Internet for Executives Keynote Speaker Identifies New Opportunities for Doing Business on the Internet.

SANTA CRUZ, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 16, 1995--According to Tracy LaQuey Parker, author of The Internet Companion: A Beginner's Guide to Global Networking, now is the ideal time for entrepreneurs to set up roadside businesses along the Information Highway.

Parker plans to share her views on the possibilities the Internet offers to American business in her keynote address to attendees of the Internet for Executives seminar, scheduled to take place Feb. 16 and 17, at the Monterey Marriott Hotel in Monterey, Calif.

The seminar is being organized by InterWorking Labs, The Protocol Police of the Information Superhighway and sponsors of the bi-annual SNMP Test Summit, and is being sponsored by Cisco Systems, Inc., SSDS, Sun Microsystems, and WRQ.

"The Internet is changing the way we do business," said Parker. "It will have an impact on everything, from how we advertise and market, to how we buy, even how we educate our customers. The Internet empowers the individual as well as the worldwide corporation. There are many tales of how people are able to leverage the Internet to advertise and market a service, or even start a business.

"New businesses and industries are being invented because of the Internet, such as electronic publishing, on-line banking, and related services. There are so many new business opportunities; once people understand the power of the Internet, the possibilities become endless."

"We chose Tracy as our keynote speaker for both her depth and her vision," added Chris Wellens, president of InterWorking Labs. "Tracy's been involved with the Internet from its early days, and has been and continues to be actively involved with Internet applications. She will be sharing a wide range of stories and practical applications, explaining how people are using the Internet to expand their businesses.

"She's also knowledgeable about new Internet technologies and where the Internet is going. Tracy always sparks the imagination of her audience."

In her book, Parker references just a few businesses that are taking advantage of the Internet. The most obvious business applications for the Internet are to gain access to market data, such as current stock information, Commerce Business Daily, and foreign money market rates.

But Parker notes there are other marketing opportunities as well. On-line bookstores allow Internet users to peruse and evaluate various book titles before they buy. An on-line florist also lets customers view graphics files showing flower arrangements before clicking on an electronic order form to schedule delivery. And other business applications are emerging to meet the swelling consumer demand for on-line services.

"Businesses need to pay attention to the Internet because of the power the consumer now has to reshape their products and services," Parker wrote. "A negative comment is not heard locally anymore -- it's blasted around the world, announced on mailing lists, or forwarded via e-mail. Some people are maintaining databases of reviews and complaints about products and services -- accessible and searchable by anyone on the Internet."

To demonstrate the power of the Internet, Parker notes the recent furor over the problem with floating-point calculations in Intel's Pentium microprocessor. The entire issue came to light because of a single e-mail message that proliferated into a deluge of Internet commentary.

Parker is also Manager of Education Market Development for Cisco Systems, Inc. Other experts who will be on hand to share their Internet expertise include: Karl Auerbach, one of the original architects of the Internet and creator of the first commercial Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) product; Brian Lloyd, president of Lloyd Internetworking, and chairman of the Point-to-Point Protocol Working Group of the IETF; Frank Heinrich, a network architect with the integration firm SSDS who has been responsible for installing and maintaining wide area networks for businesses and government, including a network in the jungles of New Guinea; and Don Hoffman, a senior staff engineer for Sun Microsystems, who is helping prototype the next generation of multimedia Internet applications.

In addition to laying a foundation so that attendees get "the big picture" of the Internet, other intriguing topics that will be covered include the economics of the Internet, including costs and types of access, Internet banking and digital cash, Internet video compared to interactive cable television, security issues, and copyright laws and intellectual property rights. All concepts will be demonstrated with a live network connected to the Internet.

Not only will the expert speakers offer their insights and share their experiences about the Information Superhighway, they will also be available to work one-on-one with seminar participants. This approach will allow attendees to gather as much information as possible about issues that relate to their particular business or networking application.

Registration for the Internet for Executives is $895, and three or more people from the same organization can save $100 per registrant. For more information, contact InterWorking Labs at 408/459-9817, or send e-mail to [e-mail].

InterWorking Labs is an independent testing service that provides testing services to computer hardware and software manufacturers. InterWorking Labs has offices at 218 Carbonera Drive, Suite 102, Santa Cruz, CA 95060-1500; telephone: [phone]; FAX: [phone].

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Tom Woolf, 415/508-1554