Interwoven, Inc. announced the release of Interwoven TeamCatalog. Combined with Interwoven TeamSite, TeamCatalog offers a comprehensive platform to enable customers to automate both their product and Web content processes to power multiple eBusiness initiatives. With TeamCatalog, customers will be able to assemble and manage catalog content, while automating the processes necessary to ensure product information is “transaction-ready.” Interwoven TeamCatalog provides a software platform for managing product data that meets the demands of enterprises, B2B marketplaces, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers, who need to aggregate, create, categorize, refresh and distribute eCatalogs. This content includes information such as product name and description, stock keeping unit (SKU) code, price, and other data, which is stored in legacy systems, databases and ERP systems such as SAP, PeopleSoft and Oracle. TeamCatalog is a development-side eCatalog content management solution that is compatible with leading transactional catalog products from BEA, IBM, ATG, BroadVision, Microsoft and others. TeamCatalog features include: Easy-to-use administrative tools facilitate schedule updates, define process checkpoints, set validation criteria, and manage versions of catalog files for tracking and automatic rollback as needed; Aggregation, normalization, and rationalization capabilities make product content from one or more sources `transaction-ready’ for eCommerce sites; Creation and management of multiple taxonomies, such as UNSPSC and industry-specific taxonomies. The combination of Interwoven TeamCatalog software, with B2B Edition and TeamSite software, provides the necessary content infrastructure for enterprise eBusiness initiatives. Enterprises can represent their product information accurately and merchandise their products with rich information, graphics and metadata. www.interwoven.com/products/teamcatalog
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Vitria announced that the company has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire XMLSolutions Corporation. Vitria believes that there is a substantial market opportunity for EDI/XML integration. Given the complexity and cost of EDI software, most companies only use EDI to communicate with the top 15-20% of their trading partners. The remaining 80-85% of trading partners need a simpler, less expensive solution that leverages the emerging XML standard for information exchange over the Internet. The total purchase price for the transaction will be approximately $15 million, of which $7 million will be paid at the closing in cash to preferred shareholders, and $8 million will be used to retire short-term debt and other liabilities of XMLSolutions. The closing of the acquisition is subject to the approval of the shareholders of XMLSolutions, as well as the satisfaction of certain customary closing conditions. Vitria will account for the acquisition as a purchase and expects to complete the transaction in early April. www.xmls.com, www.vitria.com
Digital Goods and Texterity, Inc. announced an agreement that will extend Digital Goods’ Amplifi content marketing/eCommerce solution from the publisher’s desktop to storefronts across the Internet. Under the agreement, Texterity’s TextCafe, an automated service that converts PDF, Quark or Word files to XML and Open eBook formats, will be offered by Digital Goods to its content partners. Texterity’s service bridges the digital document preparation gap between publishers’ systems and Digital Goods’ Amplifi Internet distribution/sales tools and services. Texterity also will make Digital Goods’ Amplifi the recommended digital content marketing solution for its content conversion customers. Both companies are partners of Reciprocal, the digital rights management leader that is enabling those popular reader formats for content offered through Digital Goods. www.digitalgoods.com, www.texterity.com
eBT International, Inc. announced the release of engenda 4.7. The latest version of eBT’s content management and workflow automation solution features new functionality to simplify workflow development and enhance personalization through advanced integration with BEA WebLogic Personalization Server. Included in engenda 4.7 are: Microsoft Visio Workflow Solution: Based on a prototype eBT announced last year, this drag-and-drop, graphical interface allows anyone to create workflows from within Microsoft Visio. The workflows are stored as XML, without requiring users to learn the markup language; LDAP Support; Localization tools and guidelines enable global organizations to easily configure engenda 4.7 for non-English speaking locales; and Apache support. engenda 4.7 is available immediately with prices starting at $75,000. www.ebt.com
iPlanet E-Commerce Solutions extended its portal platform with the addition of four new products, including fully integrated wireless capability via the iPlanet Portal Server: Mobile Access Pack. The product lets service providers offer a full spectrum of portal services through any Internet-based device and allows enterprises to channel corporate services and applications to mobile employees. Mobile Access Pack is fully integrated with the iPlanet Messaging, Calendar and Directory Server software products. It provides support for WAP and i-mode, and the most requested wireless services such as SMS, notification and location-based services. There are two editions. Standard Edition is a completely self-contained, easy-to-install product to enable rapid portal pilot development and deployment. It includes the iPlanet Application Server 6.0: Standard Edition and iPlanet Directory Server for use only with the iPlanet Portal Server. Enterprise Edition provides enhanced availability and scalability on a J2EE-certified application platform with robust integration capabilities. Designed for customers requiring high transaction integrity and continuous up-time, it eliminates single points of failure through application fail-over and load balancing. It requires the separate purchase and installation of the iPlanet Application Server: Enterprise Edition or iPlanet Application Server: Enterprise Edition Pro. The iPlanet Portal Server product family is expanding to include additional capabilities via portal solution packs. Each pack can be installed and deployed on top of either iPlanet Portal Server edition. In addition, multiple packs may be deployed in conjunction with one another. They include: Mobile Access Pack, Secure Remote Access Pack, and Personalized Knowledge Pack. The iPlanet Portal Server Standard Edition and the Secure Remote Access Pack are available immediately. The Personalized Knowledge Pack will be available by the end of this month. The Wireless Access Pack will be available Summer 2001 and the Enterprise Edition will be available in the Fall. Pricing of the iPlanet Portal Server begins at $25,000. www.sun.com/software/sunone, www.iplanet.com
Documentum announced the general availability of Documentum 4i B2B Content Management Edition. This new Edition provides a standard, integrated content management platform that enables rapid development and deployment of content-rich B2B applications across a common content framework. At the heart of this edition is the XML-enabled eContent Server. Enhanced by Engagement Services, Syndication Services, Collaboration Services, and Documentum Developer Studio, this edition extends the production and exchange of content among and between organizations. The 4i eContent Server, designed for global scalability, provides content repository services, native XML component management and robust process automation. Documentum XML capabilities enable storage, validation and transformation of B2B XML schemas, including popular electronic marketplace schemas, such as cXML, and xCBL. Engagement Services is an ebXML-ready multi-protocol server that extends process automation and workflow across trading networks, enabling secure inter-enterprise content exchange. Syndication Services is a tightly integrated content distribution facility for publishing content directly from one or more repositories to an unlimited number of subscribers. Collaboration Services provides real-time project-based collaboration between employee and partner teams across the extended enterprise. And, for rapid development of content-rich B2B applications, Developer Studio is a mature development environment with a comprehensive API set compatible with all popular Web-based development standards. Now, catalog management applications can integrate structured catalog information (such as pricing and SKUs) with rich unstructured information such as images, product descriptions, datasheets, maintenance and operating manuals. In addition, with the new B2B Edition capabilities companies can accelerate product availability to market by enabling suppliers to directly maintain and manage their catalog content. On-line Contract management and strategic sourcing applications can now manage the content lifecycle around contracts, proposals, and quotations. Finally, collaborative commerce applications can exchange rich content and engage partners during design, marketing and sales cycles gaining increased time-to-market advantage. www.documentum.com
MediaBin, Inc. announced the availability of the MediaBin Deployment Agent, a new option for managing and automating the production and accelerated delivery of correctly formatted images directly to web sites, or via general-purpose Web Content Management offerings from companies such as Interwoven, Vignette and others. The Deployment Agent combined with the MediaBin platform extends the functionality of web content management systems to include the aggregation, production, management, and tracking of product photography and brand images. eCommerce sites and B2B exchanges that work with thousands of images can use the MediaBin Deployment Agent to automate the production and delivery of new and updated content to their sites on a scheduled basis (e.g., daily, weekly, monthly). The MediaBin Deployment Agent can also be used to automatically regenerate all affected web images whenever a page template is changed, a task that would take hours or even days using manual processes. The Deployment Agent can also be used to generate images based on database criteria. For example, if a product line or group of products is going to be put on sale, MediaBin can regenerate all affected product images to include an appropriate sale label, such as “25% off! Today only” in an artistically-rendered translucent type face. The Deployment Agent is available for purchase as an add-on to the MediaBin platform. www.mediabin.com
IntraNet Solutions and Corechange, Inc. announced a strategic alliance to offer content management and portal solutions worldwide. Under the alliance, the companies will integrate and market IntraNet Solutions’ Xpedio Content Management system with the Corechange Coreport 3g access framework. Coreport 3g provides customers with a customizable portal interface through which they can access critical business information and applications. The integration of Xpedio enables portal users to contribute content to Web sites in a variety of formats, such as word processing documents, spreadsheets or graphics. Xpedio also automatically publishes this content to a variety of Web formats, such as HTML, XML, PDF or WML. In addition, users can access content stored in the Xpedio Content Server through Coreport 3g. The integrated product also includes Xpedio’s version control feature that allows users to track and save previous versions of business files, as well as a workflow function that enables users to route content for review and approval. Through the Coreport and Xpedio technology, users can also access the corporate portal and its content from a wide array of wireless devices to get information from the portal and to transact business. www.intranetsolutions.com, www.corechange.com
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