OASIS Forms ebXML Technical Committees

[Carol Geyer <carol.geyer@oasis-open.org>]

OASIS Forms ebXML Technical Committees

Geneva, Switzerland and Boston, MA, USA, 21 June, 2001 – UN/CEFACT and
OASIS, sponsors of the ebXML electronic business specifications, today
announced the formation of new technical committees (TC) within OASIS to
carry forward the the infrastructure portions of the ebXML work. ebXML
specifications, which provide a standard method for companies to
exchange business messages, conduct trading relationships, communicate
data and define and register business processes, were recently approved,
marking a successful 18-month initial development phase.

To continue ebXML maintenance and enhancements, OASIS has formed the
ebXML Messaging TC, the ebXML Collaboration Protocol Profile and
Agreement TC and the ebXML Implementation, Interoperability and
Conformance TC.  Members of the existing OASIS Registry/Repository TC
have expanded their charter to embrace the ebXML Registry/Repository
Specification.

“As more companies and standards bodies begin implementing ebXML, these
OASIS TCs will work to further the consistent adoption of the
specifications,” said Laura Walker, executive director of OASIS. “The
OASIS ebXML TCs will proactively engage with related activities in other
forums, such as the W3C, and closely coordinate our efforts with
UN/CEFACT.”

UN/CEFACT plans to form a working group for ebXML business process and
core components in the near future. Together, OASIS and UN/CEFACT will
continue to manage ebXML Technical Architecture and Marketing Awareness
functions.

“UN/CEFACT and OASIS remain jointly committed to ebXML,” emphasized Ray
Walker, chairman of the UN/CEFACT Steering Group. “Ongoing maintenance
of the ebXML infrastructure continues under the OASIS technical process,
because of the Consortium's expertise in XML standards development,
while maintenance of ebXML business content proceeds within UN/CEFACT.”

Members of the OASIS ebXML Messaging TC will work to advance ebXML’s
secure specification for exchanging electronic business transactions
using the Internet. The OASIS ebXML Collaboration Protocol Profile and
Agreement TC will continue its definition of how trading partners engage
in electronic business and the technical agreements they use to
collaborate. The OASIS ebXML Registry/Repository TC will advance
interoperable XML registries, which list company capabilities in
standard profiles allowing prospective business partners to find one
another, as well as ebXML registries, which index an industry's
messages, vocabularies and other data objects. The OASIS ebXML
Implementation, Interoperability and Conformance TC will focus on
implementation issues surrounding ebXML and provide guidelines to
industry groups, vendors and users seeking to adopt the specifications.

OASIS ebXML TC members include OASIS Sponsors, BEA Systems, Commerce
One, Cyclone Commerce, eXcelon, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Identrus, IPNet
Solutions, Oracle, SAP, Sterling Commerce, Sun Microsystems, Tibco,
webMethods and XMLSolutions, as well as other Contributor and Individual
members of the Consortium. Organizations interested in furthering the
work of ebXML are encouraged to join OASIS prior to the first TC
meetings in July.

About ebXML
EbXML (www.ebxml.org), sponsored by UN/CEFACT and OASIS, is a modular
suite of specifications that enables enterprises of any size and in any
geographical location to conduct business over the Internet. Using
ebXML, companies now have a standard method to exchange business
messages, conduct trading relationships, communicate data in common
terms and define and register business processes.

About UN/CEFACT
UN/CEFACT (www.uncefact.org) is the United Nations body whose mandate
covers worldwide policy and technical development in the area of trade
facilitation and electronic business. Headquartered in Geneva, it has
developed and promoted many tools for the facilitation of global
business processes including UN/EDIFACT, the international EDI standard.
Its current work programme includes such topics as Simpl-edi and Object
Oriented EDI and it strongly supports the development and implementation
of open, interoperable global standards and specifications for
electronic business.

About OASIS
OASIS (www.oasis-open.org) is the international, not-for-profit
consortium that advances electronic business by promoting open,
collaborative development of interoperability specifications. OASIS
sponsors include Accenture, Access360, Adobe Systems, AND Data
Solutions, Arbortext, Auto-trol, Aventail, Baltimore Technologies, B-Bop
Associates, BEA Systems, Bentley Systems, The Boeing Company, Bowstreet,
Business Logic Corporation, Chrystal Software, Cincom Systems, Cohesia,
Commerce One, Critical Path, CrossLogix, Cyclone Commerce, DataChannel,
Dataloom, Deutsche Post AG, Documentum, EADS Airbus, election.com,
empolis, Engage, Enigma, Excelergy, eXcelon, Extricity Software, First
Call Corporation, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Identrus, Informix, Infoteria,
Innodata, Intel, Interwoven, IPNet Solutions, ITEDO Software, Ivis
Group, Jamcracker, Logistics Management Institute, Mediaplex, Mercator
Software, Microsoft, Netegrity, NetFish Technologies, Netscape/AOL,
NextPage, NII Enterprise Promotion Association, Nimble Technology, NIST,
Novell, ObjectSpace, Oblix, OpenNetwork Technologies, Pearson Education,
Planet 7 Technologies, Popkin Software, Reuters Limited, SAA
Consultants, Sabre, SAP, SeeBeyond, Sequoia Software, Silverstream
Software, SoftQuad Software, Software AG, Sterling Commerce,
StreamServe, Sun Microsystems, Synth-Bank, Tata Consultancy Services,
The Tamalpais Group, Thomas Technology Solution, Tibco, Unisys, US
Defense Information Systems Agency, Virtual Access Networks, Wavo,
webMethods, Whitehill Technologies, Xerox, XML Global, XMLSolutions and
Xyvision Enterprise Solutions.

For more information:
Carol Geyer
Director of Communications
OASIS
carol.geyer@oasis-open.org
+1.941.284.0403