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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ACTRA LAUNCHES E-COMMERCE SOFTWARE
- C/Net, by Tim Clark - UPDATE: Actra Business Systems,
the newest arrival on the Internet commerce scene, today
debuted its first e-commerce software product after more
than a year of development. As previously reported by
CNET NEWS.COM, Actra announced that it's shipping a
family of EDI software, called CrossCommerce, that works
over the Internet.
Its coming out wouldn't draw much attention, if it
weren't for Actra's pedigree. The company is a joint venture
of Internet powerhouse Netscape Communications (NSCP) and GE
Information Systems, the biggest player in the EDI world and
a unit of deep-pocketed General Electric (GE). EDI, which
stands for electronic data interchange, involves automating
purchases and other communications using standard forms that
are sent directly from one computer to another. Many Fortune
500 manufacturers use EDI over secure private networks
called VANs, or value-added networks, to place orders with
regular suppliers. GEIS operates the world's largest VAN,
but doing EDI over the Internet is cheaper.
CrossCommerce consists of five products. The first,
called ECXpert, will debut this month. It will be priced at
$30,000 and will work with Oracle databases. Actra CEO
Jim Sha said, "ECXpert is the first EDI software built for
Internet from the ground up and also leverages existing VAN
connectivity." The company is not, however, the only one
selling EDI Internet software. Premenos was the first in
that field two years ago, and others have followed,
including Harbinger and Sterling Commerce. But impresses
Forrester Research analyst Stan Dolberg is impressed by the
full Actra's CrossCommerce line, not just the EDI product.
He sees Actra offering the first Internet commerce software
designed from the start to sell to other businesses, not a
product retooled from a retail usage. "They are
positioning themselves eventually to supply the full range
and scope of application software that a company would need
to do Internet commerce," Dolberg said. "They're starting
with helping companies incorporate EDI, then moving on to
automate the purchasing process." David Alschuler,
senior analyst at the Aberdeen Group notes that Actra now
must deliver on its product road map. "I don't see the
development plan as producing tremendous uniqueness, but it
will put them on front edge if they can deliver," he said.
OrderXpert Seller, software for business to business
sales that lets buyers serve themselves, goes into beta
testing next month and is scheduled to ship by October.
OrderXpert Buyer, designed to complement the seller software
is aimed at firms making purchases from many suppliers and
will ship by year's end. By the end of this year, Actra
expects to ship new versions of two Netscape products
designed for marketing to consumers. MerchantXpert, the
renamed Merchant System software for selling goods, is to
ship by year's end. PublishingXpert, formerly Publishing
System, is scheduled to ship by October for marketing
information products.
VeriSign, which provides digital certificates to verify the
identities of parties in anonymous online transactions, will
provide digital IDs to trading partners using ECXpert.
- Actra will sell its software through dedicated sales
reps within both Netscape and GEIS's direct sales forces.
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