Softshare Announces Product Upgrades and Broad E-Commerce Strategy

SANTA BARBARA, CA. – June 18, 1999 – Softshare Friday announced ecSuite, a suite of e-commerce products that provide a complete range of solutions addressing the needs of organizations from the small, home-based business to the large enterprise.

Softshare's ecSuite provides a total Internet e-commerce environment and, when combined with the Softshare Network, a traditional EDI solution.

The entry-level product for the small business is Softshare Vista 2.0 Standard Edition. Softshare Vista is a sophisticated, 32-bit Windows-based desktop EDI application that enables trading partners to electronically create and exchange business documents such as purchase orders, invoices and advance-ship notices.

Standards supported include traditional EDI such as ANSI X12, UN/EDIFACT, as well as XML and XSL. Communications are SMTP and POP3 based. Softshare Vista 2.0 Standard Edition is priced at $295 for the single user.

For the more demanding user, Softshare Vista 2.0 Professional Edition adds S/MIME security, advanced document tracking, event-driven document management, trading partner management, multiple mailbox support and direct integration with Softshare's universal data translator, Softshare Delta. The Professional Edition is priced at $995 and includes a five-user license.

Softshare Delta is a next-generation data translator capable of mapping both to and from EDI, flat file (from both fixed-width and delimited), XML and OLE DB data sources. Delta also supports mapping to free-form text documents, such as HTML, to aid in Web and Internet integration.

Delta's user interface makes modeling of data and mapping a simple process and includes features such as drag-and-drop editing, a full expression builder with more than 150 built-in functions, and map testing with breakpoints and value watching. Softshare Delta's Trading Partner Manager handles the routing of documents, and the Document Tracking System provides complete management control.

When the rigors of e-commerce demand full-time operations, Softshare's Electronic Commerce Server (ECS) provides a Microsoft Windows NT-based server capable of satisfying the needs of a fully e-commerce-driven company. ECS supports a large number of data-transport methods, including SMTP, FTP, HTTP, POP3 and integration with local file systems.

Like Softshare Vista 2.0 Professional Edition, ECS integrates closely with Softshare Delta.

Softshare has always been committed to providing a clear migration path for its products and will offer an aggressive upgrade promotion for it existing Softshare Link and Softshare Vista 1.0 customer base. Migration paths that protect investment will be provided to users moving from Softshare Vista 2.0 Standard to Professional and from Vista Professional to Softshare ECS.

About Softshare

Softshare offers a complete EDI solution including user-friendly software, a secure network, bar code technology, integration with other business applications, and knowledgeable customer support. Headquartered in Santa Barbara, California, Softshare supports more than 20,000 clients on its various network, software, and EDI services.