iPlanet Unveils Industry's First Full-Up B2B Commerce Platform
New York, NY, December 12, 2000 - iPlanet[tm] E-Commerce Solutions, a Sun-Netscape Alliance, today unveiled its
next-generation commerce platform, the industry's first to include buying, selling, billing, market making and trade
facilitation software solutions, designed exclusively for the Internet to deliver continuous services with massive
scale.
The iPlanet Commerce Platform contains all of the company's next-generation Java-based business applications, including
iPlanet[tm] BuyerXpert, iPlanet[tm] BillerXpert, iPlanet[tm] TrustBase Transaction Manager, iPlanet[tm] Market Maker and
iPlanet[tm] SellerXpert. Each of these applications leverages the infrastructure platform, enabling customers to offer
smart services in a dynamic e-commerce environment. The iPlanet Commerce Platform delivers the next level of
integration, secure identity, extensibility and customisability to accommodate the demands of commerce on a global
scale.
"While buying and selling products have been widely available as point solutions, a B2B commerce platform must provide a
seamless commerce experience - from buying and selling, to billing and trading," said Stuart Wells, senior vice
president at iPlanet. "Today we have taken a giant step forward in delivering and extending this vision. With the
breadth and depth of our platform, enterprises and service providers are realising the power of delivering a "full-up"
commerce experience through the creation of powerful commerce portals -- a commerce environment uniquely customised for
their customers, suppliers, partners or employees."
Next-Generation Commerce Platform Available Today The iPlanet Commerce Platform includes the following next-generation
commerce applications:
iPlanet BuyerXpert 4.0 is a comprehensive, automated procurement solution that streamlines internal processes and
centralises control of product and service acquisitions. Integrated with the iPlanet Application Server and
rearchitected in Java, iPlanet BuyerXpert offers a new, more intuitive user interface, robust workflow, support for
direct and indirect purchasing, and other enhancements.
iPlanet BillerXpert, B2B Edition builds on the success of the BillerXpert (B2C) and BillerXpert Consolidator products to
enable a new level of bill presentment and payment that every business can use. iPlanet BillerXpert B2B, which is also
integrated with the iPlanet Application Server and architected in Java, offers hierarchical billing, dispute resolution,
multi currency support, full workflow management for approvals and dispute resolution, and support for discreet and
cyclical billing.
iPlanet Trustbase Transaction Manager 2.2 enables financial institutions to provide trade facilitation services such as
payments, credits and identity verification, to their corporate customers. It provides digital certificates to help
manage identity risk, links identity services and back end systems, and allows organisations to interface new services
to their existing business systems using XML. Trustbase Transaction Manager 2.2 also includes an implementation of the
Identrus Transaction Coordinator specification.
In addition, iPlanet updated the status of two other commerce applications resident in its commerce platform.
MarketMaker, introduced this spring, is currently in limited release to selected early deployment customers. It is
expected to be broadly available in the first quarter of 2001. Also, the next-generation iPlanet SellerXpert, Enterprise
Edition, rearchitected as a Java application on top of the iPlanet Application Server, is currently in Early Access and
is expected to be available in the Spring of 2001.
The Power of Integration Between Applications and Infrastructure The iPlanet Commerce Platform uniquely leverages the
award-winning iPlanet Internet Services Deployment Platform. By bringing it all together, the power of integration can
deliver common user management, common security, common install, common administration, common internationalisation and
common platform support throughout the commerce platform for one-to-one and one-to-many business models.
For example, iPlanet BuyerXpert calls upon personalisation and directory services to create in-depth vendor profiles
that speed procurement transactions. Its robust workflow service allows the user to establish individually tailored
transaction and approval processes. B2B integration services connect with ERP and legacy systems, proprietary systems,
databases, EDI and even marketplaces. Portal services allow the creation of a customised procurement portal, providing
multiple simultaneous views of commerce transactions, data or information. Commerce communities can be connected through
multiple communication vehicles such as e-mail, AOL Instant Messenger, Calendar, Unified Messaging and Wireless devices.
All of these interactions occur in a highly integrated environment that conforms to numerous open standards, including
XML, Java, J2EE, PKI, OBI, SOAP, UDDI, EBM XML, OFX/IFX, Spectrum, Identrus and others. In addition, the iPlanet
Commerce Platform is the only platform on the market that has strategically integrated Internet bill presentment and
payment, as well as secure identity and trust services supporting the Identrus initiative.
"Businesses today are faced with the daunting task of integrating disparate point product solutions to survive in a
dynamic commerce environment," said Wells. "Customers are telling us they want a powerful component-based commerce
platform that delivers full functionality of enterprise applications and is integrated with iPlanet's scalable and
proven infrastructure platform, including unified user management, application and integration, and communications and
portal services."
Pricing and Availability iPlanet products are offered on a per-CPU or subscription basis. iPlanet does not charge
transaction fees for its commerce products, nor does it establish or run its own closed supplier networks or
emarketplaces. The iPlanet BuyerXpert 4.0, BillerXpert B2B and TrustBase Transaction Manager 2.2 products are available
immediately.
About iPlanet E-Commerce Solutions iPlanet E-Commerce Solutions, a Sun-Netscape Alliance, was established in March 1999
by America Online, Inc. (NYSE: AOL) and Sun Microsystems, Inc. [NASDQ: SUNW] to power the next wave of the Net Economy
through thought leadership, technical innovation, expert services and the creation of exceptional customer satisfaction.
The iPlanet Internet Service Deployment Platform is the industry's leading software environment designed to enable rapid
assembly and deployment of scalable Internet services. Based on best-of-breed, open and proven technologies, the
platform includes the world's #1 Messaging, Directory, Web and Application Servers. For more information, consult the
iPlanet E-Commerce Solutions Web site at www.iplanet.com.
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For more information, please contact:
Mike Lowe E-Business Solutions Manager SolNet Ltd. Ph: 04-462-0725 025-577-022 mike.lowe@solnet.co.nz
SolNet is the exclusive master distributor for iPlanet E-Commerce Solutions in New Zealand.
Regards Amanda McVitty
_________________________________
Amanda McVitty Marketing Communications Manager SolNet Ltd. PO Box 397 Wellington New Zealand
Phone: 64-4-462-0700 Fax: 64-4-462-0775 DDI: 64-4-462-0724 Mobile: 021-898-798 Email:
amandam@newzealand.sun.com