Customers reveal their latest applications for PictureTalk Software; versatile collaboration software used to increase productivity and improve communications across industries.

PLEASANTON, CALIF.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 28, 1997--PictureTalk Inc., the leader in collaborative visual communications, in conjunction with some of their customers, today revealed the latest uses for the versatile PictureTalk(TM) visual collaboration software.

The new applications include distance selling, distance training, remote technical support, and virtual meetings. Among the companies sharing their applications are Envoy Global Inc.; Lawrence Berkeley National Labs; NetStart Inc.; Powersoft; and Remedy Corp.

PictureTalk visual communication software lets users of all major desktop computer platforms share the information on their computer screens with other users in real time.

With PictureTalk's unique Client-Server-Client software, users can participate in meetings regardless of their location, their computer platform, the applications being run, or the speed of the available network connections.

Remedy Corp.

Founded in 1990, Remedy develops and markets adaptable applications for the consolidated operations management (COM) market. Cited by analyst organizations like META Group as one of the fastest growing areas for client/server applications, COM starts at internal help desk and expands to applications like change management and asset management.

As the leader in this rapidly growing market, Remedy's goal is to provide its customers with a quality of technical support and service that match its highly adaptable software. To help meet these high standards, Remedy adopted PictureTalk software to give its technical support specialists a valuable tool for live communication with customers.

"Remedy's client/server applications run on an array of different operating systems, databases, as well as a number of client and server hardware platforms -- all of which have radically different configurations," explains Cecil Lawson, director of technical support at Remedy.

"This diversity makes real-time communication with customers very valuable. PictureTalk's software has helpedexpand our support team's effectiveness and responsiveness to our customers' needs. We're using PictureTalk software regularly to give our customers added value in support services, and provide 'virtual' customer forums for users around the world."

Besides participating in forums hosted by Remedy, PictureTalk software enables Remedy's customers to host their own forums where they can exchange ideas, suggestions and hints visually.

Envoy Global Inc.

Envoy Global Inc. is a telecommunications service bureau providing communication tools for remote work groups. Envoy Global's services include conference calling (audio teleconferencing), voice messaging, and fax services. With PictureTalk, Envoy Global adds visual desktop conferencing to their traditional audio conferencing services. The new service is called Global Link.

"We need to constantly provide new and more advanced services to our customers," stated Michael Corbett, director of sales at Envoy Global. "Global Link is just that type of service. Combining high quality teleconferencing with data conferencing adds a new dimension for improved business communications. We see this as the next generation of conferencing."

Envoy uses PictureTalk to create virtual conference centers with voice and computer viewing. For Envoy, PictureTalk establishes a new means of increasing the services provided.

Applications for Envoy Global's visual desktop conferencing thus far have included training, education, and remote workgroup collaboration. PictureTalk provides Envoy Global with a unique new service that differentiates them from their competition.

NetStart Inc.

How do you provide slide shows and personalized software demonstrations to an increasing number of prospective customers around the country, while still controlling your travel budget and more importantly, your time? NetStart answers this question by using PictureTalk as a "virtual" distance selling tool. NetStart also uses PictureTalk to demo and train resellers.

A fast growing start-up, NetStart Inc. of Reston, Va. develops and markets a comprehensive recruiting solution. TeamBuilder, a recruiting software application combined with the CareerBuilder website for job seekers, (http:www.careerbuilder.com) provides human resources with workflow solutions that leverage the reach of the world wide web and dramatically reduce the cost per hire.

The software has to be demonstrated to prospective users at their facilities, no matter how removed, isolated, or hard-to-get-to. "Before PictureTalk, this meant travel--lots of it," said Tom Young, vice president of sales at NetStart.

"With PictureTalk, NetStart's salespeople can conduct slide presentations, then take prospective users onto the Internet to show people using the product--and the salespeople never have to leave their desks. We still have all the customer interaction we need and are a whole lot more efficient."

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories 

Like any large organization, the Energy Sciences Network (ESnet) Program at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory needs to hold meetings, both within their organization and with outside customers. With PictureTalk, the meetings are held and data is shared without the participants ever leaving their offices.

"Face-to-face meetings are time consuming, especially in an organization with many service locations but voice conferencing and traditional teleconferencing are not enough for us," explained Stan Kluz of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. "Our people have to be able to share visual data with the other engineers and scientists they are working with."

One of the challenges presented to the ESnet Program in conducting virtual meetings is that their customers -- engineers and scientists, use a variety of different computer platforms. "One of the real strengths of PictureTalk is that it works completely cross-platform. We are running it on PC, Macintosh, and Unix platforms."

PictureTalk permits users to share data, drawings, charts and diagrams in virtual meetings from their offices. For the ESnet at Lawrence Berkeley, the meetings today are within their campus, but soon they will be held across the state and eventually will include the Department of Energy.

Powersoft

In April, Sybase Inc.'s Powersoft Business Group began using PictureTalk software for distance selling and in-house training. According to Sam Coe, program and alliances manager for Powersoft's Design Tools Group, both efforts have been very successful.

The distance selling sessions consist of a series of on-line seminars called SyberSeminars, which Powersoft has advertised on line and in mailings to 30,000 users.

Each seminar consists of a PictureTalk virtual meeting, accompanied by a conference call hosted by an outside 800-number service. Powersoft is using the seminars to introduce users to new Powersoft products, such as Powersoft S-Designor 6.0. Powersoft is also using PictureTalk software for limited audience beta training hosted by other product groups.

"In both instances," said Coe, "we're sending off a mixture of Microsoft PowerPoint presentations mixed with interactive Q&A sessions, and live product demonstrations from a Windows 95 desktop session."

Coe explained the goals of the on-line seminars, and PictureTalk's contribution to the seminars' success: "Our effect has been geared toward saving money and time by developing a method of presenation that will minimize travel expenses, and allow existing and potential customers the ease of viewing sessions from their home and/or office.

"PictureTalk technology is the only practical electronic medium that allows us to bring all of these components together. Statistics show that we have already reached our primary goal of increased customer participation by exceeding our total audience from all of 1996 in which we did multiple, in-person, regional sales presentations at high cost."

Summary

All of these applications have common requirements: the need for individuals, whether on the same campus or half-way around the world, to communicate and share visual information. Using the Internet or corporate intranets, PictureTalk provides the cross-platform collaborative and communication tool users need.

PictureTalk Inc. is a privately-held software solutions provider, marketing and developing a family of innovative and practical software products to improve the way people communicate. Working with partners such as ComputerPrep, Digital Equipment Corp., GTSI, Hewlett-Packard, Oracle, SoftBoard, and Sun Microsystems, PictureTalk Inc. is committed to providing strategic server technology for corporate intranets and the Internet.

PictureTalk Inc. is located at 4234 Hacienda Drive, Suite 200 Pleasanton, CA 94588-2721; telephone:[phone], fax: [phone], E-mail: [e-mail] , the World Wide Web: http://www.picturetalk.com . -0-

Note to Editors: PictureTalk and the PictureTalk logo are trademarks of PictureTalk Inc. All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners.

CONTACT: S&S Public Relations Inc.

Jessica Hall, 415/773-5359

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