INDUSTRY NEWS SHORTS -- March 16, 1998

AN ALLIANCE between Sybase (Emeryville, CA) and Netscape Communications (Mountain View, CA) is designed to enable enterprises to quickly build complex transactive Web applications on the Internet, intranet and extranets. Netscape Application Server 2.0 will be combined with Sybase PowerSite Enterprise 1.0. Application Server will also provide interoperability with Sybase's PowerJ Enterprise Version 2.0 Java development tool and PowerDesigner integrated design toolset.

"This combination provides a rich and highly productive environment for enterprise class applications," said Keng Lim, general manager and VP of Netscape's Application Server platform division.

"The powerful combination of Sybase's open technology and Netscape's application server enables customers to leverage Internet technologies to build, manage and deploy high-volume, transaction-based applications for corporate intranets, large-scale extranets and business-critical Internet applications," said Bob Zurek, VP of Web development tools for Sybase.

A JOINT DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT has been signed by Norsam Technologies (Los Alamos, NM) and IBM (Armonk, NY) to develop techniques for reading a high-density data storage system that may store several hundred times more data than CD-ROMs. The companies will develop IBM's scanning interferometric apertureless microscopy to read Norsam's HD-ROM discs. The HD-ROM, which is under development, uses a highly focused charged particle beam to store 165 GB of data on a CD-sized disc as compared to 650 MB for the CD.

THE LATEST RELEASE of Open Sesame's (Cambridge, MA) Learn Sesame software now supports Verity's (Sunnyvale, CA) knowledge retrieval software. The deal is designed to add search and retrieval capabilities to Open Sesame's personalized software for online business. Learn Sesame builds a dynamic interest profile of each user from that person's browsing behavior at a Web site. Learn Sesame will now export this personalization data in Verity's knowledge representation format, Topics. Verity products can use those Topics for searching and automatically filtering real-time information such as news feeds.

"The combination of Open Sesame's profiling and personalization technology with Verity's knowledge management applications, offers businesses a robust, scalable solution for true one-to-one applications, " said Alper Caglayan, president of Open Sesame.

"The complement of Open Sesame's personalization technology with our search and retrieval products will provide our customers with an even more sophisticated, well-rounded knowledge retrieval solution," said Ron Weissman, VP of Worldwide Marketing for Verity.

AN OFFER TO ACQUIRE Computer Sciences Corporation (El Segundo, CA) by Computer Associates International (CAI, Islandia, NY) has been announced by CAI. The proposed acquisition would cost approximately $9 billion at a price of $108 per share. The combined companies would employ more than 50,000 and have revenues of approximately $11 billion. The deal would allow CAI to provide extensive service offerings, which would offset its product supply, including the Unicenter applications management system and Jasmine database management product.

"The proposed combination of CAI and CSC would create the next-generation, world-class information technology services provider that will lead our industry into the next millennium," said Charles B. Wang, CAI's founder and chairman.

A TWO-YEAR CONTRACT RENEWAL has been signed between ZyLab International (Rockville, MD) and Visioneer (Fremont, CA). Visioneer will continue to use ZyLab's search engine with its software products to support its Paperport Deluxe scanner line.

TO ENHANCE ITS BUSINESS IN THE MIDWEST, ImageMax (Philadelphia) has announced acquisition of Integrated Information Services (IIS, Indianapolis), a provider of document management services and products concentrated on digital document conversion. ImageMax, a provider of integrated document management solutions, has 20 locations in 14 states. "IIS is a wholly digital operation that will provide ImageMax with valuable new technical and human resources we will be able to utilize throughout our network of operations," said Bruce Gillis, ImageMax chairman and CEO. Terms of the deal were not disclosed but IIS' key management and technical people will join ImageMax, according to Gillis.

IN THE NEWLY CREATED POSITION OF SENIOR VP OF BUSINESS SERVICES, Peter W. Shoemaker will be responsible for Ikon Office Solutions' (Valley Forge, PA) 13 U.S. business districts and the remanufacturing and marketing efforts for the equipment segment. Shoemaker has been with Ikon since 1980, and most recently served as senior VP of transformation.

MORE THAN 14,000 PEOPLE attended Xplor International's 18th Global Electronic Document Systems Conference and Exhibit in Dallas. The week-long conference featured 220 exhibiting companies and 312 educational sessions. Annual awards went to: Alexandre Batista of Print Laser Information (Sao Paulo, Brazil), Xplorer of the Year; Bob McDevitt, EDPP of Provident Mutual Life Insurance (Wilmington, DE), Chairman's Award; and the state of Wisconsin, Innovator of the Year. Wisconsin received the award for its document management program, which reportedly has saved the state $3 million to date.

Xplor's 19th annual event will be held Nov. 8 to 13 in Nashville.

COMBINING THEIR TECHNOLOGIES, Excalibur Technologies (Vienna, VA) and Oracle (Redwood Shores, CA) have announced an agreement. Excalibur will deliver its Video Analysis Engine (VAE) as an extension to the Oracle Video Server. Excalibur's VAE adds video capture and analysis through tracking and archival to a product designed to deliver full motion, full-screen video and CD-quality audio to the desktop for applications including training, decision support and internal communications. "This integrated application is what the world's largest media and entertainment companies are telling us they need," said Mark Porter, VP of Oracle's Media Server.

TWO APPOINTMENTS have been announced by Lotus Development (Cambridge, MA). Nick Shelness has been named chief technology officer and James Fieger has been named executive VP of World Wide Field Operations.

Shelness has served as a Lotus Fellow since joining the company with the acquisition of SoftSwitch in 1994.

Fieger has been the active VP of World Wide Field Operations since October and previously served as VP of sales, support and enablement at Lotus' Worldwide IBM Industry Solution Unit.

TO FOCUS ITS RESOURCES ON INTELLIGENT CHARACTER RECOGNITION, Mitek Systems (San Diego) has sold its Fax Products Division to Smith Micro Software (Aliso Viejo, CA). Smith Micro, a supplier of communications software for personal computers, acquires the FaxShare, Intrafax and I-Paper fax.

"The sale will allow the company to place increased focus on our core business solutions, while also positively affecting our balance sheet," said Elliot Wassarman, president and CEO of Mitek. "Mitek has retained the intellectual property rights for the NiF software component, ensuring our leadership in recognition technologies," he added.

INTRANET SOLUTIONS (Eden Prairie, MN) announces Q3 '98 financial results. Revenue of $5 million represents a 2.5% increase over Q3 '97 revenue. A net loss of $596,361 compares with a Q3 '97 net loss of $115,790. The figures reflect a charge of nearly $500,000 related to IntraNet's ongoing efforts to shed its on-demand publishing distribution group. Revenue from software, technical services and support were up 20% from Q3 '97. Gross profit increased 36% from Q3 '97. During the quarter IntraNet Solutions signed an agreement with Xerox (Rochester, NY) to distribute IntraNet Solution's products in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. The company also unveiled Version 3.0 of its Intra.doc Web-based document management system and named three people to its board of directors.