SAN FRANCISCO, CA/MICROSOFT COMMERCE DAY (March 4, 1999) - webMethods, Inc., a leading provider of cross-platform XML solutions for business-to-business e-commerce and integration, today announced support for both BizTalk, Microsoft's vision for XML-based cross-platform electronic commerce, and the next generation of the Microsoft's Commerce Interchange Pipeline (CIP). BizTalk uses XML as a common language for a comprehensive set of industry and cross-industry Business Schemas defining common business documents such as purchase orders, invoices and shipping notices. Additionally, webMethods announced availability of cross-platform interoperability between its webMethods B2B products and current and future releases of Commerce Interchange Pipeline, including the version of CIP currently available with Site Server 3.0 Commerce Edition.
webMethods' role in supporting Commerce Interchange Pipeline and BizTalk are being highlighted announced today as part of the Microsoft Commerce Day event in San Francisco, keynoted by Bill Gates, Chairman and CEO of the Microsoft Corporation.
"BizTalk and CIP provide an interoperable infrastructure for XML-based e-commerce," said Satya Nadella, General Manager of Microsoft's Commerce Division. "webMethods has pioneered the use of XML for business-to-business e-commerce, and the cross-platform interoperability and value-added components they deliver on top of the BizTalk and the /CIP platform will allow companies to fully realize the benefits of XML across their supply chain."
webMethods will provide XML development tools and adapters for future CIP offerings, including cross-platform XML adapters for major enterprise applications such as SAP R/3 and real-time conversion of HTML-based Web data to XML formats. This product suite will add substantial value for developers and users of Commerce Interchange Pipeline, and will be based on webMethods' award-winning webMethods B2B product. webMethods B2B allows companies to accomplish cross-platform business-to-business integration with their customers, partners and suppliers by using standard Web protocols and data formats, such as XML and HTTP, to securely and reliably link their business applications with those of their key trading partners.
Interoperable Cross-Platform Support for Commerce Interchange Pipeline (CIP) [ Available immediately, webMethods B2B offers cross-platform interoperability with current and future releases of Commerce Interchange Pipeline. Currently shipping with Microsoft's Site Server 3.0 Commerce Edition, CIP enables applications to exchange information using the Internet or an existing EDI system, and supports native Web formats such as XML and HTTP. With its CIP support, webMethods B2B ensures that companies implementing Site Server and CIP are able to exchange data with a wide variety of trading partners running business applications on heterogeneous hardware and operating systems.
"We are delighted to be partnering working with Microsoft to deliver on the benefits of XML for electronic commerce," says Phillip Merrick, president and CEO of webMethods, Inc. "The combination of webMethods B2B and Microsoft's BizTtalk and CIP will enable companies to leverage the extensive investments they and their partners have made in ERP applications and Web infrastructure right across the supply chain."
About webMethods
Named one of Red Herring's 1998 Top 50 Privately Held Companies, webMethods is the leading vendor of cross-platform XML solutions for business-to-business e-commerce and integration. webMethods B2B products enable corporations to use the open standards of the Web for inter-enterprise applications such as supply chain integration and automated procurement. webMethods delivers real business value to companies who want to leverage their investments in legacy, ERP and Web-hosted applications to link their business processes with those of their key business partners.
webMethods' award-winning products are in use at leading companies including DHL Airways, Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HWP), Dun and Bradstreet, Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO), 3Com, Orbital Sciences and Dresdner Kleinwort Benson, and work with Web server, database and ERP application products from vendors such as Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT), Netscape (Nasdaq: NSCP), Oracle (Nasdaq: ORCL), Sybase (Nasdaq: SYBS), Informix (Nasdaq: IFMX), SAP (NYSE: SAP), PeopleSoft (Nasdaq: PSFT), J.D. Edwards (Nasdaq: JDEC), and Baan (Nasdaq: BAANF).
Founded in 1996, venture-backed webMethods, Inc. is based in Fairfax, Virginia, with offices in San Francisco, California.
For more information, contact webMethods Inc., 3975 University Drive, Suite 390, Fairfax, VA 22030. Phone: 703/352-8501; Fax: 703/352-0370; Email: info@webMethods.com; Web: www.webMethods.com
webMethods and webMethods B2B are trademarks of webMethods, Inc. All other company and product names are property of their respective owners.
[This local archive copy is from the official and canonical URL, http://www.webMethods.com/news/pr/1999/030499_microsoft.html; please refer to the canonical source document if possible.]