New Version of IBM DB2 Universal Database Strengthens Support for e-business; IBM Expands DB2 Family to Extend Power of Enterprise to Mobile Workers

Business Wire, May 17, 1999

ORLANDO, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 17, 1999--

At the International DB2 Users Group (IDUG) 11th annual North American Conference here today, IBM announced a new version of DB2(a) Universal Database for UNIX, Linux, Windows NT and OS/2(a) with significant enhancements to help power the most demanding e-business applications.

IBM also announced two new additions to the DB2 family -- DB2 Universal Database Satellite Edition and DB2 Everywhere -- specifically designed for mobile workers using a variety of portable devices, such as palm computers and laptops, to access corporate data and applications. With the power of the enterprise at their fingertips, workers in industries such as insurance, healthcare, and transportation can act on the information they need to perform their work from any location, anytime, making them more productive.

In addition, IBM continues to demonstrate its commitment to providing open, cross-platform solutions with the general availability of DB2 Universal Database for OS/390(a) and AS/400(a). DB2 Universal Database for OS/390 is the world's first object relational database for IBM S/390(a) enterprise servers.

As businesses flock to the Web and more workers take business on the road, IBM continues to enhance DB2, the industry's market-leading database, to meet the demand for the most powerful e-business solutions. DB2 Universal Database is the foundation for a new generation of e-business solutions, providing unmatched performance, reliability and scalability for applications that link critical business processes to the Web.

Draper Laboratories shares engineering and project data with fourteen other aerospace organizations through a secure extranet based on DB2 Universal Database. "We've been able to strongly leverage the power of DB2's Web capabilities," said Paul Aitkenhead, database architect, Draper Laboratories. "IBM's early and decisive commitment to Java has been instrumental in the success of our extranet. We're looking forward to the new features in the upcoming release, including even greater support for working with Java stored procedures and modeling abstract Java objects."

"Tens of thousands of companies, large and small, have chosen IBM to power their e-business solutions," said Janet Perna, general manager, data management, IBM Software Solutions. "And DB2 Universal Database is the foundation for those solutions, providing customers with leading technology to help them meet the accelerated demands of the 21st Century."

Highlights of today's announcement:

DB2 Universal Database Version 6.1 is easier to use and manage, and includes new features for more powerful e-business solutions. Application development enhancements, including a new graphical tool for building Java stored procedures, make it easier and faster to build and deploy business intelligence, enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM), e-commerce and integrated document applications. DB2 Universal Database provides seamless interoperability with IBM WebSphere(a), Net.Commerce(a) and VisualAge(a). Partners such as SAP, Baan, PeopleSoft and Siebel Systems will benefit from DB2's improved transaction performance. In addition, DB2 Universal Database features administration enhancements that allow users to integrate and search various types of information, including XML content.

DB2 Universal Database Satellite Edition is a full-function, high-performance version of DB2 Universal Database specially designed for mobile workers using laptops running Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT. DB2 Universal Database Satellite Edition gives businesses an easy, low-cost method to roll out large numbers of mobile systems. Centralized administration means the end-user is free to focus on business results -- the user does not even need to know a database is installed. Advanced replication capabilities keep the mobile systems synchronized with the central database. DB2 Universal Database Satellite Edition is currently in beta and will be generally available later this year.

DB2 Everywhere for Windows CE and PalmOS operating systems is a key part of IBM's pervasive computing strategy -- connecting a new generation of smart devices to a network such as the Internet, or to corporate intranets and extranets. DB2 Everywhere is designed for handheld devices with limited memory such as IBM WorkPads(a) and 3Com PalmPilots. IBM Mobile Connect works with DB2 Everywhere to synchronize data on handheld devices with data on enterprise servers including DB2 applications, Lotus Notes, Microsoft Exchange and Personal Information Management (PIM) applications. It provides an option for manufacturers to pre-load on their devices and use to build new applications or for enterprises to use in the development and deployment of robust applications that can be delivered to handheld devices, such as sales force automation. DB2 Everywhere is currently in beta and will be generally available later this year.

"With today's announcements, IBM solidifies a firm commitment to helping businesses realize the full potential of e-business and business intelligence," said Carl Olofson, DBMS research director at IDC. "With DB2 Satellite Edition and DB2 Everywhere, combined with DB2's enterprise server and connectivity technology, IBM offers customers and partners data access and management solutions that integrate the enterprise to a degree unsurpassed in the industry."