Electric Mail Co.'s E-Mmunity Service Protects Corporate Networks From Spreading Melissa Virus.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 29, 1999-- The Electric Mail Company (VSE:ELE) today advised that its E-mmunity(tm) Service protects corporate networks from the quickly spreading W97M_Melissa virus that infects both Word 97 and Word 2000 documents.

Once triggered, Melissa propagates by accessing the users Microsoft Outlook address book and sending an infected message to the first 50 entries. Detailed information on the virus and its effects are available at www.electric.net/services/emmunity.html.

When a corporate network is protected by E-mmunity, all e-mail addressed to their corporate domain name is processed by The Electric Mail Company's E-mmunity Mail Relay System where Internet e-mail attachments are scanned. Any infected or suspect attachments are destroyed, and a "warning of infection" notice is inserted in the e-mail message and sent on to the intended recipient.

If during the scanning process, no viruses are detected, the e-mail proceeds directly to the recipient. This all occurs in real-time to ensure minimal delays in e-mail transmission. For the corporate e-mail user, E-mmunity offers hassle-free and cost-effective peace of mind with monthly fees starting as low as $35US for up to 30 users.

The E-mmunity service is available world-wide and can be used with any Internet e-mail system. There are no additional hardware, software or maintenance requirements and the service is completely seamless to the end user. E-mmunity currently scans for over 7,000 viruses daily and is continuously updated with new virus signatures (approx. 200 per month). E-mmunity ensures up-to-date protection for corporate networks threatened by viruses found in attachments such as "W97M_Melissa."

The E-mmunity service was created in response to the dramatic increase in Internet-borne viruses, and the inability of LAN-based anti-virus solutions to adequately control the problem. According to a National Computer Security Association virus study, infection reports have increased over 300 percent since April 1996, despite there being more computer systems with installed anti-virus software.

Cathy Munn states, "In an attempt to control viruses hidden in message attachments, many companies rely on their users to screen their e-mail attachments properly, or install expensive scanning systems which require frequent updates. Companies need an effective means of preventing viruses from ever reaching their organization while taking advantage of the business benefits of Internet e-mail."

About The Electric Mail Company

Incorporated in 1994, The Electric Mail Company Inc. (VSE:ELE) delivers value-added e-mail services including: turnkey Internet e-mail connectivity and administration, spam and virus filtering. The Electric Mail Co.'s services address a range of key business Internet e-mail needs including security, remote administration and addressing management for Microsoft Mail, Microsoft Exchange, Lotus cc:Mail, Lotus Notes and Novell GroupWise. Electric Mail Co. serves major corporations located throughout North America including Placer Dome, Fujifilm Canada, Intrawest Corporation and Ballard Power Systems.