NETSCAPE ANNOUNCES NETSCAPE SUITESPOT 3.0 FOR OPEN EMAIL AND GROUPWARE ON INTRANETS

ZONA RESEARCH SHOWS NETSCAPE WEB SERVERS HOLD COMMANDING MARKET LEAD AT 80%

NEW YORK, New York (October 15, 1996) -- Netscape Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: NSCP) today announced the next-generation version of Netscape SuiteSpot 3.0, an integrated server software suite of ten server products for building corporate Intranets. Together with the new Netscape Communicator client software product, Netscape SuiteSpot 3.0 provides enterprise customers with an integrated client/server software solution for building and maintaining open email, publishing and groupware solutions on corporate Intranets. According to a recent report from Zona Research, Netscape enjoys a commanding lead in the Web server software market, with 74 percent of the Web site managers surveyed on the Windows NT platform and 84 percent on UNIX running Netscape Web server software.

Netscape is adding six new servers to Netscape SuiteSpot 3.0. New to the suite are Netscape Messaging Server 3.0, Netscape Collabra Server 3.0, Netscape Enterprise Server 3.0, Netscape Proxy Server 2.5, Netscape Calendar Server 1.0 and Netscape Media Server 1.0 software. In addition, Netscape recently delivered Netscape Directory Server 1.0, Netscape Certificate Server 1.0, Netscape Catalog Server 1.0 and LiveWire Pro 1.0 development environment.

"Netscape SuiteSpot 3.0 delivers an advanced content management system, an open email and groupware solution, and a platform for building Intranet applications that empower employees and organizations to communicate, collaborate, access and share information," said Srivats Sampath, vice president of server marketing at Netscape.

Netscape SuiteSpot combines a rich publishing environment, seamless communication and collaboration, advanced directory and search services, and access to existing databases and legacy systems. It is a comprehensive software suite designed to scale from local workgroups to global enterprise networks and deliver a broad range of user services based on the open Internet architecture of a corporate Intranet.

The new product additions to Netscape SuiteSpot are:

• Netscape Messaging Server 3.0, a major upgrade of Netscape's open standards-based messaging system that increases performance and scalability and interoperates with both proprietary and Internet-based email systems.
• Netscape Collabra Server 3.0, a high-performance discussion server that enables encrypted collaboration and information-sharing among work groups. Based on the CollabraShare technology acquired by Netscape last year, Netscape Collabra Server is newly architected for the Internet using the Network News Transfer Protocol (NNTP).
• Netscape Enterprise Server 3.0, a major upgrade of Netscape's award-winning Web server for publishing dynamic content, browsing and finding information, accessing databases and communicating with employees and customers, both inside and outside the organization.
• Netscape Proxy Server 2.5, a new version of Netscape's high-performance Web content replication and filtering server. Netscape Proxy Server reduces costs and increases access controls by caching Web content inside the firewall to conserve network bandwidth, reduce traffic and provide faster performance.
• Netscape Calendar Server 1.0, a new enterprise scheduling server software for managing meetings and calendars on corporate Intranets and over the Internet.
• Netscape Media Server 1.0, a new streaming audio server for delivering high-quality audio content on Web sites and Intranets using the Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) proposed Internet standard developed by Progressive Networks and Netscape and supported by over 40 companies.

New server products recently delivered in Netscape SuiteSpot are:

• Netscape Directory Server 1.0, a new server that ties together vital information such as names, phone numbers, email addresses, security keys and contact information in a searchable, structured enterprise directory based on the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) - an industry-standard Internet directory protocol.
• Netscape Certificate Server 1.0, a new class of server software that enables companies to issue, sign and manage public-key certificates, or digital IDs, for encrypted, private communication with strong authentication and single-user log-on on corporate Intranets or the Internet.
• Netscape Catalog Server 1.0, an automated search and discovery server for creating, managing and updating an online catalog of documents residing on corporate Intranets and the Internet.
• LiveWire Pro 1.0, a visual development environment that gives application developers the power to manage highly complex Web sites and deploy applications for Intranets and the Internet. LiveWire Pro includes an INFORMIX-OnLine Workgroup Database, and can be integrated with existing corporate databases.

"Over the next four years the Intranet will be enhanced with new services that will thrust it into the limelight as the key component of corporate networks," according to a recent report by Forrester Research. As more companies adopt the Full Service Intranet model, IS managers will demand the flexibility of cross-platform, standards-based Internet technologies that leverage existing investments in hardware, operating systems, databases, applications and networks.

By taking full advantage of the Internet's open standards and protocols, Netscape SuiteSpot servers enable customers to build Full Service Intranets with dynamic applications such as rich-text email, open groupware, directories, calendaring and robust security features. SuiteSpot servers scale from small workgroups to enterprise-wide networks to the Internet.

Netscape SuiteSpot servers are scheduled for availability by the first quarter of 1997 on major UNIX platforms and Microsoft Windows NT. To maximize customer choice, Netscape is enhancing the flexible licensing plan for Netscape SuiteSpot. Customers who purchase a Netscape SuiteSpot bundle can choose any five of the nine Netscape SuiteSpot servers plus a copy of Netscape LiveWire Pro for an expected price of US$3,995. Each server can also be purchased individually for an expected price of US$995. Netscape Messaging Server, Netscape Collabra Server, Netscape Directory Server, and Netscape Calendar Server are expected to include a client access licenses good for 100 users per server. Prices are expected to be effective December 1, 1996.

Netscape Communications Corporation is a leading provider of open software for linking people and information over enterprise networks and the Internet. The company offers a full line of clients, servers, development tools and commercial applications to create a complete platform for next-generation, live online applications. Traded on NASDAQ under the symbol "NSCP," Netscape Communications Corporation is based in Mountain View, California.

Additional information on Netscape Communications Corporation is available on the Internet at http://home.netscape.com, by sending email to info@netscape.com. Corporate customers can call 415/937-2555 while consumers can call 415/937-3777 for more information. Netscape, Netscape Communications, the Netscape Communications Corporation logo, Netscape SuiteSpot, Netscape Calendar Server, Netscape Media Server, Netscape Collabra Server, Netscape Directory Server, Netscape Certificate Server, Netscape Enterprise Server, Netscape Messaging Server, Netscape Proxy Server, Netscape Catalog Server and Netscape LiveWire Pro are trademarks of Netscape Communications Corporation.