Microsoft Corp. announced the release to manufacturing, pricing and licensing of Microsoft BizTalk Server 2000. The latest release in the Microsoft .NET Enterprise Server family, BizTalk Server 2000 is a comprehensive solution that unites enterprise application integration, B2B integration and BizTalk Orchestration technology to allow companies to easily build dynamic business processes that span applications and organizational boundaries. Enterprise Edition. BizTalk Server 2000 Enterprise Edition is targeted at large organizations, trading hubs and digital marketplaces and has support for integrating unlimited internal applications with unlimited trading partners over the Internet. BizTalk Server 2000 Enterprise Edition will support multiple processor and clustering deployments to handle even the largest transaction volumes. The suggested retail price for BizTalk Server 2000 Enterprise Edition is $24,999 per CPU. Standard Edition. BizTalk Server 2000 Standard Edition is targeted at small and medium-sized organizations and has support for integrating up to five internal applications with up to five external trading partners, such as exchanges or digital marketplaces. Intended for small to medium-sized transaction volumes, the standard edition will not have support for multiprocessor or clustered deployments. The suggested retail price of BizTalk Server 2000 Standard Edition is $4,999 per CPU. BizTalk Server 2000 is scheduled to be generally available in January 2001. Microsoft today also published the final version of its BizTalk Framework 2.0 specification. Based on industry standards for data exchange and security such as SOAP 1.1, XML and S/MIME, the BizTalk Framework enables the secure and reliable exchange of business documents over the Internet. Development of the BizTalk Framework is overseen by the BizTalk Steering Committee, which comprises industry partners, consortiums and standards bodies. www.microsoft.com
Category: Content technology news (Page 481 of 637)
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RightWorks Corporation announced the launch of the RightWorks Open Commerce Network, an open, horizontal exchange and virtual content aggregation portal that provides centralized access to products and value-added services over the Internet. In addition, RightWorks announced functionality and scalability enhancements to the RightWorks Universal Content Manager, a secure catalog server. Both announcements are part of RightWorks’ strategic supplier enablement initiative to offer “content anywhere.” Powered by the RightWorks Universal Content Manager, the Open Commerce Network enables suppliers to automate and personalize catalogs at a centralized location and selectively publish them to buying organizations. The RightWorks Open Commerce Network incorporates catalog management software from Cardonet to offer suppliers a second-generation set of online self-service tools for maintaining personalized electronic catalogs, which produces cost saving by reducing infrastructure expenses. It also offers a streamlined approach for updating content across organizations; real-time views of buyer-specific pricing and terms; the ability to maintain a single catalog view while assigning multiple pricing contracts; rapid electronic catalog standardization; the ability to define complex products with an unlimited number of attributes; and an automated content cleansing and normalization process that enables fast, accurate, comprehensive item search results. The RightWorks Open Commerce Network also provides suppliers access to new sales channels. A component of the RightWorks eBusiness Application Suite, the RightWorks Universal Content Manager now features a second-generation catalog engine. The new catalog server enables organizations to maintain millions of SKUs on a single database. Because it is “stateless” and “cacheless,” processing updates to the catalog content takes just minutes. The new catalog server also provides enhanced functionalities such as advanced parametric search, content standardization, flexible pricing schemes, and ability to tunnel out and in. The RightWorks eBusiness Application Suite, including the RightWorks Universal Content Manager, supports 12 local languages including English, UK English, two variations of French (Continental and French Canadian), two variations of Spanish (Continental and Latin), Portuguese, German, Traditional and Simplified Chinese, Korean and Japanese. Modules are priced separately and will be available in mid-December. www.rightworks.com
IntraNet Solutions, Inc. announced the release of Xpedio 4.5, the latest version of its Xpedio Content Management system. The Xpedio 4.5 release includes enhancements to Xpedio’s two primary components – Xpedio Content Server and Xpedio Content Publisher – as well as the addition of two new components, Xpedio Dynamic Converter and Xpedio Content Categorizer. Xpedio 4.5 continues to provide rapid deployment, enabling companies to have operational business Web sites up and running in days or weeks. With Xpedio Dynamic Converter, based on dynamic conversion technology from the Information Exchange Division which IntraNet Solutions acquired in July 2000, site developers have the option of converting and delivering Web content from the native source to HTML dynamically upon user request, as opposed to publishing all content to the Web site at the same time. Xpedio Content Categorizer allows content to be automatically categorized and tagged, rather than manually, when input by individuals or in a batch process, which is useful when there is a large amount of content to be entered or when the source content changes frequently. The enhanced Xpedio Content Publisher now enables users to publish content to WML standards that are specific to mobile phone microbrowsers, including Nokia and Phone.com. Xpedio 4.5 will be available in mid-December 2000. Expanded wireless support will be included in Xpedio Content Publisher, priced at $30,000 USD. Xpedio Content Categorizer will be sold as an optional module and is priced at $50,000 USD. Xpedio Dynamic Converter will also be sold as an optional module, priced at $30,000 USD. All other features will be available as part of the core Xpedio Content Server, priced at $175,000 USD. www.intranetsolutions.com
Representatives of the IEEE Learning Technology Standards Committee Learning Objects Metadata (LTSC-LOM) Working Group and the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding outlining the commitment to develop mutual interoperable metadata for technology-supported learning, education and training tools. The MOU signifies that a core set of specifications and accredited standards is emerging to support an interoperable infrastructure for worldwide e-learning technology. Ready access to comprehensive repositories of metadata is increasingly noted by developers of Web-enabled learning technology products as a critical factor in the next generation of learning and knowledge creation. However, to be useful, that metadata must be highly interoperable and reusable worldwide. The agreement signals a path forward for how education and training practitioners engaged in developing metadata can best support e-learning. Representatives from concurring projects sponsored by the following organizations support the joint effort between the IEEE LTSC-LOM and DCMI: ARIADNE (Alliance of Remote Instructional Authoring and Distribution Networks for Europe), EdNA (Education Network Australia), GEM (Gateway to Educational Materials), and the IMS Global Learning Consortium. http://purl.org/dc/
Microsoft Corp. announced the release of the beta specification for XML for Analysis — a new protocol that extends the Microsoft business intelligence strategy to the Microsoft.NET vision of Web services, allowing application developers to provide analytic capabilities to any client on any device or platform using any programming language. Built on HTTP, XML and SOAP with more than 50 industry players instrumental in its development. As an extension to OLE DB for OLAP and OLE DB for Data Mining, XML for Analysis uses the Internet as the platform for building analytical applications from diverse sources of data, thus enabling developers to provide better Web services for analytic data. Corporations can now allow trading partners, customers and suppliers to access data easily and securely over the Web without worrying about client operating system, application language or middleware compatibility issues. XML for Analysis expands access to business intelligence by increasing the flexibility for developers to incorporate analytical data within applications that reside remotely on the Internet, or even those that are hosted by another company. Users can achieve a new level of pervasive data analysis because they have access to data from any client ranging from a PDA to an Internet-enabled phone, interactive TV device, laptop computer or PC. XML for Analysis is a fully compatible advancement to the OLE DB for OLAP and OLE DB for Data Mining protocols. The beta specification of XML for Analysis is now available for download at www.microsoft.com/data. A beta software development kit of XML for Analysis is planned to be available for download in early 2001, and final specification and software for XML for Analysis are scheduled to be available in the first half of 2001. www.microsoft.com
Epicentric, Inc. announced that it has entered into an alliance with Documentum, Inc. Epicentric will integrate its E-Business Network platform with the Portal Edition of Documentum’s 4i eBusiness content management platform. The integration will allow joint customers of Epicentric’s E-Business Network platform and Documentum’s 4i Portal Edition to take advantage of Documentum’s content management and collaboration capabilities within the networked business communities that were created through Epicentric. By implementing Epicentric’s E-Business Network platform with Documentum’s content management platform, Global 2000 companies can accelerate the delivery of up-to-date strategic information across networked business communities. Key information, such as sales data or market research, can be instantly accessed and shared with the employees, partners or customers who require the data. Epicentric’s integration framework enables companies to deliver a unique, privately branded interface to each business community and users to tailor the information to meet their personal needs. www.documentum.com, www.epicentric.com
Bluebill Advisors, Inc., AIIM International, and the Graphic Communications Association (GCA) announced “Enterprise Content Management 2001” (ECM 2001), a new conference series covering all the technologies and trends related to integrating content and data into enterprise e-business applications, including: content management, (CMS) corporate portals, XML, digital rights management, digital assets, rich content, syndication, content aggregation and categorization, e-catalogs, enterprise meta and metadata integration strategies, and application and information integration. The three organizations will jointly produce the new events. The first three-day conference will be held October 2-5, 2001 at the Westin Century Plaza in Los Angeles, CA. Today, businesses have to be able to publish content via multiple channels, including Web, wireless, kiosk, and print, but publishing is only a small part of how enterprises must manage content. Content also has to be shared with suppliers, customers, channel partners, and employees, for a wide variety of enterprise applications. ECM 2001 is the only educational event dedicated to all the application and infrastructure technologies for managing content across and between enterprises. ECM 2001 is an educational, vendor-neutral event designed specifically for e-business and IT managers responsible for developing strategies involving content management, and for project managers in charge of implementing solutions. www.aiim.org, www.bluebilladvisors.com, www.gca.org
Documentum announced the release of the next generation of its 4i eBusiness Platform. The release features significant enhancements, offering complete support of XML for content management and B2B interchange, as well as full internationalization and multilingual support, automated delivery of content to multiple channels, and integration with industry-leading source code management systems. XML content management provides the basis for streamlining the content creation process by enabling content reuse and automating the generation and delivery of assembled content for multiple channels. This is achieved by adding intelligence to content earlier in the process and separating the creation and delivery processes. Content can now be re-purposed rather than re-created and intelligently transformed and customized to suit the characteristics and formats of different devices and channels (e-commerce sites, portals, PDAs, wireless devices, and online exchanges/marketsites). Full lifecycle, workflow, security, and library services enable organizations to automate their business processes, and sophisticated link management services enable the reuse of content globally. Documentum is actively involved with XML e-business standards organizations, such as OASIS, ebXML, UDDI.org, WAP Forum, and XML.org. Documentum and Arbortext also announced an extension of their partnership integrating Arbortext’s Epic. www.documentum.com
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