for Management Solutions

The growing popularity of message-queuing middleware is derived from its key benefit: it solves the incompatibility problem of linking business-critical applications running on client/server, such as SAP R/3, with core business data found on older legacy systems.

Because of its critical role in message delivery between various application platforms, there is a strong need for end-to-end systems management like that provided by Command MQ. Otherwise, if problems occur within the message-queuing environment, the entire enterprise can be affected, applications and data can become inaccessible and, consequently, business productivity impacted.

Rather than simply monitor the MQ network, Command MQ delivers advanced automation, performance, configuration, and administration capabilities to ensure high, application availability in the largest, most complex enterprises. Command MQ can manage thousands of elements, events and users concurrently, and through its flexible and scaleable architecture, complements varying customer requirements. Today, Command MQ covers the broadest range of platforms for MQSeries, including MVS, DEC VMS, UNIX, OS/400, OS/2 and Windows NT.

Command MQ Agents

Initially, MSMQ customers can take advantage of Command MQ agent extensions based on Windows-NT for local, at-the-source surveillance and diagnosis of MSMQ operational problems and failures, automatic escalation of appropriate alerts to a central console, and invocation of automation routines. Independent of the network, Command MQ agents are unaffected by MSMQ outages and continue performing automated functions even if network interruptions occur.

Pricing and Availability

The Windows NT-based Command MQ agents will begin shipping in October 1997. Pricing starts at $24,600.

About Boole & Babbage

Boole & Babbage is a worldwide leader in availability and service level management for distributed systems. Its Enterprise Automation product lines provide a flexible and scalable set of solutions for the entire IT enterprise including systems, applications, middleware, databases and Web technologies.

The Boole & Babbage set of solutions is currently used by many Fortune 1000 companies to centralize all the IT operations into a coherent business view and reduce overall business costs. Founded in 1967, Boole & Babbage is the oldest independent software vendor in the systems management industry and today is a $24,200 million company with 900 employees in 43 offices in 26 countries. Corporate headquarters are located in San Jose, Calif. For more information, visit us on the Web at www.boole.com, or call 800/544-2152. -0-

Note to Editors: Boole & Babbage is a registered trademark of Boole & Babbage Inc. Command is a trademark of Boole & Babbage Inc. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.

CONTACT: Boole & Babbage Inc.

Paula Contos Dunne, 408/526-3430

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