Press Release-Mar 17, 2000 IBS/AMERICAS

IBS releases eXtreme version of e-Commerce

Press Release Mar 17, 2000

IBS Releases "eXtreme" Version of E-Commerce Software for Wholesale Distributors. International Business Systems (IBS), the world leader in supply chain execution software, will introduce a new version of Internet Connection, its ERP-integrated e-commerce solution on March 19. The new version, called Internet Connection eXtreme 2, or ICe2, will make its first appearance in Las Vegas at the IBM Global Supply Chain Executive Conference.

Like earlier versions of Internet Connection, ICe2 is completely integrated with the IBS Supply Chain Execution system software. Integration improves customer service by providing customers and all authorized parties in the supply chain with real-time information about price, availability and the status of orders. It also compresses fulfillment cycles, reducing the cost and accelerating the speed of implementation.

"Recent installations of Internet Connection eXtreme have taken as little as 24 hours and rarely more than 48 hours to install, configure and implement," says Lowell Feil, IBS product manager, e-Business & Logistics Systems.

"This means the distributors' web sites were fully developed and ready to take orders within a day or two. And ICe2 allows even faster implementation."

"Internet Connection eXtreme 2 is a significant improvement over the previous version," says Feil. In addition to shorter implementation time, new features include:

Web page design flexibility.

The distributor can modify or redesign Web page templates using HTML

Improved security.

Each Web page is SSL-enabled to secure data transfer. The SSL function can be enabled or disabled at any time by the distributor at the desktop

Credit Card Processing.

Business-to-business credit card management and order processing is available

Easier order entry.

Customers can copy order lines from any existing orders or cut and paste text-based order lines from their systems

Customized service.

Customers can use their own catalog item codes and order numbers references when ordering or checking the status of an order

More flexible graphic capabilities.

Web catalogs have up to eight levels of product sub-categories providing simple text and photos, multi-media demonstrations and dynamic weblinks

Web Server Load Balancing.

Companies can monitor their web servers and balance workload automatically

Order Status and Shipment e-Tracking.

There is real-time access to sales order workflow status, including Internet links to major freight carriers for shipment tracking

"Today's leading distributors are committed to providing their clients and sales force with timely and efficient shipment of products as well as 24x7 self-service," says Feil.

The IBS system also allows clients to segregate their data so each company is a separate set of file structures and libraries.

The new ICe2 not only works quickly, it can be installed quickly, Feil reports. In early February, he flew from Folsom to the Los Angeles offices of IBS client Roland Corporation, a leading international distributor of electronic musical instruments.

Travelling with only his laptop and an Internet Connection CD-ROM in his pocket, Feil loaded the software onto Roland's web server and, within 24 hours, Roland's web site was fine-tuned and ready to set-up web clients, take Web Catalog orders online, view product availability, open account A/R and sales order history.

"The quick implementation is made possible by the tight integration of ICe2 with IBS' supply chain software system, ASW. Real-time information means there are no interface files or messaging agents to steal server cycles or get out of synchronization," says Feil.

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