ChatCom selected as partner in Anixter RACE '96 program and completes first part of financing; successful deployment of ChatterBox Systems in Anixter's own network leads to master reseller agreement between the companies

Business Wire, March 26, 1996

CHATSWORTH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 26, 1996--ChatCom Inc. (NASDAQ:CHAT)(formerly J&L Information Systems) announced today that it has completed a master reseller agreement with Anixter Inc. to include ChatCom's ChatterBox(TM) family of communications and server products in Anixter's Remote Access Competitive Edge (RACE '96) program.

RACE '96 is a Anixter initiative created to provide the company's customers with the technology, products and deployment services for complete remote access solutions.

ChatCom's industry-leading ChatterBox family offers a complete line of scaleable-systems to fit medium to large networking environments. These are the customer environments specifically suited to the objectives of the RACE '96 program. ChatterBox systems provide optimum solutions for consolidating diverse server functions into compact, power-efficient, fault-resistant and highly manageable enclosures, and represent a formidable addition to the RACE '96 program.

Ernie Holland, ChatCom's vice president of sales, said, "This agreement was the outcome of almost two years of close cooperation between the regional sales personnel of ChatCom and Anixter. A number of successful installations of ChatterBox systems were accomplished by Anixter during this period, not the least of which was the installation of systems in Anixter's own internal network."

"We are very pleased to have ChatCom on board for the RACE '96 program," said Andy Chacon, Anixter's vice president of marketing, Wide Area Networks. "The ChatterBox line fills an important void in our remote access offering and will allow us to provide a more complete solution for our customers."

ChatCom also announced that it has completed the first phase of its scheduled $3.0 million financing program with the placement of a Regulation D Offering of $1.5 million. The financing is scheduled for two phases, and the company expects to complete the second phase in the next few weeks.

Founded in 1982, ChatCom Inc. is a leading supplier of consolidated server systems to Fortune 1000 companies. The ChatterBox family of products has won numerous prestigious awards, including: PC Magazine's `Editor's Choice', LAN Magazine's `Product of the Year', and the LAN `Best of Times.'

Anixter Inc. is a $2.2 billion value-added provider of integrated networking and cabling solutions that support business information and network infrastructure requirements. Anixter teams with customers to implement these solutions by combining a variety of customized pre-and post-sales services, products from the world's leading manufacturers, and superior logistics management through a global network of 165 locations. Founded in 1957, Anixter is headquartered in the Chicago area.

CONTACT: ChatCom Inc.

Dennis Klein, 818/709-1778

or

Strategic Growth International Inc.

Richard Cooper/Stanley Altschuler, 516/829-7111