COMPAQ SELECTS TALARIAN TO PROVIDE HIGH-SPEED, MULTI-PLATFORM MESSAGING FOR ZERO LATENCY ENTERPRISE INITIATIVE.

Talarian Corporation (Nasdaq:TALR), a provider of infrastructure software solutions that deliver data and content in real time, has announced that Compaq Computer Corporation (NYSE:CPQ) has selected Talarian's high performance messaging technology for its Zero Latency Enterprise (ZLE) initiative. As a result of the agreement, Compaq will partner with Talarian, including selling and supporting Talarian's SmartSockets solution worldwide as part of the Compaq ZLE architecture, expanding the availability of Talarian's software in markets where systems require real time access to business-critical data and the highest levels of availability and scalability.

Compaq's Zero Latency Enterprise is a transaction-oriented solution providing a single, integrated view of business and customer transactions as they occur, no matter where they occur in the enterprise, in real time. In a zero latency environment, the flow of internal information is accelerated to the point where transactions are instantaneously propagated within the enterprise and can be acted upon in real time. The ZLE framework combines leading enterprise application integration (EAI) with operational data store (ODS) technologies. Talarian has ported its SmartSockets product to the ODS hub of the system which is built on the highly scalable, fault-tolerant Compaq NonStop Himalaya server.

Designed for high-end systems moving massive volumes of data, Talarian's software helps enable the instant-response, fault-tolerant capabilities that are the heart of ZLE solutions. Compaq ZLE solutions, using SmartSockets for real-time communication, can give enterprises immediate insight into customer requests and business transactions, providing competitive advantage.

Using industry standard technology, including the Java Message Service (JMS) interface, Compaq chose Talarian SmartSockets technology to simplify the integration of software applications and hardware with messaging technology that is easy to use and does not require extensive programming. Further supporting the size and complexity of ZLE solutions, SmartSockets meets the industry's highest performance benchmarks and provides scalability designed from the ground up for n-tier architectures.

"Talarian is distinguished by a proven track record in helping to eliminate the risks associated with moving high volumes of data in real time across systems made up of disparate applications, platforms, and databases," said Rayvon Williams, vice president of ZLE Business Development and Planning. "To realize the customer benefits of ZLE and gain competitive advantage, data must be made instantly available anywhere on the network without fail regardless of its current or future size. The ability to then act on that information in real time is what provides true competitive advantage. Compaq's NonStop Himalaya server technology together with Talarian's SmartSockets product delivers the highest possible levels of reliability, scalability, and real-time performance needed for customized enterprise solutions."

"Any strategy that advances the Zero Latency Enterprise allows businesses that implement it to sell more product, deliver better customer service and capitalize on new business opportunities sooner than their competitors," said Roy Schulte of Gartner Group who has been working on ZLE for four years. "When the 'right hand' knows what the 'left hand' is doing at every moment, the possible efficiencies and opportunities for enhanced customer service and for increased cross-selling are enormous."

"Our commitment to enabling real-time, fault-tolerant messaging solutions is reflected in our history, our strong partnerships with industry leading companies, and our early support of the zero latency enterprise concept," said Tom Laffey, Talarian's co-founder and chief technology officer. "We are pleased to partner with Compaq because they are the one of the only vendors today that provides a complete line of hardware and software solutions for implementing the zero-latency enterprise. SmartSockets will play a critical role in Compaq's ZLE architecture by enabling instantaneous communication between applications anywhere in the enterprise or across the Internet."