MetaInfo announces Pre-Release of NewsChannel NNTP News and Collaboration Server.

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 24, 1997--

Delivers first component of platform for Information

Management, code named, "Enchilada"

MetaInfo Inc., an international leader in Windows NT IP Management, Internet Messaging and Information Management software, today announced the pre-release of the first component of their "Enchilada" Intranet information management suite, called NewsChannel, a News and Collaboration server for the NT platform based on open NNTP standards.

NewsChannel gives corporate Intranets a powerful new management asset to set up and control network-hosted internal discussion groups and to harness the wealth of information available through Internet Newsgroups.

The full commercial release of the NewsChannel component of "Enchilada" will be released in early February and will be priced at $795 per server for unlimited users, including initial technical support. The software is optimized for Microsoft's Windows NT(TM) operating system and the Intel platform; Alpha, MIPS and PowerPC versions will be available by late 1st quarter 1997.

"Enchilada," a comprehensive information management suite, automatically finds and delivers personalized information to users based on user-defined profiles. Information residing in Newsgroups and managed by NewsChannel can be presented, managed and shared with other users for historical and collaborative analysis in a highly customized manner.

Additional "Enchilada" components, which will be rolled out individually in the 2nd and 3rd quarters of 1997, will provide users with IMAP4 email capabilities and will be optimized to manage information from SMTP, HTTP, ODBC and other data file sources. All "Enchilada" components will integrate with NewsChannel in a seamless architecture.

"The launch of NewsChannel marks the first step in what will be a revolution in the way businesses manage mission-critical information," said Jared Vogt, president & CEO of MetaInfo. "NewsChannel is the first step in delivering a comprehensive information management product that will give organizations a complete set of applications and technologies to help profile, find, present, and manage the overwhelming amount of information available across the Internet and corporate Intranets."

Vogt continued, "`Enchilada' delivers the first and only information management suite that is tailored to specific standards-oriented data sources, structured to allow corporations to easily archive and utilize information, and intuitively architected to mirror the way companies currently use the information that is most valuable to them. `Enchilada' facilitates information finding people who need it."

"We selected Usenet news and NNTP technology as the first data source to target with the `Enchilada' suite because our corporate customers told us that this area has been the most difficult to understand and use, as a result their organizations have not been taking advantage of it," said Vogt. "We're going to change that because NewsChannel increases accessibility and control of Newsgroups and simplifies the processes to manage them with advanced interfaces and wizards. Making the information in the more than 18,000 Newsgroups controllable and useful is a priority for our Intranet customers so it is a primary area of focus for MetaInfo."

The expert administrative tools for the NewsChannel component includes powerful, yet easy to use, utilities to control news data feeds, internal forums, and access security, applying the most comprehensive security model of any Intranet forum/News server available. The administrative application offers intuitive wizards, beginning with simplified installation which anticipates and queries for necessary system information. Additionally, the user directory integrates with the NT operating systems' User Account Database to leverage an administrator's ongoing investment in managing their NT network to simplify installation and management of NewsChannel.

NewsChannel is fully compatible with the NNTP RFCs and integrates easily with an existing UNIX installed base. Access to the NewsChannel server can be through any of the numerous NNTP client applications available for virtually every platform, including those bundled with Netscape Communicator and Microsoft Internet Explorer browsers.

NewsChannel is available through the MetaInfo web site (http://www.metainfo.com) and resellers. For information on corporate enterprise-wide site licenses, please contact Carolyn Brady, Sales Executive & Strategic Business Development, at 206/674-3714 or [e-mail].

MetaInfo, located in Seattle, is a leading supplier of IP Management, Internet Messaging and Information Management software for the Windows NT platform. MetaInfo offers a suite of products which leverage the Internet's open standards and the "ease of use" offered by Windows NT.

For additional information, contact MetaInfo at 206/674-3700; e-mail: [e-mail]; Web site: http://www.metainfo.com .

CONTACT: Reed, Revell-Pechar Adv. & PR

Ann Revell-Pechar or Steve McLean, 206/462-4777

[e-mail] or [e-mail]

or

MetaInfo

Fred Hunter

Project Manager, NewsChannel, 206/674-3700

[e-mail]