Softshare's Advanced E-Commerce Solutions Are Gaining a Significant Audience Among Large Companies

Softshare ECS and Softshare Delta provide real-time communication and translation solutions that are flexible enough to handle any company's e-business needs

SANTA BARBARA, CA. – May 31, 2001 – Softshare today reported that its superior e-commerce communication and translation solutions, which have long been favorites among small- to mid-size businesses, have been gaining popularity among larger, prominent companies. Using Softshare's advanced business applications, high-profile companies such as Smith & Hawken, Guess Canada Corporation, and Land O'Lakes Feed, are discovering the benefits of business-rule-driven e-commerce operations that dramatically improve their bottom line.

Softshare's electronic commerce server application, Softshare ECS, represents the communication component of Softshare's complete e-commerce solution. Providing full- time communications for a wide variety of incoming and outgoing business document types, ECS is designed to retrieve and route business data in an environment of high- speed, Internet-driven e-commerce. To this end, ECS supports a flexible range of Internet transport protocols, including FTP, HTTP, SMTP, and POP3 and also takes advantage of Microsoft SQL Server's efficient data handling capabilities to enable effortless, behind- the-scenes logging, storage, and tracking of all communications.

Softshare's sophisticated data mapping and translation solution, Softshare Delta, represents the data transformation component of Softshare's e-business solution. Triggered by a schedule or event, Softshare ECS can automatically pass business data to Softshare Delta for translation to and from a variety of formats, including EDI, XML, database, flat file, and HTML. For example, incoming electronic data interchange (EDI) purchase orders can be translated into outgoing EDI or XML invoices, or into a database format for integration into other enterprise applications such as accounting or enterprise resource planning (ERP) packages. Once translated, data can be automatically passed back to ECS for further routing--all without any user intervention.

"Softshare ECS and Softshare Delta have truly proved to be a winning combination for our clients," said Robin Smith, General Manager of Sales and Marketing at Virtual Logistics Incorporated, a Softshare value-added reseller that has recently implemented Softshare ECS and Delta at a number of well-known Canadian companies including Astral Television Networks, Tommy Hilfiger Canada, and NGK Spark Plugs. "The power and adaptability of these applications let us accommodate not only a wide variety of e-commerce scenarios, but a flexible range of other business activities such as integrating business data into corporate Web sites and databases."

Jaime Zepeda, Electronic Commerce Specialist at Power & Telephone Supply Company, a company using both Softshare ECS and Softshare Delta for exchange and integration of all EDI traffic, explains his appreciation for Softshare's e-commerce solutions: "Softshare ECS and Delta allow Power & Tel to realize the many benefits of e-business, including increased productivity, faster turnaround, real-time data integration, and, most importantly, cost reduction."

About Softshare
Softshare offers a multi-tiered approach to electronic commerce with EDI/XML software solutions that range from desktop applications to fully integrated server applications. Supporting these applications are Softshare's value-added network and accessible customer service. Headquartered in Santa Barbara, California, Softshare has more than 20,000 clients using its various network, software, and e-commerce services. For more information, call 800-346-6703 or visit Softshare's Web site at www.softshare.com.

Softshare Media Contact: Diane Springhuth, 800-346-6703/ dianes@softshare.com