The intelligent extranet - PFN Inc - Brief Article - Product Announcement

Software Magazine, May, 1997

A software tool has been developed that allows organizations to identify and direct information received via company intranets. PFN Inc., Cambridge, Mass., has launched PFN Continuum, an extranet solution initially targeted to Wall Street firms. According to the company, tagging this data enhances business-to-business knowledge sharing between a company and its customers, suppliers and partners.

Dave Marshak, vice president of The Patricia Seybold Group, a Boston- based IT consultancy, says that PFN Continuum is the first extranet solution that allows customers to "deal with information in the context of who sent it." Bruce Fador, president and CEO of Boston-based FirstCall Corp., which electronically distributes financial research, says the com- pany has signed up with PFN to help them integrate internal and external data sources. Customers can receive FirstCall data on their intranet and combine it with their own proprietary information.

Marshak adds that PFN's early entrance into Wall Street suggests they stand a good chance of becoming a standard in the finance and trading indus- try. Continuum will be available by the end of Q2 and tackle additional vertical markets later this year.