Fabrik Communications Announces Support for Microsoft Exchange; Fabrik Service for Microsoft Exchange Goes Into Trial; Fabrik Service for Lotus Notes Available Now for Internet E-Mail

Business Wire, June 12, 1996

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 12, 1996--Fabrik Communications, Inc., a San Francisco-based, value-added Internet e-mail service provider, today announced that the Fabrik Service for Microsoft Exchange is in trial and that the Fabrik Service for Lotus Notes is now commercially available. The Fabrik Service, which connects LAN e-mail users to Internet e-mail and other WAN systems, provides organizations with Internet e-mail via familiar desktop mail systems. The additional platforms will complement the Fabrik Service already available for Lotus cc:Mail and for Microsoft Mail.

According to April projections, International Data Corporation (IDC) predicts that there will be 5.23 million users of Microsoft Exchange by the end of 1996. IDC also expects 50 percent of Microsoft Mail users will make the transition to Exchange as their messaging platform by the end of 1996.

"We believe that the Fabrik Service is an ideal solution for Exchange-based companies looking to outsource their electronic mail connectivity," said Dan Fay, Microsoft Exchange Messaging Technical Evangelist at Microsoft Corp. "We expect continued growth of the Exchange platform and we are counting on partners like Fabrik to grow with our success."

Specifically, the Fabrik Service for Microsoft Exchange will assist organizations migrating to the Microsoft Exchange platform by managing their Internet addresses and enabling them to outsource their wide area connectivity management.

"Although we haven't seen a great many customers transition to Microsoft Exchange yet, we want to be prepared for when they do. We also want to be prepared to support customers who are choosing Exchange as their first e-mail platform," said Christopher Logan, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Fabrik Communications, Inc. "With the Fabrik Service, an organization's first time set-up or transition can be painless, regardless of the e-mail platform they are currently using."

The Fabrik Service Enables Connectivity On Multiple Platforms

The Fabrik Service connects LAN e-mail users to customers, suppliers and trading partners who use the Internet; X.400; commercial e-mail networks such as MCI Mail, CompuServe and America Online; and other LAN mail products such as Lotus cc:Mail and Microsoft Mail.

The company is taking a leadership position in its support for multiple platforms and reliable connectivity. Unlike CompuServe and other mail hub providers, Fabrik will now offer services for both Lotus Notes and Microsoft Exchange. Additionally, today's customers are choosing the Fabrik Service over CompuServe's mail hub because Fabrik better serves their needs.

"CompuServe kept stripping important document attachments that managers had to send out with their e-mail messages," said Todd Dughman, LAN Manager at Gerry Baby Products, manufacturer of car seats, highchairs, bath products and other infant and juvenile related products. "The fact that the attachments were not making it over the Internet with the e-mail message was making my job much more difficult. With Fabrik, binary attachments just work and I now have time to concentrate on how my job can contribute to the overall growth of our company."

More than 150,000 registered users at more than 350 organizations have chosen the Fabrik Service because it is reliable, involves no capital investment, takes approximately 30 minutes to connect and requires no additional training. Users can send and receive Internet e-mail from the same user desktop interface they are accustomed to using. The company will continue to grow in part because of its commitment to offer support for additional LAN e-mail platforms, including Microsoft Exchange and soon Novell's Groupwise, CE Quickmail and Quarterdeck Mail (formerly Microsoft Mail for the Macintosh).

Pricing and Availability

The Fabrik Service for Lotus Notes, for Lotus cc:Mail and for Microsoft Mail is available now. The Fabrik Service for Microsoft Exchange will be commercially available in mid-July.

With the Fabrik Service, there are no start-up costs for hardware, software, gateways or set-up. It costs $60 per month per external connection plus 20 cents per outbound message. There are nominal additional charges for file attachments, priority messages and X.400 messages. Most inbound messages (up to 100 kb in size) are delivered free. All telephone connectivity access is toll free. Fabrik also offers free customer support. Fabrik Service customers have reported savings of more than 50-80% over similar service providers or installing and managing e-mail gateways in-house.

About Fabrik Communications, Inc.

Fabrik Communications, Inc. is a value-added Internet e-mail service provider for business-to-business communications whose mission is to integrate, simplify and significantly add value to the delivery of electronic mail between organizations. The company is privately held and based in San Francisco, CA. Its investors include Crosspoint Venture Partners of Los Altos CA; Vanguard Venture Partners of Palo Alto CA; and Dantz Development Corp. of Orinda, CA. For more information about Fabrik, please send us e-mail at info@fabrik.com, visit our Web site at www.fabrik.com or call 1-800-732-2745. -0-