WEBMETHODS ANNOUNCES SUPPORT FOR W3C XML SCHEMA FOR USE ACROSSBUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS INTEGRATION (B2BI) FRAMEWORK

[Erin Del Llano <edelllano@schwartz-pr.com>]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:       Sandy McBride                           Lauren Arnold
        webMethods, Inc.                                        Schwartz Communications, Inc.
        (408) 969-5614                                  (781) 684-0770  
        sandy.mcbride@webMethods.com                    webMethods@schwartz-pr.com

 
WEBMETHODS ANNOUNCES SUPPORT FOR W3C XML SCHEMA FOR USE ACROSS BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS INTEGRATION (B2BI) FRAMEWORK

First B2Bi Solution to Offer Complete and Detailed Descriptions of XML-based Documents to Automate Business Processes Between Trading Partners

FAIRFAX, Va.September 28, 2000webMethods, Inc. (Nasdaq: WEBM), the leading
provider of business-to-business integration (B2Bi) solutions, today announced support for the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) XML Schema, a model for describing the structure and content of XML documents. webMethods is the first B2Bi vendor to offer support for the April drafts of the W3C XML Schema (see:  www.w3.org/XML/Schema.html), which provide users with enhanced capabilities when automating business processes. B2Bi requires rich data structures that convey the complete information necessary for both data integration and the automation of B2B business processes. The W3C XML Schema enables increased data integrity,
enabling richer and faster business interactions.

Introduced in 1998, webMethods B2B was the first product to deliver XML-based e-commerce solutions to quickly and securely integrate the diverse technology and business processes of companies and their trading partners. Today’s announcement builds on this unmatched innovation by delivering expanded functionality to address the requirements for richer data integrity. Business processes that are improved with the W3C XML Schema include e-commerce, customer relationship management, strategic enterprise management and planning, business intelligence, supply chain management, human resources, logistics, manufacturing, financial services and knowledge management.

“webMethods continues to introduce open, innovative solutions that allow companies to overcome traditional B2Bi challenges and quickly create integrated trading networks,” said Jim Green, CTO and executive vice president of Product Development of webMethods, Inc. “We are proud to be the first B2Bi vendor to support the April drafts of the W3C XML Schema and our product will continue to track this emerging standard. We believe it will play a major role in streamlining the process of transacting business over the Internet by making the exchange of information between trading partners simpler and more interoperable.”


W3C XML Schema Incorporated into webMethods B2B

The webMethods implementation of the April drafts of the W3C XML Schema (see: 
http://www.w3.org/TR/2000/WD-xmlschema-1-20000407/ and http://www.w3.org/TR/2000/WD-xmlschema-2-20000407/) also allows customers to leverage this rich data description capability for use with non-XML data structures, including EDI, and proprietary formats such as SAP IDOC. This enables customers to leverage the W3C XML Schema as a single language for describing all data structures across the enterprise and extended trading networks, thereby shortening implementation times.

Availability

Support for the drafts of the W3C XML Schema is included with webMethods B2B 3.5 and is available today.

webMethods Product Suite

webMethods provides a complete B2Bi solution that allows organizations to effectively realize their e-commerce strategies. The webMethods product family was designed to provide broad support for open standards and protocols, such as XML, RosettaNet, ebXML, FpML, cXML, xCBL, OBI, OAG, ACORD, BizTalk framework and UDDI. Through support of these standards, webMethods products provide seamless integration both within the enterprise and across the Internet to trading networks and B2B marketplaces.

About webMethods, Inc.

webMethods, Inc. (Nasdaq: WEBM) is the leading provider of software solutions for business-to-business integration (B2Bi). As the only company providing seamless B2Bi across the Internet and throughout the extended enterprise, webMethods provides Global 2000 companies and B2B marketplaces with a complete, end-to-end solution for integrating customers, suppliers and partners into real-time B2B trading networks, while also increasing internal operational
efficiencies. The webMethods product family allows companies to create new revenue opportunities, strengthen relationships with customers, substantially reduce supply chain inefficiencies and streamline internal business processes.

Founded in 1996, webMethods is based in Fairfax, Va., with offices across the U.S., Europe and Asia. With an emphasis on key vertical markets such as chemicals, financial services, high-tech manufacturing and telecommunications, webMethods has more than 425 customers worldwide--from Global 2000 leaders such as Citibank, Dell, Eastman Chemical Company, Fidelity Investments, Grainger, Motorola, Teligent and Starbucks to major B2B marketplaces like ChemConnect, e-STEEL and Ventro. webMethods’ strategic partners include Ariba, Commerce
One, Deloitte Consulting, EDS, i2 Technologies, KPMG, Microsoft, Oracle Corp. and SAP AG. More information about the company can be found at www.webMethods.com.



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webMethods and webMethods B2B are trademarks of webMethods, Inc. All other company and product names are property of their respective owners.

This press release contains various remarks about the future expectations, plans and prospects of webMethods that constitute forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The actual results of webMethods may differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including those discussed in the Risk Factors section of webMethods' recent Registration Statement on Form S-4, the company's Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2000 and Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2000, which are on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission.