MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (December 16, 1997) -- Netscape Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: NSCP) today announced that the Internet Shopping Network is using KIVA Enterprise Server software as the application backbone of its online shopping Web site. The server became part of the Netscape product line when Netscape acquired KIVA Software last month. Internet Shopping Network, a wholly owned subsidiary of the billion dollar retailer Home Shopping Network, was the first retailer on the Internet. It recently launched First Auction, a premiere Internet auction Web site which also uses Netscape server software.
Internet Shopping Network is using KIVA server software for a back-office management system that enables easy management of Internet Shopping Network products, tracking of customer profiles and comprehensive reporting on sales, inventory levels and other critical data. Internet Shopping Network chose KIVA server software based on three key criteria:
"After extensive evaluation of other options, we chose KIVA server software because it provides the best solution for managing a large and increasing customer base," said Kirk Loevner, president and CEO at Internet Shopping Network. "KIVA server software enabled us to build a sophisticated back-office management system which greatly increases our efficiency and ease of maintenance."
"As a leading online hardware and software retailer, Internet Shopping Network demands an infrastructure capable of large transaction volumes with the advantages of rapid development and deployment," said Lori Mirek, senior vice president of marketing at Netscape. "Netscape server software provides Internet Shopping Network with a solution that enables it to efficiently manage its ever-expanding customer base and business operations."
KIVA server software addresses issues that are critical to delivering a superior shopping experience. These include high-performance and scalability, a robust application framework and application manageability.
Application availability and performance is critical to Internet Shopping Network or it runs the risk of losing potential customers. During peak times, such as the holiday shopping season, Internet Shopping Network's peak load nearly doubles. KIVA server software dynamically scales, ensuring superior performance during those peak times and easy accommodation of Internet Shopping Network's growing customer base.
Internet Shopping Network deployed its first application -- the back-office management system -- using KIVA server software. Before using Netscape software, data was manually maintained and compiled. Reporting was also a labor-intensive task. With the server, Internet Shopping Network built a system that dynamically accesses data from disparate sources and allows for automatic, up-to-the-minute report generation. In addition, Internet Shopping Network can easily add products to the catalog, categorize products, update pricing and sales information and track customer profiles, enabling it to better serve customers and greatly reduce the cost of administration overhead and maintenance. KIVA server software also has a completely open and extensible solution for interoperating with other applications. Internet Shopping Network is using KIVA server software to integrate software from application vendors such as BroadVision.
KIVA server software features an application architecture that enables Internet Shopping Network to frequently update its Web site and provide reliable service availability. Internet Shopping Network can easily update application components to refresh the look and feel and features of its site to be more appealing to customers and provide additional value to repeat customers.
"Prior to using KIVA server software, updating the site with new features involved heavy, time-consuming development," said B. D. Goel, vice president of development at Internet Shopping Network. "Internet Shopping Network's site is constantly evolving, and we need solutions that enable us to respond quickly to customer needs and changing market conditions. Netscape software provides us with this capability without interruption to the service."
KIVA Enterprise Server is a fully-distributed, component-based application server that hosts and processes applications written in Java or C/C++ and manages high-volume transactions over the Web. It has an open and extensible architecture that is fully compliant with all existing Web standards, including HTTP, HTML and Java, and it works with all popular Web servers, Web browsers and databases. KIVA server software greatly reduces the overhead of deployment and management by providing a robust administration framework and graphical tools for remote server and application management.
Internet Shopping Network is a wholly owned subsidiary of the billion-dollar retailer Home Shopping Network. ISN's Computer Superstore was the first online store in the world when it was launched in April 1994. First Auction is a new commerce site featuring computer, consumer electronics and Home Shopping Network merchandise sold in an online auction format. Shoppers can find ISN's Computer Superstore at www.isn.com and First Auction at www.firstauction.com.
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 or by sending email to moreinfo@netscape.com. Corporate customers can call 650/937-2555 while consumers can call 650/937-3777 for more information.
Netscape, Netscape Navigator, and the Netscape N logo are registered trademarks of Netscape Communications Corporation in the United States and other countries. Other Netscape logos, product names, and service names are also trademarks of Netscape Communications Corporation, which may be registered in other countries.