Sequent embedding Open Market Software in its Internet solutions

Business Wire, June 17, 1996

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 17, 1996-- Sequent Computer Systems and Open Market, Inc. today announced that Open Market's high performance Internet commerce software products are now available as part of Sequent's Internet and Intranet solutions. Sequent has ported Open Market's Secure WebServer, WebReporter and Merchant Solution to its high performance Symmetry 5000 Series servers and will OEM the software in its broad Internet and Intranet product offerings.

"Open Market's software offers an excellent solution for the enterprise-level Internet and Intranet infrastructures that Fortune 500 companies need to execute their Internet-based strategies," said Lori O'Callaghan, Internet technologies group marketing manager for Sequent. "Our record-breaking performance tests last December reaching 7,200 Webstones on Open Market's WebServer simply validated Sequent's decision to collaborate with Open Market on our high-performance, Internet/Intranet solutions."

"Sequent's position as a leader in high performance systems will bring Open Market-based products to the high-end of the marketplace," said Bob Weinberger, vice president of marketing at Open Market. "Additionally, Sequent has the unique ability to offer entire solutions for customers, including comprehensive consulting, design, programming and support services that are key to our Internet initiative."

Sequent's Internet Solutions

Sequent's Internet solutions and services leverage its high-end servers to focus on three broad areas: 1) corporate digital libraries (CDLs,) which act as information repositories for information access both internally and externally; 2) electronic commerce for sales transactions with customers; 3) Intranet solutions, including business-to-business electronic commerce and information access.

Sequent's Internet Technologies Group introduced the Sequent Internet Accelerator(SM) for use as a high-end Internet server this past April. The Internet Accelerator(SM) is a Sequent Symmetry 5000 system with a modular suite of software fine-tuned for the Internet, such as Open Market's Secure WebServer and WebReporter products, messaging servers and database servers. The Sequent Symmetry 5000 Series is Sequent's full range of UNIX-based symmetric multiprocessor (SMP) computers for business critical applications. Scalable Symmetry 5000 systems support up to 30 Intel Pentium 166 MHz processors and run Sequent's DYNIX/ptx operating system.

"Just about any company can use on-line information in some way or form," said Keith Bartlett, strategic partner manager at Sequent. "Serious business applications functioning on the Web is a huge growth area. When you get into mission critical applications, high-end Sequent machines combined with Open Market software for mission-critical applications on the Internet is a perfect fit," added Bartlett.

Open Market's Secure WebServer allows thousands of simultaneous connections to the World Wide Web and incorporates open standards such as the Common Gateway Interface (CGI), a standard for server scripts, and HyperText Transport Protocol (HTTP) for interoperability with popular Web clients. Open Market's servers support both the Secure-HTTP (S-HTTP) and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) security approaches, to help ensure protection of corporate data and transactions. WebReporter is a sophisticated tool for analyzing Web server access activity and generating customized reports.

Sequent Computer Systems, Inc. is a leading architect and provider of open client/server solutions for enterprise business computing. With an installed base of nearly 8,000 systems, Sequent leads all other vendors of high-end UNIX systems supporting very large-scale on-line transaction processing (OLTP), data warehousing and Internet-based applications. Sequent's project-oriented offerings include consulting, educational and professional services geared to help organizations re-architect their existing information technology infrastructures. The company, headquartered in Beaverton, OR, can be reached at 503.626.5700 or on the World Wide Web at http://www.sequent.com.

Founded in 1994, Open Market, Inc. develops, markets, licenses, and supports high-performance software products that allow its customers to engage in business-to-consumer and business-to-business electronic commerce on the Internet and to deploy Internet-based business applications within an enterprise. Open Market's innovative technology enables the separation of the management of business transactions from the management of content, thereby allowing companies to securely and centrally manage business transactions using content located on multiple distributed Web servers. The company, headquartered in Cambridge, MA, can be reached at 617.621.9500 or on the World Wide Web at http://www.openmarket.com

CONTACT: Kim King

Open Market

617.374.6540

king@openmarket.com

or

Marian Hughes

The Weber Group

617.520.7073

mhughes@webergroup.com

or

Debbie Caldwell

The Bernhardt Agency for Sequent

503.226.6452