IPNet Announces XML


IPNet Solutions Announces XML Products

ANSI X.12 and Industry Leading ISV DTDs Supported, Bi-Directional XML Conversion for Business Documents and XML Import/Export



LAS VEGAS. April 12, 1999.

IPNet Solutions Inc., a leader in
Enterprise eCommerce solutions, Monday announced that IPNet.Suite 3.0 will
mark the first step of IPNet's XML technology. 

XML support in IPNet.Suite will include: XML-based data import and export for all
IPNet products; automated translation between XML and traditional business
formats; support for leading ISV XML data type definitions (DTDs); and, automated
HTML/HTTP Web translation from XML to HTML and other user-presentation
formats. 

The announcement was made today at the Data Interchange Standards
Association's (DISA) Electronic Commerce Conference being held at Caesar's Palace
in Las Vegas, April 12-14, 1999. IPNet Solutions is exhibiting in booth no. 201 at
the conference. 

``In the next decade, XML will completely change the landscape of electronic
commerce and EDI,'' said Donald E. Willis Jr., chief executive officer, IPNet Solutions.

``Utilizing XML's powerful metadata structure provides applications the ability to
interface in terms and formats that are easier to define and understand. With this
understanding the automation and reengineering of external business processes is
simplified. This will greatly ease our clients' transition from manual to automated
processes and extend their internal ERP systems to their business partners.'' 

IPNet Suite 3.0 will support XML for data import and export functions with all
IPNet.Suite products, including IP.web.link, IP.customer.link, IP.edi.link
and IP.trade.link. XML data elements will be based on existing ANSI X12
standards, thereby leveraging the vast array of standard business terms and codes
already used by EDI and related technologies. The 3.0 release will also support
automated identification, scheduling, and transmission of XML documents between
trading partners with configurable, granular management and tracking. 

Subsequent releases will include: 

-- Automated bi-directional translation between XML and 

traditional business formats such as ANSI X12 EDI and EDIFACT, 

greatly reducing mapping costs. 

-- Support for independently developed DTDs by major ISVs and ERP 

companies. 

-- Web support of XML and traditional business formats via 

automatic HTML generation and document turnaround functions. 

``IPNet Solutions has a very sound strategy for automating external business
processes and accomplishes this by designing significant flexibility and
adaptability into its products,'' said David Alschuler, vice president, e-Business and
Enterprise Applications, Aberdeen Group. ``Their XML approach is sound, yet
practical. By using ANSI X.12 data elements, they have solved the basic issue of
semantics that has yet to be addressed by other XML standards.'' 

``IPNet Solutions has a well thought out, coherent plan to use XML in its products
which will show major cost and functionality benefit to its clients,'' added Rik
Drummond, senior consultant, Drummond Group, and one of the leading
developers of CommerceNet's ANSI X.12 XML DTD. 

IPNet Solutions will support many leading ISV DTDs as specifications are
published, but chose to use the ANSI X.12 elements to define the structure of its
business transaction DTDs. The elements used in ANSI X.12 are supported today by
over 90 percent of the Fortune 1000 and over 175,000 businesses. 

``By using ANSI X.12 data elements, IPNet Solutions is providing a solid reference
point for future XML DTDs,'' said Mark Resch, executive vice president,
CommerceNet. ``CommerceNet is concerned with industry standards and
interoperability. We support the efforts of IPNet as they will allow companies to
leverage their existing EDI investments with new XML technologies and standards.''

About IPNet Solutions Inc. 

IPNet Solutions develops and markets an Enterprise eCommerce solution to the
Fortune 5000 marketplace. IPNet Solutions offers Enterprise eCommerce software
that supports all trading partner transactions including traditional EDI, Internet
EDI, Web EDI, Internet based Buying and Selling, business object exchange, as well
as Supply Chain Management (SCM) solutions including Vendor Managed Inventory
(VMI). IPNet's products allow businesses to utilize Internet-based open solutions
while continuing to leverage their investment in legacy systems and proprietary
networks. 

IPNet's corporate headquarters is in Newport Beach with regional offices in Atlanta,
Chicago, Houston, San Francisco and Washington, DC. For further information see
IPNet's Web site at www.ipnet-solutions.com. 

KEYWORDS: IPNet, XML, ERP, eCommerce, EDI, electronic commerce, Internet EDI,
supply-chain and order-management. 

NOTE TO EDITORS: IPNet.Suite and IP.edi.link are registered trademarks of IPNet
Solutions Inc. CTR, IP.trade.link, IP.customer.link, IP.web.link, IP.object.link and
IP.suite.server are trademarks of IPNet Solutions Inc. 

Contact: 

     IPNet Solutions Inc., Newport Beach
     Geoff Livingston, 949/476-4455
     E-mail: glivingston@ipnet-solutions.com