IPNet Hosts ebXML Working Group Meeting, Extends Support for Emerging Initiative; Contributes Expertise to Developing Standard.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 17, 2000

IPNet Solutions Inc., a leading provider of business-to-business connectivity solutions, announced it will host an ebXML (Electronic Business Extensible Markup Language) working group meeting Oct. 17-18 at its headquarters in Newport Beach, Calif.

The goal of the ebXML initiative is to provide an open XML-based infrastructure enabling the global use of electronic business information in an interoperable, secure and consistent manner by all parties.

"As a member of various ebXML working groups, IPNet is active in its development and fully committed to playing a role in the success of this vital initiative," said Ted Smykla, senior vice president of products and support, IPNet. "In this week's meetings, the working group will finalize proof of concept criteria. This accomplishment signifies a move beyond specification and will set the stage for demonstration of technological feasibility -- a milestone event that will take place at next month's Tokyo meeting and lead to field trials."

"The ebXML proof of concept effort is an important dimension of the overall ebXML initiative. It gives end-users, ISVs, IT management and architects a very early opportunity to verify and validate the specifications being developed by other working groups within ebXML," said Nick Kassem, project leader of the ebXML POC group. "Given that specifications are only a means to an end, it's imperative that the developer community gets engaged in this effort early, thereby ensuring the specifications are both pragmatic and aligned with the needs of the user and developer community."

"The beauty of ebXML is that we will now have a standard that is well supported internationally and universally applicable, rather than one which is geared either to geography or industry verticals," said Joanne Friedman, vice president electronic business strategies, Meta Group. "I urge manufacturers and particularly small and medium size enterprises to participate in the ebXML organization -- and its work -- for a preview of generation two eCommerce."

IPNet participates in several ebXML working groups including proof of concept and transport, routing and packaging. The proof of concept project team is focused on demonstrating technological feasibility, developing application scenarios and driving field-testing. The transport, routing and packaging project team is focused on defining the specification for a universal business-grade messaging service to support the secure, reliable exchange of ebXML messages.

The ebXML initiative continues to gain strength and recognition for what it can accomplish on a global scale. Recently, members of the Global Commerce Initiative (GCI) announced plans to use ebXML as the backbone of their new data exchange standard for business-to-business trade in the consumer goods industry. Global Commerce Internet Protocol is a set of recommendations governing the management of data for Internet communication and other B2B interactions. GCI members include 40 major manufacturers and retailers as well as eight trade associations, which in total represent 850,000 companies around the world. Exchanges such as Transora, the WorldWide Retail Exchange, GlobalNetXchange and CPGmarket.com are taking active roles in the GCI development.

Following the October meeting at IPNet headquarters, the November meeting will be held in Aomi, Tokyo, Japan from Monday, Nov. 6 to Friday, Nov. 10 and will be sponsored by ECOM -- JIPDEC (Electronic Commerce Promotion Council of Japan -- Japan Information Processing Development Center).

About ebXML

The Electronic Business XML Initiative (www.ebxml.org) is a worldwide project to standardize the exchange of electronic business data. Sponsored by the UN/CEFACT and OASIS, ebXML will lower the barrier-of-entry to electronic business and facilitate trade, particularly for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and developing nations. ebXML is supported by hundreds of industry consortia, standards bodies and companies from around the world.

About UN/CEFACT

UN/CEFACT (www.uncefact.org) is the United Nations body whose mandate covers worldwide policy and technical development in the area of trade facilitation and electronic business. Headquartered in Geneva, it has developed and promoted many tools for the facilitation of global business processes including UN/EDIFACT, the international EDI standard. Its current work programme includes

such topics as Simpl-edi and Object Oriented EDI and it strongly supports the development and implementation of open, interoperable global standards and specifications for electronic business.

About OASIS

OASIS (http://www.oasis-open.org) is the world's largest independent, non-profit organization dedicated to the standardization of XML applications. OASIS sponsors include Adobe Systems, Aerospatiale, AND Data Solutions, Arbortext, Auto-trol Technology, B-Bop Associates, BEA Systems, Bentley Systems, Boeing, Bowstreet, Bridge, BroadVision, Chrystal Software, Cohesia, Commerce One, Corel, DataChannel, Dataloom, DMSi, Documentum, Dun & Bradstreet, eCredit.com, Enigma, eXcelon, Extensibility, Extricity Software, First Call, IBM, InformIT, Informix, Interwoven, IPNet Solutions, ISOGEN, ITEDO, JetForm, Keyfile, Logistics Management Institute, Mercator Software, Micrografx, Microsoft, Netfish, NextPage, NII Enterprise Promotion Association, Nimble Technology, NIST, Oracle Corporation, Pick Systems, ProNet Technology, Reuters, Sabre, SAP, Sequoia Software, SoftQuad, Software AG, STEP, StreamServe, Sun Microsystems, Synth-Bank, Visa, Wavo, Webb Interactive Services, webMethods, Whitehill Technologies, Xerox, XMLSolutions and XyEnterprise.

About IPNet Solutions

IPNet Solutions Inc. provides the fastest on-ramp to B2B. IPNet accelerates time-to-critical mass participation for private and public exchanges by seamlessly linking trading partners in just days, enhancing effectiveness, efficiency and competitiveness. With IPNet, transactions and information flow are optimized throughout the integrated supply chain, unleashing the ROI of ERP and other legacy investments throughout the exchange. With its server-, PC- and browser-based solutions, IPNet enables all partners to transact business securely over the Internet, cutting costs, delays and errors, by eliminating VAN fees, manual operations and paper-based communications. In addition, the company offers automated collaboration solutions by integrating with legacy systems and synchronizing valuable information real-time between trading partners. IPNet's ability to swiftly deploy and implement is unmatched. More information about the company can be found at www.ipnetsolutions.com or 888-882-6600.