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Covast Corporation
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DALLAS — June 2, 2003 — Today at Microsoft^® Tech·Ed, Microsoft Corp. announced the beta availability for the first phase of "Jupiter," code name for the company’s next-generation e-business vision. This first phase, BizTalk^® Server 2004, provides the key foundational services, including business-process orchestration, single sign-on, human-based workflow and Web services support, to enable customers to build tailored e-business solutions to connect people with information and processes. Built on the Microsoft .NET Framework and integrated into the Microsoft Office System and Visual Studio^® .NET, BizTalk Server 2004 addresses the unique needs of information technology (IT) professionals, information workers and developers for increased efficiency and productivity. Paul Flessner, senior vice president of the Server Platform Division at Microsoft, today announced this milestone in his keynote presentation at the conference.

"Microsoft’s vision for the connected business is becoming a reality for customers today with the introduction of the BizTalk Server 2004 beta," said David Kiker, general manager for E-Business Servers at Microsoft. "BizTalk Server 2004 provides the strong foundation for ‘Jupiter’ to empower companies to build tailored e-business solutions that span corporate boundaries and improve business agility to capitalize on new opportunities. With Visual Studio .NET and Office System integration, BizTalk Server 2004 will help our customers develop the industry’s next generation of e-business solutions."

The core design themes of "Jupiter" — business process centricity, improved integration, interoperability and modularity — as laid out by the company at MEC 2002 in October are represented in BizTalk Server 2004 and meet the new set of design requirements that customers demand in this era of the connected business. The "Jupiter" set of technologies will be delivered in two phases over the next two years, as part of Windows Server System™.

BizTalk Server 2004: The Core Foundation for "Jupiter"

The "Jupiter" vision aims to enable the connected business by bringing Microsoft’s current e-business servers together to offer shared technologies that are central to e-business in a more unified environment. Today, BizTalk Server 2004 delivers the foundation of this vision and the set of core technologies for an end-to-end e-business solution with integration, workflow and process automation. The next phase will build on this foundation and use these shared technologies to deliver integrated modules for content management; Internet portal and commerce, personalization, and Web analytics based on today’s Content Management Server, Commerce Server and integration with Microsoft Office SharePoint™ Portal Server 2003. These technologies, built on the .NET Framework, comprise Microsoft’s robust enterprise portal framework from Microsoft.

BizTalk Server 2004 delivers the following core technologies:

• Business process. BizTalk Server 2004 provides a powerful orchestration engine as well as integration with Microsoft Office System and Visual Studio .NET, making it easier for business analysts and developers to orchestrate dynamic business processes within and between organizations. Business process centricity is critical to the connected business and continues to be a key tenet of the "Jupiter" vision.
• Business rules engine. BizTalk Server 2004 provides a single integrated engine through which enterprises can design, build, compose and manage increasingly complex business processes. To provide a truly role-based experience, the Microsoft Business Rules Framework offers a graphical user interface that developers, business analysts and IT professionals can use to efficiently develop and apply rules and policies.
• Human-based workflow. In BizTalk Server 2004, customers will see a core human-based workflow engine that can be used to build end-to-end workflow applications. Microsoft Human Workflow Services (HWS) enables companies to adapt a workflow modeled on the needs of users. Built on "Jupiter" design principles, HWS is modular enough to be used as a stand-alone component or as part of a larger process. In addition, Microsoft continues to work with a core set of industry partners to build on the BizTalk Server 2004 engine to help customers develop customized workflow solutions for their enterprise.
• Single sign-on. With the Enterprise Single Sign-On (SSO) feature in BizTalk Server 2004, organizations can enable users to access multiple heterogeneous applications through a single enterprise login. A core Microsoft technology, SSO will be a strategic asset throughout Microsoft products such as SharePoint Portal Server and Host Integration Server, providing users with easy and secure visibility into enterprise systems.
• Web services. Native support for Web services, including Business Process Execution Language (BPEL), is built deep into BizTalk Server 2004 to provide a standard way for enterprises to communicate across disparate back-end systems, enabling them to leverage existing investments.

Unique Tools for Unique Needs

The unique needs of information workers, developers and IT professionals are recognized with an e-business environment that includes enhanced integration with Microsoft Office System and Visual Studio .NET; integrated security, deployment, management and monitoring across the technologies; and improved XML Web services support for interoperability in the enterprise. BizTalk Server 2004 offers the foundation for comprehensive e-business initiatives for users throughout the enterprise:

• Information workers. Integration with the Microsoft Office System allows for increased ease in monitoring business activity in real time from within Microsoft Office Excel. BizTalk Server 2004 uses Microsoft Office InfoPath™ 2003 as an easy-to-use interface into Business Activity and Human Workflow Services, allowing users to take advantage of XML-based Web services in a familiar Office System environment. Intuitive InfoPath and Windows SharePoint Services based tools for business process and trading partner management help ensure that information workers have easy access to information.
• Developers. Visual Studio .NET serves as the foundation for orchestration and messaging design. Additional support for XML Web services standards ensures that both developers and information workers work collaboratively.
• IT professionals. By integrating with Application Center 2000, BizTalk Server 2004 provides tools for rapid deployment helping ensure that time-to-solution goals are met or exceeded. BizTalk Server 2004 also includes a built-in management pack and tight integration with Microsoft Operations Manager 2000 to help customers easily monitor the health of their systems. Working with the Microsoft management tools, BizTalk Server 2004 enables increased productivity for IT professionals by simplifying management processes and ensuring application health..

Availability

Developers and customers can find the beta version of BizTalk Server 2004 immediately available at http://www.microsoft.com/biztalk/. BizTalk Server 2004 is scheduled to be released by the end of this year. Pricing and licensing details have not yet been determined and will be available at a later date.

Increasing Connections: BizTalk Server 2004’s Adapter Framework

The robust adapter framework delivered with BizTalk Server 2004 allows companies to quickly connect to proprietary systems and unlock strategic data in legacy systems with full support for Web services. In addition, eight independent software vendors have announced plans to provide BizTalk Server 2004 customers a variety of technologies to help extend their
e-business solutions.

• Application adapters. Covast, eBRIDGE Software Inc., Edifecs and iWay Software provide application adapters that enable BizTalk Server 2004 to integrate a wide range of mission-critical enterprise applications.
• Technology and database adapter. Attunity Inc., Hostbridge Technology, ItemField Inc. and WRQ provide tools to enhance the connectivity of BizTalk Server 2004 by extending integration with most common legacy technologies.

More information on BizTalk Server partners can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/biztalk/partners/default.asp

About Microsoft Tech•Ed 2003

Tech•Ed, one of Microsoft’s premier developer training events, which reaches more than

75,000 people worldwide annually, provides attendees with access to technical experts, the latest technical information, and hands-on labs to learn the skills they need to build state-of-the-art solutions. Sponsors of Tech Ed 2002 include Dell Computer Corp., HP, IBM Corp. and VERITAS Software Corp.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software — any time, any place and on any device.

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Microsoft, BizTalk, Visual Studio, Windows Server System, SharePoint, and InfoPath are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

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Stephenie Thang, Waggener Edstrom, (503) 443-7000, stepheniet@wagged.com

Rapid Response Team, Waggener Edstrom, (503) 443-7070, rrt@wagged.com

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