Third-Generation B2B Exchanges Will Drive Web Services; Guru William Woods Reveals the Secrets of Success for Next Generation Exchanges.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

HAMILTON, Bermuda--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 31, 2002

Third generation B2B exchanges will be the catalysts for the delivery of business-to-business web services, according to e-commerce guru William Woods in his new book.

In "B2B Exchanges 2.0: Not All E-markets Are 'Dot-Bombs,'" Woods describes the anatomy of third-generation (3G) B2B exchanges and updates his "Seven Secrets of Success for B2B Exchanges." Exploring how 3G will facilitate true program-to-program integration across corporate firewalls, he christens these new communications hubs "Babel fish," after the piscine translator that lived in Douglas Adams hilarious science fiction novel "The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy."

When Woods' bestseller, "B2B Exchanges: The Killer Application in the Business-to-Business Internet Revolution," was published in 1999, the emergence of Internet-based B2B exchanges was one of the hottest stories of the "dot-com" boom. When the technology bubble burst in early 2000, many high-profile B2B companies failed dramatically -- the so-called "dot-bombs." Among the failures were many start-up B2B exchanges. Now, Woods claims that B2B exchanges are not only making a come back, but will once again be a major market force.

In his new book, Woods analyzes the business models adopted by B2B exchanges and skillfully extracts the important lessons to be learned from recent B2B exchange history. It becomes apparent from his analysis that although everyone is familiar with the highly publicized market failures, many B2B exchanges are actually flourishing, and are fundamentally restructuring their markets. According to Woods, it all means B2B exchanges are here to stay.

Drawing on his 17 years' experience with offshore financial centers, Woods enters the highly-sensitive "offshore" discussion, explaining not only why but also how B2B exchanges should locate and set up in offshore jurisdictions. In "B2B Exchanges 2.0," Woods analyses independent B2B exchanges, the industry consortia models, and the emerging private network exchanges.

About the Author

William co-authored the international bestseller "B2B Exchanges: The Killer Application in the Business-to-Business Internet Revolution." He is considered a guru of B2B exchanges, having written numerous articles on the subject as well as being the keynote speaker at major B2B conferences.

He has over 17 years' experience as a securities lawyer and securities market consultant. For the last six years he was the CEO of the Bermuda Stock Exchange (www.bsx.com) and positioned the BSX as the world's leading, electronic, offshore stock exchange.

Currently, William is Entrepreneur in Residence at the eVentureCentre (www.eventurecentre.com) an e-commerce incubator in Bermuda. He sits on the advisory board of the WiredAtlantic venture fund, an early investor in a dot.com B2B exchange called AviationX. He has also worked with CATEX, CreditTrade, ri3k and Techex.

William acts as an advisor to the Minister of E-commerce and Telecommunications in Bermuda as a member of the E-commerce Advisory Board. Having lived and worked in Hong Kong and Bermuda, and advised on the development of a number of offshore jurisdictions, William is also an expert on offshore financial centers.

Woods also maintains a leading website on B2B exchanges at www.b2bexchanges.com.

About the Publisher

ISI Publications is a specialist publisher focusing on e-commerce and finance titles. ISI Publications published the international bestseller, B2B Exchanges by Arthur Sculley and William Woods in 1999, Evolving E-Markets, The Mobile Internet by Jeffrey Lee Funk in 2001, and We the People Speak on e-Government by Dr. David Wyld in 2002.

For further information on "B2B Exchanges 2.0" contact (Americas) Carol Bonnett, Managing Editor of ISI Publications at carolb@isipublications, (Europe) John Barham, Marketing Director of ISI Publications at [e-mail], or (Asia) Sabra Prentice, Marketing Manager of ISI Publications at [e-mail]. Tel: [phone]. Website: www.isipublications.com.