[announce] Over 20 Different AS1 and AS2 Software Products Certifiedby DGI for UCC Sponsored Interoperability Tests

[Beth Morrow <Beth@drummondgroup.com>]

Over 20 Different AS1 and AS2 Software Products Certified by DGI
for UCC Sponsored Interoperability Tests

New round of testing includes data compression

Austin, Texas, August 27, 2002 – Drummond Group Inc. (DGI), a vendor neutral
consultancy and leader in software interoperability testing, announced today
a list of 23 products successfully passing the latest round of
interoperability testing for the AS1 and AS2 EDI/XML over the Internet
specifications.  The AS1 and AS2 standard offers companies a direct and
secure method to communicate EDI or XML transactions over the Internet;
which saves money, and adds flexibility and control on how the data is
utilized or reported.  The tests were sponsored under the Uniform Code
Council Inc. (UCC) Interoperability Compliance Program.

The following companies passed the AS1 test: bTrade, inc., Hewlett Packard,
Cyclone Commerce, InterTrade Systems Corporation, IPNet Solutions, Inc.,
Sterling Commerce, and TIBCO Software Inc.

The following companies passed the AS2 test:  bTrade, inc., Cleo
Communications, Hewlett Packard, Cyclone Commerce, Global eXchange Services,
Intertrade Systems Corporation, IPNet Solutions, iSoft, Sterling Commerce,
TIBCO Software Inc., Vitria and webMethods, Inc.

The tests require each product to exchange AS1 or AS2 messages with all
other products in the respective test round and verify the validity of each
message received from the other participants. New to this round of
interoperability testing is data compression for AS1 and AS2, which is not
currently part of the specifications but is highly in demand by large supply
chain users in need of compression for transmitting scan based data faster.

The benefits of repeated interoperability testing are to allow a greater
number of software products to communicate seamlessly with one another, thus
allowing supply chains to function more cost-efficiently without limiting
customers’ product choice.

“We are very pleased with the growing participation in the AS1 and AS2
interoperability tests,” said Rik Drummond, CEO of DGI. “The fact that an
equally impressive number of repeat customers and newcomers have enrolled in
these tests illustrates how important interoperability is becoming in a
market that is looking to boost efficiency and lower the cost for
transmitting critical business data.”

With each new round of testing, products become more mature as consensus is
reached about the interpretation and implementation of each standard.
Simultaneously, as different scenarios are being tested, vendors are given
the opportunity to eliminate potential bugs and problems in a
non-competitive environment.

For full release:  http://www.drummondgroup.com/