DATABEAM SHIPS FARSITE 2.0, INDUSTRY'S FIRST STANDARDS- BASED, MULTI-POINT DOCUMENT CONFERENCING SOFTWARE; T.120-Based Shared Whiteboard Software Supports Mixed Networks, Multiple Active Documents and Industry Interoperability.

LEXINGTON, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 12, 1995--DataBeam Corp. this week will begin shipping FarSite(r) application based on the International Telecommunications Union's T.120 standards for data conferencing. Because the package is standards-based, FarSite users can conduct their electronic meetings in seamless combination with other vendors' forthcoming T.120-compliant conferencing products and services. The T.120 standards have been publicly embraced by Microsoft, MCI, PictureTel, AT&T and more than 50 other telecommunications and computer-industry firms worldwide.

FarSite 2.0 supports multi-point conferences among users in any combination of mixed network configurations, including LANs, modems and third-party bridges and conference bridging services. The software also provides a number of features that make it easy for non- technical users to establish and conduct a conference.

Sophisticated communications capabilities in FarSite 2.0 reduce the time needed to correctly set up the communications devices and pathways for each conference. A network browsing facility simplifies multi-point meeting set-up by locating FarSite users or FarSite conferences in progress and providing single-click access to these remote parties. Conferences can now be protected with an optional password. An intelligent modem configuration utility takes over from users such potentially error-prone tasks as identifying their communications port and modem speed, testing the modem and entering lengthy modem initialization strings.

Once a conference is underway, the program continues to facilitate the smooth flow of the meeting by helping to manage and distribute conference documents. For example, FarSite 2.0 can transfer files to multiple participants simultaneously, while users continue using other conferencing features uninterrupted. Users can work on multiple active documents in a session, and each document can be designated as private or shared.

FarSite 2.0 has improved the process of acquiring data for a conference. Multi-page and oversized documents can easily be incorporated into a meeting with a new print capture facility. 3D objects can now also be shared via FarSite's built-in video frame-capture feature.

"FarSite 2.0 brings to the industry the interoperability and ease of use that most people require before they adopt a new technology," said David Panos, DataBeam's vice president of marketing. "Comparable office productivity tools, such as fax machines, have generally become widely accepted only after manufacturers begin supporting a common communications standard that guarantees interoperability with other vendors' products."

The first available T.120-compliant third-party products and bridging services are available through networkMCI Conferencing, ConferTech's ConferCall PLUS and Polycom's ShowStation. A variety of additional T.120 products and services are expected to be available from third parties later this year.

FarSite 2.0 is a Windows-based shared whiteboard application that helps two or more geographically separated users work collaboratively, while they confer by telephone, on multiple documents, spreadsheets and images. As they speak, users can interactively draw, enter text and make changes to material that has been captured or pasted in from any Windows application. Document conferencing applications include medical diagnosis by remote physicians, collaboration by attorneys on legal documents, securing approval for product design plans and participating in interactive, distance learning sessions.

The T.120 series of standards for multi-point communications make it possible for different vendors' conferencing products to communicate seamlessly with each other. These standards establish common protocols for data transmission over a variety of network types, and define recognized tasks and procedures for shared whiteboard applications. The final portions of the series were ratified in Geneva, Switzerland in March.

FarSite 2.0 requires a 486-based PC (or higher) with 8 Mbytes of RAM running Windows 3.1. For dial-up connections, a modem with a transmission rate of at least 9600 baud is required. For LAN/WAN connections, FarSite requires a Novell IPX or Winsock 1.1 compliant TCP/IP network.

DataBeam is shipping two versions of FarSite 2.0. The Corporate Edition supports conferences via any combination of dial-up links, LANs and WAN connections. FarSite Standard Edition users can participate in multi-point conferences but only through PSTN and ISDN dial-up communications.

FarSite 2.0 Corporate Edition is priced at $199 per copy. Standard Edition is priced at $99. FarSite 1.0 customers can upgrade to Corporate Edition for a $99 upgrade fee or to Standard Edition for $49. Both versions are available immediately directly from DataBeam, selected VARs, and OEMs.

DataBeam develops document conferencing applications and conferencing development toolkits, and markets and licenses them to major corporations worldwide. DataBeam's conferencing application products, including its FarSite software, are used by such organizations as General Electric, Chesebrough-Pond's, BASF, and the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The company's application software is remarketed by a range of business partners, including AT&T Paradyne, MCI, Motorola and Vivo.

DataBeam's Collaborative Computing Toolkits Series are used by major telecommunications and computer industry firms, including Microsoft and PictureTel, to incorporate multi-point conferencing into their own products and services. The company was founded in 1983 and is privately held.

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FarSite and DataBeam are registered trademarks of DataBeam Corporation. Other brands and product names are trademarks of their respective owners.

CONTACT: Jessica Solodar or Deborah Parrott,

Rogers Communications [phone] or

Becky Taylor, DataBeam Corp. [phone]