Press Release

Netscape Unveils Next Generation Applications for Commerce Exchange

Packaged E-Commerce Applications Enable Trading Community Management, Business Process Management, and Connectivity

Mountain View, Calif. (December 7, 1998) - Netscape Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: NSCP) today unveiled the next generation of packaged applications for Commerce Exchange, designed to manage trading communities and business processes, and to help customers connect with partners' business systems over the Internet and existing private networks. The new Commerce Exchange solution includes Netscape ECXpert 2.0, Netscape ECXpert Enterprise 2.0, and a new packaged application called Netscape TradingXpert 2.0 designed to enable companies of all sizes to host online trading communities. Available immediately, the packaged applications within the Commerce Exchange solution also include extensions to key enterprise applications.

"The Commerce Exchange solution provides the foundation of Netscape's entire suite of packaged electronic commerce applications," said Steve Savignano, senior vice president and general manager of the applications product division. "Today's announcement proves that Netscape is fulfilling its vision to help companies use the Internet to manage and automate their commerce processes."

Commerce Exchange is a single solution that enables diverse partners to securely exchange commerce information via the Internet and existing private networks. Commerce Exchange enables a company or enterprise to host trading communities with partners of any size, from those with only web browser access to the most sophisticated ERP or EDI-enabled Fortune 50 corporations. The standards-based Commerce Exchange solution supports a wide range of data formats and protocols, thereby making the benefits of Netscape applications available to as many companies as possible.

"BridgePoint is called on to meet critical customer requirements, such as daily support for high volume global electronic commerce, high quality of service, 24-7 availability and secure transactions," said Stephanie Miles, general manager for BridgePoint, a subsidiary of CSX Corporation. "With Commerce Exchange's scalable infrastructure, we're able to meet the demands of our growing business and manage a full spectrum of trading partners. ECXpert 2.0 will provide us with another integration methodology with enterprise applications by converting inbound and outbound transactions into certified SAP IDOC formats and those accepted by Oracle and MQSeries. In addition, TradingXpert can enable non-EDI capable trading parties to enter and send information over the Internet using web forms with built-in business logic. Netscape's Commerce Exchange is our electronic commerce solution that enables us to gather information from the extended enterprise through a variety of file formats and transport methodologies."

Commerce Exchange features a new release of Netscape ECXpert, Netscape's industry-leading solution for managing and automating business processes via Intranets and extranets. With ECXpert 2.0, companies can extend EDI networks to the Internet and automate cross-company business processes. One of the first products to support the EDI over the Internet (EDIINT) protocol, Netscape ECXpert 2.0 breaks new ground with a host of mission-critical capabilities. New ECXpert features include trading communication management, cross-company process automation, data mapping and translation, and transaction audit and control.

New to the Commerce Exchange solution, Netscape TradingXpert is a packaged application that provides any customer with the ability to host online trading communities. TradingXpert 2.0 provides companies with fully customizable environments and forms composition for their trading partners, from small firms to large enterprises. Featuring scalability and performance utilizing the Netscape Application Server, TradingXpert 2.0 also provides tools for complete cross-communication among trading community members.

Key capabilities of Netscape TradingXpert 2.0 include:

A flexible, customizable interface for trading partners. Based on industry standards, TradingXpert 2.0 also is fully extensible, and is designed to incorporate the power of Netscape Application Server, Application Builder, and ECXpert 2.0. As a result, TradingXpert users can access multiple data sources and applications.

A dynamic message center that allows companies to give trading partners instant access to inbound and outbound documents, allowing them to keep track of documents and their status. Trading partners also can administer their own personalized profile.

Pre-packaged templates for standard EDI transactions and forms, including purchase orders, purchase order acknowledgements and invoices. In addition, an intelligent turn-around feature simplifies the process of creating an invoice based on a purchase order by automatically "turning around" information from document-specified fields.

Scalability, leading performance, and 24-7 application availability. Customers can also take advantage of Netscape Application Builder to rapidly customize the entire application, data sources, and presentation logic.

"Netscape Commerce Exchange is the only standards based E-Commerce product that provides us with the ability to integrate all of our customer's trading partners, both large and small - with a solution that extends and integrates both their business systems and trading relationships," said Bill McGraw, managing partner of Electronic Commerce and E-Commerce Systems at Sierra Systems. "Netscape is breaking important new ground with Commerce Exchange by providing a complete and integrated solution where other vendors are only providing point solutions. Our ability to integrate Commerce Exchange into existing enterprises provides our customers with a key competitive advantage."

With ECXpert Enterprise 2.0, customers can incorporate existing applications and systems into their Commerce Exchange trading environment. ECXpert Enterprise 2.0 features a software developer's kit (SDK) that allows companies to fully extend ECXpert functionality. The SDK includes a variety of protocols and extensions, including a protocol for implementing custom services, and an API (application programmer's interface) for accessing databases and submitting files to ECXpert.

Also included in the next generation of Commerce Exchange is out-of-the-box connectivity with SAP R/3, Oracle Applications and MQ Series, enabled by ECXpert Extensions. The extension for SAP R/3 is certified by SAP via the Application Link Enabling interface, which couples ECXpert processes with SAP processes. The extension for Oracle Applications enables out-of-the-box certified integration with Oracle Applications to exchange purchase orders, invoices and other documents with trading partners using various existing applications.

Netscape Communications Corporation is a leading provider of software and services for businesses that want to transform the way they create and keep customers in the emerging Net Economy. The company offers a full line of enterprise software solutions, professional services, and a leading Internet portal to help companies build, buy, or outsource Internet applications that drive revenue growth, build customer loyalty, and create new levels of business efficiency. 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, or by calling 650/937-2555 (corporations) or 650/937-3777 (individuals).

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