Global eXchange Services Offers AS2 Outsourcing Service

Business Wire, Oct 23, 2002

Business Editors/Hi-Tech Writers

GAITHERSBURG, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 23, 2002

New GXS Service Enables Companies of All Sizes to Transact

Over the Internet Using AS2 Without Complex System Upgrades

or Additional In-house Technical Expertise

Global eXchange Services, Inc. (GXS) today announced that it now offers an outsourcing service for companies choosing to transact with their suppliers or customers over the public Internet using the EDIINT Applicability Statement 2 (AS2) standard. The new GXS service is designed to enable companies of all sizes to transact over the Internet using AS2 without the need to implement complex system upgrades or acquire expensive in-house technical expertise.

The AS2 standard offers companies a direct and secure method to communicate electronic data interchange (EDI) or eXtensible markup language (XML) transactions over the Internet; which saves money, and adds flexibility and control on how the data is utilized or reported.

GXS's AS2 Outsourcing Service provides businesses with complete AS2 transaction and translation capabilities on a hosted platform, including:

-- Proactive, event-driven document exchange via the Internet

-- 24/7 server availability for synchronous communication with other AS2 servers

-- Flexible bandwidth allocation to handle large spikes in document traffic during peak periods

-- Technical resources to manage AS2-mandated digital certificates for the client and each trading partner

-- Translation of documents into XML, EDI or other formats

"Companies planning to support AS2 themselves might be in for a surprise if they are not accustomed to operating an Internet server that provides around-the-clock availability to send and receive transactions through the company firewall," said John Radko, chief architect for GXS. "Since their business will be directly exposed to the public Internet, new security precautions will be necessary. In addition, their systems will need to have enough spare capacity to handle maximum document traffic at any time, day or night. Finally, someone in the business will need to know how to maintain digital certificates, which are complicated and not widely understood. In short, the cost of AS2 software might be the smallest concern."

"GXS's AS2 Outsourcing Service allows companies to meet the AS2 trading requirements of their customers without diverting strategic IT resources away from their core business," said Nick Marchetti, GXS's general manager of interchange solutions. "Based upon our AS2-interoperable transaction engine, this service enables companies of any size - even those with only a Web browser and a modem - to transact over the Internet using AS2 with a single trading partner or multiple trading partners."

GXS recently announced that its Enterprise System 7.5 integration broker software has successfully passed the latest round of AS2 interoperability testing. The tests were conducted by Drummond Group Inc. (DGI), a vendor neutral consultancy and leader in software interoperability testing, and sponsored under the Uniform Code Council Inc. (UCC) Interoperability Compliance Program.

About Global eXchange Services

Global eXchange Services, Inc. (GXS) operates one of the largest B2B e-commerce networks in the world, with more than 100,000 trading partners. The network's 1 billion annual transactions account for $1 trillion in goods and services. With more than 35 years experience, GXS provides supply chain services and software to 60% of Fortune 500 companies. GXS is headquartered in Gaithersburg, Md. Call 800/560-4347 or visit our Web site at www.gxs.com.

Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This document includes certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on management's current expectations and are subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances. Actual results may differ materially from these expectations due to changes in global political, economic, business, competitive, market and regulatory factors. These factors include technological developments, customer demand, trading partner participation and network availability.