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British Telecommunications Plc Licenses Flamenco Network For New Web Services Offering
ATLANTA, GA - September 26th, 2002 - Flamenco Networks, a leading provider of Web Services networking solutions, today announced a license agreement with British Telecommunications plc (BT), one of the world's leading providers of telecommunications services and one of the largest private sector companies in Europe. (To view BT's news release, "BT Launches 'Business Class' Web Services Environment Addressing Key Issues: Security, Control and Performance," visit the mediacentre at www.btplc.com).
Under terms of the agreement, BT Ignite, BT's business services and solutions division, will utilize Flamenco's networking technology to provide an outsourced 'business class' environment for the delivery and management of Web Services-based solutions. It will enable customers to immediately realize the benefits of using Web Services while avoiding the costs of building their own Web Services management solutions. BT is one of the first major network service providers to launch a service that addresses key Web services implementation issues such as security, control and performance.
The BT Ignite solution, named the Web Services Management Layer (WSML), ensures the security of Web Services transactions, enabling both the provider and requester to track and monitor usage and performance of the service. BT WSML customers can be confident that the information sent using a Web Services-enabled application has left its source and arrived at its destination with no interference in between.
"Web Services can streamline and automate processes, resulting in huge cost savings and increased efficiencies," says Andy Green, chief executive officer of BT Ignite. "However, before enterprises can implement Web Services across any community, internal or external, the underlying network infrastructure must evolve to support them effectively and the Web Services Management Layer addresses these concerns. Utilizing Flamenco Network's technology allows BT to provide our customers an immediate answer to these challenges."
"Web Services networking initiatives are rapidly gaining momentum because they offer businesses unprecedented opportunities to quickly integrate applications, both internally and with partners, while creating a secure management infrastructure that is required for using 'business class' Web Services," says Dave Spicer, Flamenco Networks chief executive officer. "Telecommunications companies have traditionally been the leading providers of network services to the global 2000, so it is exciting to see a company of BT's caliber recognize the value of Web Services networking and choose Flamenco Networks as its technology provider."
The WSML is comprised of two key elements; 1) a Web-based central network management system, hosted by Flamenco Networks, that provisions, controls and monitors traffic between the Web Services provider and the receiver, and 2) a communication proxy that provides the "plug" between the Web Services-enabled applications, the network, and the management system. Both elements are built on Web Services protocols enabling customers to immediately take advantage of the sophisticated management services.
The WSML communications proxies incorporate Flamenco's peer-to-peer (P2P) transport mechanism with the network management system, ensuring that messages are sent directly between communications proxies so no third party intercepts, opens, de-encrypts, routes or otherwise handles the transaction data. This approach eliminates centralized bottlenecks or single points of failure, ensuring guaranteed delivery of transactions through the Flamenco Network. The offering will evolve to include value-added services such as non-repudiation, service level agreement monitoring, usage metering and billing.
BT represents Flamenco's first agreement with a global network service provider. Flamenco has also recently announced an OEM agreement with McKesson Information Solutions.
About Flamenco Networks
Flamenco Networks is a leading provider of Web services networking solutions. By eliminating the cross-platform and cross-organization implementation and management issues associated with Web services, Flamenco Networks accelerates time-to-benefit while reducing project costs by up to 80%. For more information, visit www.flamenconetworks.com.
About BT
BT is one of the world's leading providers of telecommunications services and one of the largest private sector companies in Europe. Its principal activities include local, long distance and international telecommunications services, Internet and broadband services and IT solutions. In the UK, BT serves more than 28 million exchange lines as well as providing network services to other licensed operators.
BT Group consists of:
* BT Retail - the UK's largest communications service provider and the prime channel to market for BT's other businesses;
* BT Wholesale - the provider of network services and solutions to communications companies, network operators and service providers;
* BT Ignite - BT's business services and solutions business, serving customers worldwide; and
* BTopenworld - a mass-market narrow and broadband Internet business.
Further businesses make up the BT Group, including BTexact Technologies, the internationally renowned advanced research and technology business. In the year to March 31, 2002, BT's group turnover was £18,447m with profit before tax, goodwill and exceptionals of £1,273m. For more information, visit www.btplc.com.
Marketing Contact:
Therese B. Aleman
Flamenco Networks
1140 Powers Place
Alpharetta, GA 30004
770-442-5553 x131
therese.aleman@flamenconetworks.com
PR Contacts:
Mike Antonellis/Darlene Ayan
Lois Paul & Partners
781-782-5000
mike_antonellis@lpp.com
darlene _ayan@lpp.com
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