Connect unveils first Internet-based order- management application, enabling virtual sales channel for business.MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 16, 1996--Connect Inc., the leading enabler of interactive commerce on the Internet, Thursday announced Beta availability of OneServer OrderStream, the first Internet-based order-management application for business-to- business transactions. OrderStream is a complete, secure Internet application that streamlines and automates the sales channel for business-to-business resellers and distributors. Built on the Connect OneServer software platform, OrderStream supports resellers and distributors of various products, including computers, software, peripherals, electronics parts, office equipment, office furniture and office supplies Office supplies is the generic term that refers to all supplies regularly used in offices by businesses and other organizations, from private citizens to governments, who works with the collection, refinement, and output of information (colloquially referred to as "paper work"). . These products are commonly sold under volume contracts through published catalogs. OrderStream is the first entry in a market that Forrester Research Forrester Research is an independent technology and market research company that provides its clients with advice about technology's impact on business and consumers. Corporate facts
``OrderStream will allow resellers and distributors to take orders quickly and easily over the Internet,'' said Bart Foster, vice president, marketing, Connect Inc. ``This capability will enable these companies to capture greater revenue at lower cost. ``OrderStream is all about improving the order-management and procurement process,'' Foster added. ``The sales process A sales process is a systematic approach for performing product or service sales. The reasons for having a sales process include seller and buyer risk management, achieving standardized customer interaction in sales and scalable revenue generation. hasn't changed in 50 years. OrderStream moves the market from where it's been -- mired mire n. 1. An area of wet, soggy, muddy ground; a bog. 2. Deep slimy soil or mud. 3. A disadvantageous or difficult condition or situation: the mire of poverty. v. in costly, time-intensive, paper-based procedures -- to where it must go: lower-cost, Internet-based linkage linkage In mechanical engineering, a system of solid, usually metallic, links (bars) connected to two or more other links by pin joints (hinges), sliding joints, or ball-and-socket joints to form a closed chain or a series of closed chains. of all parties.'' Creating the Virtual Sales Channel Because of increasing customer reliance on preferred vendors, resellers and distributors face a potentially shrinking customer base, Foster said. At the same time, purchasing departments Noun 1. purchasing department - the division of a business that is responsible for purchases business department - a division of a business firm are re-engineering to boost productivity and end buyers are increasingly operating outside approved channels. ``For the reseller An organization that sells hardware and software to the general public. Resellers purchase products from software publishers and hardware manufacturers. and the end user alike, moving the power of today's complex custom order-management systems to the Internet means better functionality, less expense, increased market share, easier usage and maintenance, and the ability to get up and running in a fraction of the time,'' said Tom Kehler, Connect's president and chief executive officer. ``With OrderStream, Connect is enabling the creation of the Virtual Sales Channel.'' Marked by flexibility, cost-effectiveness, information content and widespread access, the Virtual Sales Channel will coexist co·ex·ist intr.v. co·ex·ist·ed, co·ex·ist·ing, co·ex·ists 1. To exist together, at the same time, or in the same place. 2. with other channels, Kehler noted. ``The Virtual Sales Channel is not a Web site or even a metaphor for doing business -- it is an entirely new, complementary channel, with all the inherent complexities associated with any emerging distribution channel. ``Connect is the first Internet-based applications company and the most pragmatic solutions provider in the Internet market,'' Kehler added. ``OneServer is the only open approach to building interactive commerce applications available today. The OrderStream product represents the most important development in packaged Internet applications to date.'' About Connect OrderStream Using OrderStream, any company employee interested in buying products may browse (1) To view the contents of a file or a group of files. Browser programs generally let you view data by scrolling through the documents or databases. In a database program, the browse mode often lets you edit the data. See Web browser. or search a distributor's or reseller's multimedia catalog catalog, descriptive list, on cards or in a book, of the contents of a library. Assurbanipal's library at Nineveh was cataloged on shelves of slate. The first known subject catalog was compiled by Callimachus at the Alexandrian Library in the 3d cent. B.C. , dynamically building purchase orders from a desktop computer. Catalogs can be configured con·fig·ure tr.v. con·fig·ured, con·fig·ur·ing, con·fig·ures To design, arrange, set up, or shape with a view to specific applications or uses: on a per-employee basis to show only those products a given department is allowed to buy. The buying-company employee can view pricing specific to a negotiated contract, and inventory checking occurs in real time. Orders needing approval are forwarded electronically to the appropriate authority, with order status available at all times. Approved orders then move seamlessly to the reseller/distributor's order-fulfillment process. OrderStream is aimed at three critical functions within the buying company: the purchasing department (for purchase controls), the requisitioner (for electronic order creation, submission and order tracking) and the approver (for order approval/rejection). Similarly, the product supports key reseller/distributor functions, including the customer-service representative (for customer inquiry and service), the catalog manager (for catalog presentation and branding), the product/SKU manager (for product database management) and the superuser A person with unlimited access privileges who can perform any and all operations on the computer. See root. superuser - [Unix] Synonym root, avatar. This usage has spread to non-Unix environments; the superuser is any account with all wheel bits on. A more specific term than wheel. (for system administration). OrderStream streamlines the ordering process, removing bottlenecks; fewer bottlenecks in the ordering process means fewer purchases outside the contract, increasing revenues for resellers and reducing costs for end users. OrderStream's reporting capability helps improve future purchasing contracts by providing in-depth data on sales and ordering plans. The product's ability to be deployed rapidly -- in most cases, in less than 30 days -- frees resellers from concerns about custom coding, complex software installs and extensive training. In a business environment where time to market is critical, rapid deployment is a competitive advantage. About OneServer OrderStream is built on the Connect core OneServer software architecture. Introduced in September 1995, OneServer is based on open standards Specifications for hardware and software that are developed by a standards organization or a consortium involved in supporting a standard. Available to the public for developing compliant products, open standards imply "open systems;" that an existing component in a system can be replaced -- including UNIX UNIX Operating system for digital computers, developed by Ken Thompson of Bell Laboratories in 1969. It was initially designed for a single user (the name was a pun on the earlier operating system Multics). , Oracle 7 and the Internet/WWW. The platform supports a full set of APIs for users of Web browsers The following is a list of web browsers. Historical Historically important browsers In order of release:
Connect OneServer provides a greatly enhanced feature set for systems integrators An individual or organization that builds systems from a variety of diverse components. With increasing complexity of technology, more customers want complete solutions to information problems, requiring hardware, software and networking expertise in a multivendor environment. and corporate developers who are customizing solutions for interactive commerce. OneServer includes features such as integrated dynamic data query and simplified page-layout functions, which allow businesses to provide access to large volumes of graphics and data, and more easily track and sell products on-line. OneServer allows companies the scalability to expand to very large systems while ensuring data integrity and performance. In addition, OneServer provides dynamic administration and management for both systems and application content. About Connect Connect is the leading provider of Internet-based interactive commerce and order-management applications for companies that want to leverage the Internet as a new sales channel. Connect is a private company, founded in 1987, with headquarters in Mountain View. For more information, telephone 800/262-2638 or access the Connect World Wide Web site at http://www.oneserver.com. -0- NOTE TO EDITORS: OneServer and OrderStream are trademarks of Connect Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective holders. CONTACT: Connect Inc. James Strohecker, 415/254-4016 jamies@connectinc.com or Capital Relations Inc. Ken Greenberg, 805/494-0830, ext. 427 keng@caprel.com |
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