Update on Customer Information Quality Discussion Group

Dear OASIS Members, This message comes to you from Ram Kumar (rkumar@msi.com.au) of Cognito, Inc., an OASIS member. Ram is the Discussion Group Leader for the Customer Information Quality discussion group. Please read further for detailed information on the intent and scope of this group. If you should have any questions, or if you should wish to join the group (ciq@lists.oasis-open.org), please contact Ram directly. CIQ: THE OBJECTIVE The objective of OASIS Customer Information Quality (CIQ) discussion group is to initiate an OASIS Technical Committee to establish and promote a uniform, unique and identifiable customer profile, carrying elements to find and reach the person/company behind the profile. THE NEED FOR CUSTOMER INFORMATION QUALITY MANAGEMENT Research tells us that it is much more cost effective to retain and invest in our existing customer base than to build or buy market share. One customer lost through ineffective marketing means a massive expenditure on acquiring new customers to make up the lost revenue. This is more apparent as we move into the e-business environment. As companies move to establish more effective relationships with their customers, the need to achieve a complete view of each customer’s dealings is recognised as critical. A direct result of this is the development of company-wide customer relationship management strategies, representing a combination of business processes, information management tools and importantly, customer data. Customer data forms the foundation to build effective customer relationships. To be effective, customer data must meet the highest possible standards of both quality and integrity. Often, it is only when attempting to unify customer data from disparat ebusiness systems that the impact of poor quality customer information is fully understood. While data within individual databases may be fit for the purpose for which it is collected and used, combining data from a range of sources for a new and different purpose poses a real threat to the effectiveness of entire customer relationship initiatives. The bottom line is that reliable and accurate customer information is now more than ever essential in establishing effective customer relationships and therefore, customer information quality management is critical. The Internet threatens to turn customer marketing on its head. While it has created tremendous opportunities for relating to customers on a one-to-one basis, it has also created a nightmarish challenge for companies struggling to understand this new way of interacting with customers. Despite the tantalising opportunity it represents, e-business is still an inefficient way to attract and retain customers. Customer acquisition costs on the Internet have skyrocketed to US$65-250 per customer. Churn is up because more than 50% of Internet companies cannot respond to their customers. Despite the promise of the Internet, companies do not know and cannot relate to their customers due to the poor quality customer data they maintain. To make matters worse, Internet customers are a global audience. Global customers require 24-hour-a-day, 7-day-a-week service, have language differences, multiple data and shipping formats, and vast differences in demographics, tastes, preferences and so on. The general belief is that the more we know and understand about each customer the higher the chances they will purchase and return.Therefore, retaining e-business customers by maintaining reliable and accurate information about them is now the most critical problem in an e-business environment. Customer information quality management is the answer to this problem. NAME AND ADDRESS DATA MANAGEMENT STANDARD Customer data consists of many components. However, a person or company’s name and address is the key identifier of a “customer”. Name and address, as a data type, is very difficult to manage. This data is often volatile… customers come and go, addresses change, names change. This data is often cluttered when entered. Name and address fields on data entry screens are usually free format and ripe for users to enter comments without any edits. Name and address is subjective…it can be written in a number of different ways and still be the same. There is no application independent standard to represent name and address data and to measure its quality. This problem is further compounded by the different ethnic backgrounds of name and address data in a global market. An application independent XML standard for name and address data management called Name and Address Markup Language (NAML) has been developed and this will be discussed and further developed by the CIQ committee. Though NAML does not include all the address components throughout the world, it is a good start. NAML will evolve as more additional name and address components are identified. Businesses dealing with name and address data (eg. mailing houses, address verification and management services, name and address data quality vendors, etc) can use this standard for managing name and address data. CUSTOMER INFORMATION QUALITY MANAGEMENT STANDARD Although name and address data is the key identifier of a customer, other data helps to uniquely identify a customer. Customer addresses frequently change and it is not trivial to link the customer across multiple addresses with just name information. In the example below, a customer can have two completely different addresses and it is nearly impossible to uniquely identify the customer with the name alone. Customer centric data such as telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, account numbers, credit card numbers etc. will be necessary to achieve this. It is therefore, important to define a standard for representing all forms of customer data that forms the basis of customer information quality management. An application independent XML standard for customer information quality called Customer Identity Markup Language (CIML) has been developed and this will be discussed and further developed by the CIQ committee. CIML provides a framework for representing different data about a customer and as a result, helps to uniquely identify a customer. Given that name and address is a subset of customer data, NAML is a subset of CIML. Businesses dealing with customer data can use this standard.

ebXML Moves Forward on Defining Global Electronic Business Infrastructure

Brussels, Belgium; 15 May 2000– Significant progress in standardizing a global XML electronic business infrastructure was unveiled at the latest ebXML meeting in Europe last week hosted by CEN/ISSS. Under the guidance of UN/CEFACT and OASIS, electronic business experts representing standards organizations, industry consortia and companies from around the world gathered in Brussels for a working meeting that marked the six-month point in the initiative’s 18-month charter. Highlights of the meeting included the approval of the ebXML Requirements Specification and a proof-of-concept demonstration for the routing and enveloping of ebXML messages.

"We are very pleased with the ebXML progress to date," said Klaus-Dieter Naujok, Chair of ebXML and Member of the UN/CEFACT Steering Committee. "The roadmap to achieving interoperability and integration of business services has been defined. We are making great strides toward accomplishing our objectives through the approval of specifications and delivery of prototypes."

In an open plenary at the conclusion of the Europe meeting, participants approved the ebXML Requirements Specification defining the full scope of the initiative. Prior to the vote, the Specification had been available 60 days for public review.

"The Requirements Specification will serve as the foundation for the Initiative, setting the scope for the other ebXML project teams as they develop the technical specifications for the ebXML framework," explained Michael C. Rawlins, Leader of the ebXML Requirements Team.

The ebXML Transport, Routing and Packaging Project Team successfully demonstrated a proof-of-concept in which sample OpenTravel Alliance (OTA) business messages were exchanged between a small company and a large enterprise. The messaging prototype implemented the draft ebXML specification for exchange of business documents between trading partners using the everyday Internet Web and e-mail protocols, HTTP and SMTP. The demonstration also integrated output from the ebXML Business Process and Registry and Repository Project Teams.

"ebXML is not technology for technology’s sake. Our motivation is to provide genuine business solutions that enable global trade," said Rik Drummond, leader of the ebXML Transport, Routing and Packaging Project Team. "We are very aware of the time-critical nature of our objectives. We’re producing drafts, prototyping and integrating work from other ebXML project teams now so that we can give businesses the solutions they need as soon as possible."

"Support for the ebXML effort continues to grow at a tremendous rate. Representatives from virtually all the leading industry standards organizations actively participate in ebXML, and we are coordinating our development efforts with their work," noted Dr. Robert S. Sutor, Vice-Chair of ebXML and Chief Strategy Officer of OASIS. "The meeting in Brussels attracted almost twice as many attendees as our previous gathering, with participants from many European and global organizations."

Participation in ebXML remains open to all interested parties. Current information on all the ebXML project teams is available on www.ebxml.org.

About ebXML

ebXML is an International Initiative established by UN/CEFACT and OASIS in late 1999 with a mandate to undertake an 18-month program of work to research and identify the technical basis upon which the global implementation of XML (Extensible Markup Language) can be standardized. The goal of ebXML is to facilitate open trade between organizations regardless of size by enabling XML to be used in a consistent manner to exchange electronic business data.

About UN/CEFACT

UN/CEFACT 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 is a non-profit, international consortium dedicated solely to product-independent data and content interchange. Focusing on product interoperability, OASIS embraces the complete spectrum of structured information standards including XML, SGML and CGM. OASIS sponsors include Adobe Systems, Aerospatiale, AND-USA, Arbortext, BEA Systems, Bentley Systems, Boeing, Bowstreet, Bridge, Chrystal Software, Cohesia, Commerce One, CommerceNet, CompTIA, Corel, DataChannel, DMSi, Documentum, Dun & Bradstreet, eCredit.com, Enigma, eXcelon, Extricity Software, GCA, Health Level Seven, IBM, InformIT, Informix, InterCAP, Interleaf, Interwoven, ISOGEN, ITEDO, JetForm, Keyfile, Logistics Management Institute, Mercator Software, Microsoft, NextPage, NII Enterprise Promotion Association, Nimble.com, NIST, Object Management Group (OMG), Open Applications Group, Pick Systems, POET Software, ProNet Technology Partners, Reed Technology, Reuters, Sabre, SAP, Sequoia Software, SoftQuad, Software AG, STEP, StreamServe, Sun Microsystems, Synthbank, Visa, Wavo, Webb Interactive Services, webMethods, Whitehill Technologies, Xerox, XMLSolutions and XyEnterprise.

For More Information Contact

Carol Geyer Media Relations Consultant OASIS +1 978.667.5115 x209 carol.geyer@oasis-open.org

Hans Hansell Head UN/CEFACT Secretariat +41 22 917 2457

Member Call for Participation: DSML Mailing List

Dear OASIS Members, Bowstreet has requested creation of a mailing list for the purpose of founding a Technical Committee to establish DSML as an open standard, through OASIS, so that developers and vendors will be able to adopt it into their systems. The TC will also refine and enhance the standard, using version 1.0 as a base. We expect to add features from the list on www.dsml.org/1.0/futures/index.shtmll and others as decided by the TC. This mailing list, dsml@lists.oasis-open.org, is now fully operational. DSML is a markup language for representing directory services in XML. With a DSML standard, any XML-based application will be able to leverage directory information expressed as XML. Specifically, DSML will allow these applications to utilize profile and resource information from directories in their native environment, by providing the standard schema for representing this meta-data in XML documents. Such documents can then be used by applications or transmitted via the Internet to other DSML-enabled applications. This effectively extends LDAP across firewalls and to any Internet transport protocol – a major benefit to all inter-company efforts. In order to ensure that DSML moves forward in an orderly fashion, we suggest the following project plan of targets and expected participation level. We believe that naming metrics will both ease the process and align the expectations of all participants. Expected participation will include: Face-to-face meetings from time to time, including an initial meeting around the time of the OASIS meetings Paris this June, with a follow up in July during Catalyst in San Diego. The timing of these meetings is tentatively set for the weeks of June 11, 2000 and July 23, 2000 respectively. One to two conference calls per month. Targets for completing preliminary objectives for the TC are as follows: * Objective Target Date Call for Participation 4/27/00 * Draft of Statement of Purpose 5/22/00 * Completed Statement of Purpose 6/5/00 * Completed Meeting Schedule 6/5/00 * Initial Face to Face meeting Week of 6/11/00 – TBD * raft List of Deliverables Week of 6/11/00 – TBD * Completed List of Deliverables 7/3/00 * Second Face to Face meeting Week of 7/23/00 – TBD * Target Set for Completion of Version 2.0 Week of 7/23/00 – TBD James Tauber, Director of XML Technology at Bowstreet.com, will be the discussion leader for the group. We look forward to a lively and valuable dialog through OASIS. Best regards, Mox Weber Product Manager Bowstreet Software (603) 559-1900 x1577 mweber@bowstreet.com

OASIS, W3C and RivCom Offer Workshop on Applying XML Within the Enterprise

Boston, MA, USA; 4 May, 2000–International consortia, OASIS and the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), have joined forces with XML consultancy and services company, RivCom, to host, “Making the Best Use of XML within the Enterprise.” Focused on the strategic introduction of XML to user organizations, this one-day workshop will be held on 15 May as part of the WWW9 Conference in Amsterdam. Workshop attendees will join XML leaders from Boeing, DataChannel, ebXML, Flash Creative Management, IBM, NATO, Sun Microsystems and others in a highly participatory event. “While XML is becoming established as a key enabler for Internet-based enterprise information exchange and distributed computing, many user organizations are finding it difficult to know how best to adopt this emerging technology,” observed Adrian Rivers, Managing Director, RivCom. “This workshop will help users appreciate the many roles XML can play across the whole enterprise.” “The goal of OASIS, W3C and RivCom is to bring together leading figures from the XML world who represent user organizations, software vendors, consultancies and standards bodies,” said Stuart Robinson, Head of the W3C UK Office at Rutherford Appleton Laboratories. “This group will identify the technical and cultural issues involved in introducing XML to the enterprise and the options open to organizations in addressing these issues.” The program for the Workshop will include short presentations on the issues involved in introducing XML to the enterprise, along with candidate solutions to address these issues. These will be followed by discussion groups and plenary sessions to explore the potential and possible nature of a framework to support organizations seeking to introduce XML to the enterprise. “Proceedings from the day will be used as input towards the development of a set of support materials for organizations setting out to establish clear strategies for the adoption of XML. These materials will be made publicly available and presented for discussion at the XML Europe 2000 conference,” said Pamela Gennusa, OASIS European representative and chair of XML Europe 2000. More information about “Making the Best Use of XML within the Enterprise” can be found at http://www.rivcom.com/www9workshop. Details on the WWW9 conference can be found at http://www9.org. About OASIS OASIS is a non-profit, international consortium dedicated solely to product-independent data and content interchange. Focusing on product interoperability, OASIS embraces the complete spectrum of structured information standards including XML, SGML and CGM. OASIS sponsors include Adobe Systems, Aerospatiale, AND-USA, Arbortext, BEA Systems, Bentley Systems, Boeing, Bowstreet, Bridge, Chrystal Software, Cohesia, Commerce One, CommerceNet, CompTIA, Corel, DataChannel, DMSi, Documentum, Dun & Bradstreet, eCredit.com, Enigma, eXcelon, Extricity Software, GCA, Health Level Seven, IBM, InformIT,Informix, InterCAP, Interleaf, Interwoven, ISOGEN, ITEDO, JetForm, Keyfile, Logistics Management Institute, Mercator Software, Microsoft, NextPage, NII Enterprise Promotion Association, Nimble.com, NIST, Object Management Group (OMG), Open Applications Group, Pick Systems, POET Software, ProNet Technology Partners, Reed Technology, Reuters, Sabre, SAP, Sequoia Software, SoftQuad, Software AG, STEP, StreamServe, Sun Microsystems, Synthbank, Visa, Wavo, Webb Interactive Services, webMethods, Whitehill Technologies, Xerox, XMLSolutions and XyEnterprise. About RivCom RivCom is a consultancy and services company specializing in helping businesses adopt XML technologies to meet their information management and distribution needs. RivCom has been actively involved in the development of the XML family of standards, having been a member of the original XML Special Interest Group, a member of the W3C XSLT Working Group, joint project leader of the STEP/SGML harmonisation initiative under ISO, and software development lead in the recently completed European XML/EDI Pilot Project. In April 1997, at the WWW6 conference in Santa Clara, RivCom gave the world’s first public demonstration of XML content being displayed within an industry-standard browser (using a browser plugin developed by RivCom). RivCom is currently assisting the International Press Telecommunications Council (IPTC) in the development of NewsML, an XML-based standard for the management and interchange of news objects and collections of news objects in all media. About the World Wide Web Consortium [W3C] The W3C was created to lead the Web to its full potential by developing common protocols that promote its evolution and ensure its interoperability. It is an international industry consortium jointly run by the MIT Laboratory for Computer Science (MIT LCS) in the USA, the National Institute for Research in Computer Science and Control (INRIA) in France and Keio University in Japan. Services provided by the Consortium include: a repository of information about the World Wide Web for developers and users, reference code implementations to embody and promote standards,and various prototype and sample applications to demonstrate use of new technology. To date, over 420 organizations are Members of the Consortium. For more information, contact: Carol Geyer Media Relations Consultant OASIS carol.geyer@oasis-open.org Tel: +1 978.667.5115 x209 Fax: +1.505.210.2878 Adrian Rivers RivCom adrian.rivers@rivcom.com Tel: +44 (0)1793 792003 Fax: +44 (0)1793 792001 Janet Daly Head of Communications W3C jdaly@w3.org Tel: +1 617 253 5884 Fax: +1 617 258 5999

OASIS Adds Director of Technical Operations to Manage XML Standards

Boston, MA, USA; 3 May, 2000–OASIS, the international consortium dedicated to XML interoperability, today announced that Karl F. Best has joined the staff as Director of Technical Operations. In this newly created position, Best will be responsible for managing the Consortium’s industry standards efforts as well as overseeing OASIS’ infrastructure. “In the past six months, OASIS has experienced tremendous growth-in our membership and in the technical work and services we provide the industry,” said Bill Smith, president and acting chair of the OASIS Board. “Adding Karl to the staff as Director of Technical Operations underscores our commitment to meeting the needs of the XML industry, assisting applications groups with the XML standardization process and providing the services on which our members rely.”— Best has been involved in the XML/SGML industry since the early 1990s and served as chief strategy officer on the OASIS board of directors from 1997 to 1998. He has been an active member of a number of industry standards committees including W3C, ISO, ANSI, DocBook and ebXML. A featured speaker at industry conferences around the world, Best has spoken on topics such as “The Use of Structured Information Including XML in E-Business Applications.” He has an extensive background in designing and implementing electronic documentation systems for companies that include Novell, Adobe and Sun Microsystems. About OASIS OASIS is a non-profit, international consortium dedicated solely to product-independent data and content interchange. Focusing on product interoperability, OASIS embraces the complete spectrum of structured information standards including XML, SGML and CGM. Together with the United Nations CEFACT, OASIS sponsors the ebXML Initiative to provide an open XML-based infrastructure enabling the global use of electronic business information in an interoperable and consistent manner. OASIS sponsors include Adobe Systems, Aerospatiale, AND-USA, Arbortext, BEA Systems, Bentley Systems, Boeing, Bowstreet, Bridge, Chrystal Software, Cohesia, Commerce One, CommerceNet, CompTIA, Corel, DataChannel, DMSi, Documentum, Dun & Bradstreet, eCredit.com, Enigma, eXcelon, Extricity Software, GCA, Health Level Seven, IBM, InformIT, Informix, InterCAP, Interleaf, Interwoven, ISOGEN, ITEDO, JetForm, Keyfile, Logistics Management Institute, Mercator Software, Microsoft, NextPage, NII Enterprise Promotion Association, Nimble.com, NIST, Object Management Group (OMG), Open Applications Group, Pick Systems, POET Software, ProNet Technology Partners, Reed Technology, Reuters, Sabre, SAP, Sequoia Software, SoftQuad, Software AG, STEP, StreamServe, Sun Microsystems, Synthbank, Visa, Wavo, Webb Interactive Services, webMethods, Whitehill Technologies, Xerox, XMLSolutions and XyEnterprise. About XML.ORG XML.ORG is a vendor-neutral community for advancing XML industry standardization. Hosted by OASIS, the XML.ORG website provides news and information about the application of XML in electronic business environments. XML.ORG offers valuable online tools, such as the XML.ORG Catalog, a clearinghouse for industry-specific or cross-industry XML specifications. Sponsors of XML.ORG include DataChannel, Documentum, Commerce One, GCA, IBM, Mercator Software, SAP, SoftQuad and Sun Microsystems. # # # For more information: Carol Geyer Media Relations Consultant OASIS carol.geyer@oasis-open.org Tel: +1 978.667.5115 x209

Mercator Becomes Newest OASIS Member and Sponsors XML.ORG

BOSTON, Mass., and WILTON, Conn. – April 27, 2000 – Mercator Software, (NASDAQ: MCTR), the e-business transformation company™, today became the newest member of OASIS, the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards. Mercator also announced its affiliate sponsorship of XML.ORG, the OASIS community for advancing XML industry standardization.

In addition, as part of joining OASIS, Mercator is participating in the Electronic Business XML (ebXML) Initiative. ebXML was formed by the United Nations CEFACT and OASIS to develop a technical framework to enable the use of XML in a consistent manner across all business data in application-to-application, application-to-person and person-to-application environments. In particular, ebXML lowers the barrier-of-entry to electronic business in order to facilitate trade, particularly with respect to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and developing nations. Mercator will take an active role in developing ebXML.

"We’re strong supporters of XML.ORG, an open clearinghouse for XML specifications," said Dave Power, vice president of marketing, Mercator Software. "Our customers want to accelerate the integration of their businesses with their trading partners; OASIS and Mercator are committed to making this happen by ensuring interoperability of various XML standards for business-to-business commerce. Joining OASIS and supporting ebXML is an important step in delivering the most versatile e-business integration solution while providing our customers with substantial time and cost savings."

"By sponsoring OASIS and supporting XML.ORG, Mercator demonstrates its commitment to product-independent standards for e-business applications," commented Laura Walker, executive director of OASIS. "The XML community-at-large benefits from the support of XML.ORG by companies like Mercator who make it possible for OASIS to maintain an unbiased environment in which the universal data exchange capabilities of XML can be realized."

About Mercator E-Business Integration Brokers

Mercator E-Business Integration Broker products capture the complete semantic descriptions of XML standards transactions in graphical form, including importing of XML data type definitions (DTDs), thereby allowing 100% transformation to any other format through a drag-and-drop interface, without writing programs.—

About Mercator

Mercator, the e-business transformation company™, provides e-business integration software. Its products simplify customer migration to e-business across every industry, delivering comprehensive automation for the most difficult e-business integration tasks.— The Mercator E-Business Integration Broker suite of products addresses customer requirements for business-to-business (B2B), application-to-application (A2A) and consumer-to-business (C2B) integration in every industry. More than 5,000 customers use Mercator’s products to accelerate their transformation to e-business and over 100 partners embed or resell its technology to enhance their product or service offerings. Additional information about Mercator can be found on the Internet at www.mercator.com.

About XML.ORG

XML.ORG is a vendor-neutral community for advancing XML industry standardization. Hosted by OASIS, the XML.ORG website provides news and information about the application of XML in electronic business environments. XML.ORG offers valuable online tools, such as the XML.ORG Catalog, a clearinghouse for industry-specific or cross-industry XML specifications. Sponsors of XML.ORG include DataChannel, Documentum, Commerce One, GCA, IBM, Mercator Software, SAP, SoftQuad and Sun Microsystems.

About OASIS

OASIS is a non-profit, international consortium dedicated solely to product-independent data and content interchange. Focusing on product interoperability, OASIS embraces the complete spectrum of structured information standards including XML, SGML and CGM. OASIS sponsors include Adobe Systems, Aerospatiale, AND-USA, Arbortext, BEA Systems, Bentley Systems, Boeing, Bowstreet, Bridge, Chrystal Software, Cohesia, Commerce One, CommerceNet, CompTIA, Corel, DataChannel, DMSi, Documentum, Dun & Bradstreet, eCredit.com, Enigma, eXcelon, Extricity Software, GCA, Health Level Seven, IBM, InformIT, Informix, InterCAP, Interleaf, Interwoven, ISOGEN, ITEDO, JetForm, Keyfile, Logistics Management Institute, Mercator Software, Microsoft, NextPage, NII Enterprise Promotion Association, Nimble.com, NIST, Object Management Group (OMG), Open Applications Group, Pick Systems, POET Software, ProNet Technology Partners, Reed Technology, Reuters, Sabre, SAP, Sequoia Software, SoftQuad, Software AG, STEP, StreamServe, Sun Microsystems, Synthbank, Visa, Wavo, Webb Interactive Services, webMethods, Whitehill Technologies, Xerox, XMLSolutions and XyEnterprise.

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Mercator Software is the new trade name of TSI International Software, Ltd., headquartered in Wilton, Connecticut. The company will seek stockholder approval to formally change its name at an upcoming stockholders meeting.

Legal Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this press release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements, including statements regarding TSI International Software Ltd.’s (the Company) beliefs, expectations, hopes or intentions regarding the future. Forward-looking statements in this release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the growth of the enterprise application market, the demand for the Company’s application integration solutions and the speed of deployment of new products, including combined Mercator E-business Integration Broker products. It is important to note that actual outcomes and the Company’s actual results could differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include risks and uncertainties such as changes in demand for application integration or e-business integration software and the Company’s Mercator E-business Integration Broker suite of products in particular, the ability of the Company to expand its international operations, the ability of the Company to manage expanded global operations, the ability of the Company to continue to add resellers and other distribution channels, and the success of third parties in utilizing and marketing the Company’s products, or seasonality in operating results. Readers should also refer to the risk disclosures outlined in the Company’s reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements and reasons why results might differ included in this release are made as of the date hereof, based on information available to the Company as of the date hereof, and the Company assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statement or reason why results might differ.

Contacts:

Cynthia Cronk Brockhoff Mercator Software (203) 761-8600 cbrockhoff@mercator.com

Amy Pavel or Ted Weismann Lois Paul & Partners, for Mercator (781) 238-5700 amy_pavel@lpp.com ted_weismann@lpp.com

Carol Geyer OASIS +1 978.667.5115 x209 carol.geyer@oasis-open.org

ebXML InitiativeT to Deliver Its Initial XML Interoperability Specifications in May 2000

Orlando, FL; March 13, 2000–The ebXML InitiativeT to create a single global XML framework solution–a joint effort of the United Nation/CEFACT and OASIS– continued to attract the participation of major industry standards organizations and companies from around the world at its second working meeting in Orlando, FL, USA.

“ebXML may very well prove to be a major event of the new millennium, revolutionizing how business transactions are tracked, affecting worldwide impacts, removing paper from the process, and by empowering people to create whole new work models,” said David RR Webber, North American Chair of the XML/EDI Group. Others expressed the belief that the ebXML Initiative is the only chance this decade to establish an international electronic commerce standard.

Participants representing 14 countries, 83 companies, government agencies and several national and international standards organizations extended to nearly 500 by virtual participation. Lending their knowledge and expertise to the ebXML InitiativeT are representatives from IBM, Sun Microsystems, Commerce One, Dun & Bradstreet, Oracle, Visa International, General Motors joined with individuals representing Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan and United Kingdom. A full listing of countries, companies and organizations represented is at the end of this document.

The energy and enthusiasm of the on-site participants was evident in all eight Project Teams’ efforts. Each project team committed to an aggressive schedule to deliver the components of the ebXMLT framework. Specification components of the ebXMLT Framework to be developed between the Orlando meeting and submitted for approval at the next meeting to be held in Brussels include the following:

  • ebXML Requirements Specification
  • ebXML Conceptual Architecture Specification
  • ebXML Message Structure and Headers Specification
  • ebXML Core Components Specification

The work of the ebXML project teams is carried out via extensive listserv discussions and regular teleconferences between each face-to-face meeting. Proposed specifications will be submitted for public comment via the ebXML listserv and the ebXML web site. Participation is open to anyone wishing to contribute to this critical and exciting initiative. Interested organizations and individuals can learn more about the effort, including details on how to get involved, by visiting the ebXML InitiativeT web site at http://www.ebxml.org.

The next meeting is scheduled for 8-12 May 2000, in Brussels, Belgium. Subsequent meetings are scheduled for 7-11 August in the United States and 6-11 November in Tokyo, Japan. Details for the Brussels meeting are now available at the ebXML web site.

About ebXML

ebXML (www.ebXML.org) is an International Initiative established by UN/CEFACT and OASIS with a mandate to undertake a 15-18 month program of work to research and identify the technical basis upon which the global implementation of XML (Extensible Markup Language) can be standardized. The goal is to provide an open technical specification to enable XML to be utilized in a consistent and uniform manner for the exchange of electronic business data in application-to-application, application-to-person and person-to-application environments.

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 a non-profit, international consortium dedicated solely to product-independent data and content interchange. Focusing on product interoperability, OASIS embraces the complete spectrum of structured information standards including XML, SGML and CGM. OASIS sponsors include Adobe Systems, Aerospatiale, AND-USA, Arbortext, Bentley Systems, Boeing, Bowstreet, Chrystal Software, Cohesia, Commerce One, CommerceNet, CompTIA, Corel, DataChannel, DMSi, Documentum, Dun & Bradstreet, eCredit.com, Enigma, eXcelon, Extricity Software, GCA, Health Level Seven, IBM, InformIT, Informix, InterCAP, Interleaf, Interwoven, ISOGEN, ITEDO, JetForm, Keyfile, Microsoft, NextPage, NII Enterprise Promotion Association, Nimble.com, NIST, Object Management Group (OMG), Open Applications Group, Oracle, Pick Systems, ProNet Technology Partners, Reed Technology, Reuters, Sabre, Sequoia Software, SoftQuad, Software AG, STEP, StreamServe, Sun Microsystems, Synthbank, Wavo, Webb Interactive Services, Whitehill Technologies, Xerox, XMLSolutions and XyEnterprise.

For More Information Contact:

Carol Geyer, Media Relations Consultant, OASIS +1 978.667.5115 x209 carol.geyer@oasis-open.org

or

Hans Hansell, Head UN/CEFACT Secretariat, +41 22 917 2457 Hans.Hansell@unece.org

ebXML February 2000 Orlando Meeting Participants:

Countries Represented:

Australia Austria Belgium Canada Denmark Finland France Germany Japan Netherlands Spain Switzerland United Kingdom United States

Companies & Organizations Represented:

ACORD Corp Air Transport Association of America Apacs BASDA Ltd. BizID, Inc. Bowstreet Software, Inc. British Telecommunications Plc. (BT) BT UK Networks Systems Engineering Burns e-Commerce Solutions Codan Insurance Columbine JDS Comit Financial Systems Commerce One, Inc. CommerceNet CompTia Cyntercon, Inc. Danish Bankers Association Data Interchange Standards Association (DISA) DataAccess Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation Documentum Drummond Group Dun & Bradstreet EAN Intl. EBES: Secretariat of the European Board for EDI Standardization ecentre ecom2ecom, Inc. EDI Master OY Edifecs Commerce Electronic Commerce Connection, Inc. Electronic Trade Services, Ltd. enigma e-Phase Software Solutions, Inc eProcessSolutions Extricity Software FORESIGHT Corp. GEIS General Motors Gesamtverband der Deutschen Versicherungswirtschaft (GDV) Group 8760 H.O.Systems Head of SDSC Division, CSTB Hewlett-Packard I-2 Technologies IETF/Internet Open Trading Protocol JIPDEC, Japan Information Processing Development Center Kraft Foods, Inc. Logistics Management Institute LTV Steel MMI-AerolinkEC NACHA NCR NEC Corporation Netfish Technologies NIST Northwest Airlines NTT Amerika, Inc. OASIS Object Management Group (OMG) Open Applications Group, Inc. Oracle Corporation POLARIS U.K. Ltd. Rachel Foerster & Associates RosettaNet S.W.I.F.T. Sabre Siemens AG EL LP SPS Commerce State Farm Insurance Companies Sterling Commerce (S) Pte Ltd The Boeing Company TIE International BV Tradegate ECA UCC Inc. University of Vienna – Institute of Applied Computer Science UPC University Politics of Spain Visa International Vitria Technology Worldspan XML Global XMLSolutions


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IBM Selects XML.ORG for Vendor-Neutral Standardization of tpaML XML B-2-B Transaction Specification

Boston, MA; January 31, 2000 – OASIS, the vendor-neutral organization for XML interoperability, announced that IBM has submitted its Trading Partner Agreement Markup Language (tpaML) for standardization within the OASIS XML.ORG initiative. Developed by IBM, the tpaML specification uses XML to define and implement electronic contracts.

The foundation of tpaML is the Trading Partner Agreement (TPA), which defines how trading partners will interact at the transport, document exchange and business protocol layers. A TPA contains the general contract terms and conditions, participant roles (buyers, sellers), communication and security protocols and business processes, (valid actions, sequencing rules, etc.). XML-based TPA documents capture the essential information upon which trading partners must agree in order for their applications and business processes to communicate.

"OASIS is pleased that XML.ORG has been offered the opportunity to facilitate the evolution of trading partner agreements in a non-proprietary manner via tpaML," said Laura Walker, Executive Director, OASIS. "This technology contribution is an important step in the rapid adoption of XML-based business-to-business standards."

"tpaML enables a variety of systems and processes to work together easily and effectively–which is essential for the next generation of e-business," said Marie Wieck, Director of XML Technology, IBM. "The submission of our specification for electronic contracts to XML.ORG is another proof point in our company-wide commitment to open standards."

tpaML is a complementary technology to ebXML, the Electronic Business XML initiative, which is a joint effort of the United Nations/CEFACT and OASIS to establish a global framework for the exchange of electronic business data.

Multiple software vendors and solution providers including CommerceQuest, DataChannel, Extricity, Geac/JBA, Harbinger, JDA, Infinium, Intelisys, Mincom, PeopleSoft, Sterling Commerce and Synquest have endorsed tpaML for potential use with their customers. OASIS welcomes representatives from all industries to join the consortium and help evolve tpaML as an essential component of B-2-B e-business. The tpaML specification is posted for public access on http://www.ibm.com/developer/xml.

About OASIS
OASIS (http://www.oasis-open.org) is a non-profit, international consortium dedicated solely to product-independent data and content interchange. Focusing on product interoperability, OASIS embraces the complete spectrum of structured information standards including XML, SGML and CGM. OASIS sponsors include Adobe Systems, Aerospatiale, AND-USA, Arbortext, Bentley Systems, Boeing, Bowstreet, Chrystal Software, Cohesia, Commerce One, CommerceNet, Corel, DataChannel, DMSi, Documentum, Dun & Bradstreet, eCredit.com, Enigma, Extricity Software, GCA, IBM, InformIT, Informix, InterCAP, Interleaf, Interwoven, ISOGEN, ITEDO, JetForm, Keyfile, Microsoft, NextPage, NII Enterprise Promotion Association, NIST, Object Design, Object Management Group (OMG), Open Applications Group, Oracle, ProNet Technology Partners, Reed Technology, Reuters, Sabre, Sequoia Software, SoftQuad, Software AG, STEP, StreamServe, Sun Microsystems, Synthbank, Wavo, Xerox, XMLSolutions and XyEnterprise.

About XML.ORG
XML.ORG (http://xml.org) is a vendor-neutral community for advancing XML industry standardization. Hosted by OASIS, the XML.ORG website provides news and information about the application of XML in electronic business environments. XML.ORG offers valuable online tools, such as the XML.ORG Catalog, a clearinghouse for industry-specific or cross-industry XML specifications. Sponsors of XML.ORG include DataChannel, Documentum, Commerce One, GCA, IBM, SAP, SoftQuad and Sun Microsystems.

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For more information: Carol Geyer Media Relations Consultant OASIS +1.412.963.1479 carol.geyer@oasis-open.org

OASIS to Host XML-DEV List

Boston, MA, December 15, 1999— OASIS, the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards, unveiled plans to host the XML-DEV mail list through its industry portal, XML.org. Since 1997, XML-DEV has served as an open, unmoderated list supporting XML implementation and development. In the closing plenary of the XML 99 conference today, Prof. Peter Murray-Rust of the University of Nottingham (UK) announced that XML-DEV, presently hosted by Imperial College (UK), will soon become an OASIS resource. “We are very excited that XML-DEV has found a permanent home at OASIS,” said Murray-Rust, who created XML-DEV with Dr. Henry Rzepa of Imperial College (UK). “We strongly support the role OASIS plays in the industry as a neutral, trusted organization and are confident that XML-DEV will be a natural fit with XML.org. We also wish to express our gratitude to Imperial College for hosting the list for three years.” XML-DEV, which has global membership of approximately 1500, averages more than 1200 postings a month from XML developers around the world. It emphasizes active participation through code development, creation of protocols and specifications, and other material contributions such as reference resources. “OASIS looks forward to hosting XML-DEV,” commented Mary McRae (DMSi), chief marketing officer of OASIS. “XML-DEV played a critical role in coordinating software development while the XML specification was in draft, and many important resources have been announced over the years.” As the most significant XML-DEV contribution, McRae cited the development of the SAX API for XML parsers, constructed by over 100 members on the list and coordinated by David Megginson. SAX is now universally accepted as a de facto standard. “As the oldest public XML discussion list, XML-DEV has played an essential part in the evolution of structured information standards,” said Jon Bosak (Sun Microsystems), organizer of the working group that created XML. “In the early days, XML-DEV was our only avenue for getting public input to the design of the specification. The work of Dr. Rzepa and Prof. Murray-Rust in maintaining this forum over the last three years has contributed immeasurably to XML’s adoption and implementation. It is fitting that this vital fixture of the XML community should continue under the sponsorship of the organization that’s devoted to the free and open development of standards based on XML.” The XML-DEV transition to OASIS will take place over the next few weeks and details will be announced on XML-DEV and the OASIS web sites, http://www.oasis-open.org and http://xml.org. About OASIS OASIS (http://www.oasis-open.org) is a non-profit, international consortium dedicated solely to product-independent data and content interchange. Focusing on product interoperability, OASIS embraces the complete spectrum of structured information standards including XML, SGML and CGM. OASIS sponsors include Adobe Systems, Aerospatiale, AND-USA, Arbortext, Bentley Systems, Boeing, Bowstreet, Chrystal Software, Cohesia, Commerce One, CommerceNet, Corel, DataChannel, DMSi, Documentum, Dun & Bradstreet, eCredit.com, Enigma, Extricity Software, GCA, IBM, InformIT, Informix, InterCAP, Interleaf, Interwoven, ISOGEN, ITEDO, JetForm, Keyfile, Microsoft, NextPage, NII Enterprise Promotion Association, NIST, Object Design, Object Management Group (OMG), Open Applications Group, Oracle, ProNet Technology Partners, Reed Technology, Reuters, Sabre, Sequoia Software, SoftQuad, Software AG, STEP, Sun Microsystems, Synthbank, Wavo, Xerox, XMLSolutions and XyEnterprise. About XML.org XML.org (http://xml.org) is a self-supporting community resource designed to provide a credible source of accurate, timely information about the application of XML in industrial and commercial settings. Hosted by OASIS, the world’s leading independent organization for the standardization of XML applications in electronic commerce, XML.org serves as a reference for XML DTDs, schemas and related information. Sponsors of XML.org include: Commerce One, DataChannel, Documentum, GCA, IBM, Oracle, SAP, SoftQuad and Sun Microsystems. # # # For more information: Carol Geyer, Program Manager, OASIS, +1.412.963.1479, carol.geyer@oasis-open.org ###

OASIS Publishes Draft Specification for XML.org Registry & Repository

Philadelphia, PA; December 8, 1999–OASIS, the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards, announced public availability of the OASIS Draft Registry and Repository Technical Specification. The new OASIS Specification will be used in building the XML.org Registry & Repository and will contribute to the infrastructure needed for deploying interoperable XML repositories across the Web. “OASIS put a great deal of time and energy into developing this Specification,” said Terry Allen (Commerce One), chair of the OASIS Registry & Repository Technical Committee. “Our goal is not only to specify an open format for our own vendor-neutral clearinghouse for XML and SGML DTDs and schemas. We want to establish the groundwork for a distributed, global web of XML repositories.” Norbert Mikula (DataChannel), chief technical officer of OASIS, agreed, “Our motivation is to foster the creation of XML repositories by industry groups, users and vendors and to facilitate interoperability among those repositories. This draft specification deals with the process of submitting a schema to a repository and includes the metadata necessary for managing it in a registry.” The OASIS Draft Registry & Repository Specification is being well received by leading industry standards organizations, including the Object Management Group. “OMG sees the OASIS work on this specification and the creation of the XML.org Repository as being very positive steps toward the ubiquitous use of XML,” said Henry Lowe, director of liaison, OMG. “This will promote interoperability which, together with the support of a secure, transactional and scalable underlying transport such as CORBA, will make XML unstoppable.” The OASIS XML Registry & Repository Technical Committee includes representatives from Arbortext, Commerce One, DataChannel, Documentum, DMSi, Dun & Bradstreet, Enigma, Extensibility, IBM, Isogen, Oracle, STEP, Sun Microsystems, XyEnterprise and others. The OASIS Draft Registry and Repository Technical Specification is available; on http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/regrep/index.shtml. About OASIS OASIS (http://www.oasis-open.org) is a non-profit, international consortium dedicated solely to product-independent data and content interchange. Focusing on product interoperability, OASIS embraces the complete spectrum of structured information standards including XML, SGML and CGM. OASIS sponsors include Adobe Systems, Aerospatiale, AND-USA, Arbortext, Bentley Systems, Boeing, Bowstreet, Chrystal Software, Cohesia, Commerce One, CommerceNet, Corel, DataChannel, DMSi, Documentum, Dun & Bradstreet, eCredit.com, Enigma, Extricity Software, GCA, IBM, InformIT, Informix, InterCAP, Interleaf, Interwoven, ISOGEN, ITEDO, JetForm, Keyfile, Microsoft, NextPage, NII Enterprise Promotion Association, NIST, Object Design, Object Management Group (OMG), Open Applications Group, Oracle, ProNet Technology Partners, Reed Technology, Reuters, Sabre, Sequoia Software, SoftQuad, Software AG, STEP, Sun Microsystems, Synthbank, Wavo, Xerox, XMLSolutions and XyEnterprise. About XML.org XML.org (http://xml.org) is a self-supporting community resource designed to provide a credible source of accurate, timely information about the application of XML in industrial and commercial settings. Hosted by OASIS, the world’s leading independent organization for the standardization of XML applications in electronic commerce, XML.org serves as a reference for XML DTDs, schemas and related information. Sponsors of XML.org include: Commerce; One, DataChannel, Documentum, GCA, IBM, Oracle, SAP, SoftQuad and Sun; Microsystems. # # # For more information: Carol Geyer, Program Manager, OASIS, +1.412.963.1479, carol.geyer@oasis-open.org Industry Comments on the XML.org Registry & Repository Draft Specification “The OASIS/XML.org registry and repository architecture is a key piece of open technology for enabling world-wide availability of XML DTDs and schemas for e-business. Easy and efficient access to these XML resources from non-proprietary repositories will speed the adoption of XML for creating real-world business integration solutions for our customers,” –Marie Wieck, Director of XML Technology, IBM “The development and accessibility of schemas and DTDs is crucial to the successful adoption of XML. OASIS’ work on registries and repositories presents a genuine opportunity to provide a common format to enable the development of interoperable XML repositories.” –Una Kearns, Documentum ###

Organizations from Around the World Gather to Launch ebXML Global Electronic Business Initiative

Boston, MA, USA and Geneva, Switzerland-1 December 1999– The Electronic Business XML Initiative (ebXML), a joint effort of the United Nation/CEFACT and OASIS, attracted the participation of major industry standards organizations and companies from around the world at its inaugural meeting in San Jose, CA, USA. ebXML is an open, vendor-neutral initiative to establish a global technical and semantic framework that will enable XML to be used in a consistent manner for the exchange of electronic business data. More than 120 representatives from organizations as varied as ACORD, Accredited Standards Committee (ASC) X12, Commerce One, DataChannel, DISA, UN/EDIFACT, IBM, OAG, Oracle, Sun Microsystems, Inc. and others joined together to launch the ebXML initiative. “A primary objective of ebXML is to lower the barrier of entry to electronic business in order to facilitate trade, particularly with respect to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and developing nations,” said Ray Walker, Chair of UN/CEFACT’s Steering Group and Special Advisor on Trade Processes and Electronic Business to the UK Department of Trade & Industry, “The success of global electronic business is analogous to the success of the telephone–unless everyone has simple and inexpensive access, it won’t work.” “ebXML is an independent, vendor-neutral forum through which anyone can contribute to a single, global XML framework for electronic business,” said Klaus-Dieter Naujok (Harbinger Corporation), chair of the ebXML Initiative. “This open technical specification will enable XML to be used in a consistent and uniform manner, contribute to a level playing field, and rapidly increase responsible growth in electronic business.” “OASIS and UN/CEFACT have come together on ebXML to minimize the fragmentation in XML specifications for industry that might otherwise occur,” said Robert S. Sutor (IBM), vice-chair of the ebXML Initiative. “The scope and significance of ebXML is so far-reaching that many standards organizations, vendors and users are already committed to working together to realize its potential.” “This cross-industry initiative is proof that the technology industry, often a hotbed of competition, can work together for the benefit of the end consumer,” said Bill Smith (Sun Microsystems), president of the OASIS board of directors and director of the ebXML Initiative. “Through the ebXML Initiative, OASIS and UN/CEFACT have entered a strong, important union whose impact will be far-reaching and positive.” Directors of ebXML include Klaus-Dieter Naujok and Ray Walker of UN/CEFACT and Robert S. Sutor and Bill Smith of OASIS. The Advisory Board includes Jon Bosak of Sun Microsystems, co-author of the XML 1.0 specification, and is being expanded to include key industry players from around the world. Laura Walker, executive director of OASIS, will serve as secretary of the board. Project teams were identified at the inaugural meeting and began work on the following: * ebXML Requirements * Business Process Methodology * Technical Architecture * Core Components * Transport/Routing and Packaging * Registry and Repository * Technical Coordination & Support * Marketing, Awareness & Education ebXML project teams will teleconference until the next face-to-face meeting, scheduled for 31 January – 4 February 2000, in Orlando, Florida. Subsequent meetings are scheduled for 8 – 12 May in Brussels, Belgium, 7-11 August in the United States and 6-11 November in Tokyo, Japan. “If a practical, easy and affordable electronic commerce solution is critical to the success of your nation, organization, or business, you should be involved in ebXML,” said Laura Walker, executive director of OASIS. “This collaboration by two of the world’s most influential organizations, both of which are dedicated to vendor-independent trade facilitation, is a critical element in enabling a truly accessible, global and interoperable infrastructure for electronic business. ebXML will make a deeply meaningful, highly valuable contribution to the future of the digital world. We encourage interested organizations to learn more about the effort, including details on how to get involved, by visiting http://www.ebxml.org.” About ebXML ebXML (www.ebXML.org) is an International Initiative established by UN/CEFACT and OASIS with a mandate to undertake a 15-18 month program of work to research and identify the technical basis upon which the global implementation of XML (Extensible Markup Language) can be standardized. The goal is to provide an open technical specification to enable XML to be utilized in a consistent and uniform manner for the exchange of electronic business data in application-to-application, application-to-person and person-to-application environments. 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 a non-profit, international consortium dedicated solely to product-independent data and content interchange. Focusing on product interoperability, OASIS embraces the complete spectrum of structured information standards including XML, SGML and CGM. OASIS sponsors include Adobe Systems, Aerospatiale, AND-USA, Arbortext, Bentley Systems, Boeing, Chrystal Software, Cohesia, Commerce One, CommerceNet, Corel, DataChannel, DMSi, Documentum, Dun & Bradstreet, eCredit.com,Enigma, Excelergy, Extricity Software, GCA, IBM, InformIT, Informix, InterCAP, Interleaf, Interwoven, ISOGEN, ITEDO, JetForm, Keyfile, Larson Software, Microsoft, NextPage, NII Enterprise Promotion Association, NIST, Object Design, Object Management Group (OMG), Open Applications Group, Oracle, ProNet Technology Partners, Reed Technology, Reuters, Sabre, Sequoia Software, SoftQuad, Software AG, STEP, Sun Microsystems, Synthbank, System Development, Wavo, Xerox, XMLSolutions and XyEnterprise. ###

OASIS Addresses NATO on XML Adoption

Boston, MA, November 30, 1999–OASIS, the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards, recently advised NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, on the impact of XML on information technology development and its potential for NATO’s information systems. Dr. Robert S. Sutor (IBM), chief strategy officer of OASIS, addressed participants in the NATO Consultation, Command and Control Agency (NC3A) XML Workshop in The Hague, The Netherlands. The NC3A XML Workshop analyzed potential application areas for XML in NATO and assessed (in global terms) the benefits which adoption offers. The Workshop reviewed the development status of XML and took stock of defense-related XML activities within NATO and its member countries. OASIS contributed to the development of recommendations for a way ahead for NATO regarding XML (bodies to be involved, potential exploratory prototyping or pilot activities, and participation in the international XML standardization effort). “NATO and its member nations recognize the need to encode agreements on information exchange in XML before a plethora of uncoordinated, non-interoperable encodings get developed in defense systems projects,” explained Dr. Klaus G. Muller of the NC3A. “We welcome input from OASIS on where and how it can help on NATO’s path towards XML adoption, both between NATO systems and between NATO and its member nations. The vendor independence of OASIS is crucial for us.” “OASIS is the operator of the XML.org industry portal for XML applications and is the only non-profit, vendor-neutral international consortium wholly dedicated to the advancement of structured information standards such as XML. OASIS is thus well-positioned to offer NATO important insights into the rapid adoption of XML in many industries around the globe,” added Sutor. About OASIS OASIS (http://www.oasis-open.org) is a non-profit, international consortium dedicated solely to product-independent data and content interchange. Focusing on product interoperability, OASIS embraces the complete spectrum of structured information standards including XML, SGML and CGM. OASIS sponsors include Adobe Systems, AND-USA, Arbortext, Bentley Systems, Boeing, Chrystal Software, Commerce One, Corel, DataChannel, DMSi, Documentum, Dun & Bradstreet, Enigma, Excelergy, Extricity Software, GCA, IBM, Inso, InterCAP, Interleaf, Interwoven, ISOGEN, ITEDO, Keyfile, Larson Software, Microsoft, NextPage, NIST, Object Design, Oracle, POET Software, Reed Technology, Reuters, Sabre, Sequoia Software, SoftQuad, Software AG, STEP, Sun Microsystems, Synthbank, System Development, Wavo, Xerox, XMLSolutions, XyEnterprise and Zeh Graphics Systems. About XML.org XML.org (http://xml.org) is a self-supporting community resource designed to provide a credible source of accurate, timely information about the application of XML in industrial and commercial settings. Hosted by OASIS, the world’s leading independent organization for the standardization of XML applications in electronic commerce, XML.org serves as a reference for XML DTDs, schemas and related information. Sponsors of XML.org include: Commerce One, DataChannel, Documentum, GCA, IBM, Oracle, SAP, SoftQuad and Sun Microsystems. # # # For more information: Carol Geyer, Program Manager, OASIS, +1.412.963.1479, carol.geyer@oasis-open.org ###

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