Commercial Web Hosting Platform From Microsoft Enables Network Operators to Deploy Services Rapidly

Internet Service Provider-Focused Functionality in Internet Information Server 4.0 Gaining Wide Acceptance for Rapid Deployment of Network Services

Redmond, Wash. - Dec. 2, 1997 - Top network operators today said they will quickly deploy the Microsoft® Windows NT® Server operating system version 4.0 and the new Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS) 4.0 to take advantage of powerful new technology aimed at network operators. The Internet service provider-focused functionality in IIS 4.0 makes it the most powerful platform available for both simple and advanced hosting services.

Network operators adopting IIS 4.0 for Web hosting include Bell Atlantic Internet Solutions, CompuServe Inc.'s SPRYNET unit, DIGEX Inc., GTE Internetworking, MCI, NetConcepts Inc., UUNET Technologies Inc. and Verio Inc. The network operators said they expect their Web hosting services based on Windows NT Server 4.0 and IIS 4.0 to be available within 60 days. In addition, more than 70 Internet service providers are signed up today to offer simple hosting on a shared server platform for Microsoft BackOffice® Small Business Server.

Microsoft today also released the Small Business Server ISP Resource Guide, which with IIS 4.0 provides network operators virtually everything they need to get up and running quickly to meet simple Web hosting needs. The kit includes a configuration guide, hardware and software requirements, and a modifiable auto-provisioning script for offering automated signup for access, mail and hosting services. Microsoft plans to extend the kit with additional components so that it continues to be the best way for network operators to meet the needs of small and large companies doing business on the Web.

"The Small Business Server ISP Resource Guide is fantastic," said Robert Adkison, president of CASLINK. "Microsoft has provided 90 percent of the infrastructure needed to offer powerful Web hosting and connectivity solutions to our customers. It was up to CASLINK to tailor the specific solutions for small businesses, affinity organization and government contractors by partnering with value-added providers in the mid-Atlantic region."

Using the Small Business Server ISP Resource Guide, network operators will offer a combination of connectivity, Internet-based mail delivery, domain name registration, hosting and additional services targeted for BackOffice Small Business Server customers.

Advanced Hosting Services to Meet the Needs of Fortune 1,000 Customers

The network operators adopting IIS 4.0 are doing so to take advantage of its unmatched application integration, which enables them to offer new advanced hosting services including electronic commerce, database integration, personalization and usage information, and content management.

Network operators adopting IIS 4.0 for advanced hosting include DIGEX, GTE Internetworking, MCI and UUNET. They will take advantage of the centralized management, Web operator delegation for Web site tasks, advanced transaction functionality, and application integration using Microsoft SQL Server™ 6.5 and Microsoft Site Server Enterprise Edition content management and commerce server components.

"Network operators are deploying Web hosting services that are now available because of Microsoft IIS 4.0 and Windows NT 4.0," said David Ostroff, Web hosting marketing manager at Microsoft. "Application integration allows commercial providers to offer an entirely new range of advanced hosting services, so they can attract new customers and expand their business base with database integration, full back-end transaction processing and advanced content management. And providers who want to offer simple hosting will find it faster, easier and more profitable with our Small Business Server ISP Resource Guide."

Microsoft released IIS 4.0 today as part of the Windows NT 4.0 Option Pack. IIS 4.0 includes Index Server 2.0, Certificate Server and the Personal Web Server 4.0 for the Windows NT Workstation and Windows® 95 operating systems.

Availability

The Windows NT 4.0 Option Pack CD-ROM, including IIS 4.0, is available for approximately $99.95 from local resellers, or can be downloaded free from the Microsoft Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/iis/ (connect-time charges may apply).

Customers can review an online version of the Small Business Server ISP Resource Guide on the Microsoft Web site at http://irpcomm.microsoft.com/sbs/ispkit/.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.

Microsoft, Windows NT, BackOffice, Windows, FrontPage and Visual InterDev are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.

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Appendix

Providers to Support Advanced Customer Needs With IIS 4.0

Network operators announcing Web hosting services based on IIS 4.0 include the following:

• Bell Atlantic. Bell Atlantic Internet Solutions (BAIS) is upgrading its Dedicated Web Hosting product line with Microsoft Internet Information Server 4.0 software. The company also will provide database integration services for dedicated Web hosting to customers choosing the Windows NT platform. Bell Atlantic's Dedicated Web Hosting product line serves the needs of customers with complex Web applications. Typically, these are enterprises with applications such as online marketing or Web commerce. The move to IIS 4.0 will enhance the reliability and security of Bell Atlantic's Dedicated Hosting implementations using Windows NT, allowing the deployment of database-enabled applications for the Windows NT and Microsoft SQL Server environment through an agreement with The Digital Foundry (http://www.digitalfoundry.com/). This will allow the full integration of capabilities in the Microsoft FrontPage® 98 Web site creation and management tool and Visual InterDev™ Web development system, enhancing the ability of Dedicated Hosting customers using Windows NT to author their Web sites from remote locations. For more information about Bell Atlantic's product line of Internet-based services, visit http://www.bellatlantic.net/.
• DIGEX. IIS 4.0 will become the standard Web server on the Windows NT platform at DIGEX, which provides Web site management services for companies delivering interactive content and mission-critical data over the Internet. DIGEX operates 285 dedicated Windows NT-based Compaq servers managing BackOffice-based intensive sites for Martha Stewart Living, Forbes magazine, Ernst & Young LLP, H&R Block, Liz Claiborne and the federal government. Taking immediate advantage of IIS 4.0's comprehensive Web services, DIGEX will support Microsoft Message Queue Server and Microsoft Transaction Server, giving its clients a more effective way to manage messages over a network and data updates within an ODBC database. IIS 4.0's crash protection and enhanced debugging capabilities will give DIGEX customers a robust network application environment.

"DIGEX expects the migration to IIS 4.0 to be swift and comprehensive," said Bobby Patrick, director of business development at DIGEX. "IIS 4.0 provides significantly increased reliability for sites running multiple applications, database transactions, and back-end Active Server Pages (ASP) or Java functionality. We are excited about the release of IIS 4.0 because it offers rich services that allow complex sites to meet rapidly growing end-user expectations." For more information about DIGEX'S Internet-based services, visit http://www.digex.net.

• GTE Internetworking. The company is adopting IIS 4.0 for its Web Advantage Dedicated NT 2.0 service for Web server hosting. IIS 4.0's Certificate Security and Management Console features, as well as Microsoft SQL Server 6.5 and Microsoft Site Server Enterprise Edition, commerce server component, will enable GTE to support sophisticated electronic commerce solutions and improve users' ability to control, access and administer their mission-critical, transaction-enabled Web sites.

"Migrating to a hosting service that features IIS 4.0 is the next logical step in managing multisite server configurations," said James Ludwick, director of interactive technology at Ziff-Davis Education, a GTE client. "GTE Internetworking has been consistently building experience with IIS, which further improves its depth of capability." For more information about GTE Internetworking Internet-based services, visit http://www.gte.com/.

• UUNET. Increasingly, Web sites require integration with database systems and dynamic scripting. UUNET's Web hosting service will use IIS 4.0 so that its hosting customers can enhance the interactivity and performance of their sites. By implementing the transaction server layer in IIS 4.0, UUNET hosting customers will be able to write simple and reliable ASP code. UUNET also will use the command line interface in IIS 4.0 to develop a number of distributed Web-based and local command line scripts that automate the installation and maintenance of hosted sites. UUNET's Web hosting service and IIS 4.0 give companies an outsourcing option with a level of performance and reliability that can be difficult and costly to achieve with in-house solutions. For more information about UUNET's Internet-based services, visit http://www.uu.net/.
• MCI. MCI has adopted Microsoft IIS 4.0 as part of its Custom Web Hosting offering to provide high-volume customers with the features and functionality necessary to sustain a robust, interactive Web business. As more companies migrate to the Windows NT platform, Microsoft IIS 4.0 is ideally suited for MCI's e-commerce solutions requiring scalability, efficient data collection features and administrative functions. MCI Custom Web Hosting deploys dedicated servers and bandwidth to support Web sites using e-commerce, databases, customized search engines, IRC, Chat and other RAM-intensive applications. For more information about MCI's complete suite of custom Web hosting services, visit http://www.mci.com/.

Network Operators to Support Small-Business Customer Needs With IIS 4.0

• Verio. "We are extremely pleased with the full functionality of Microsoft's new IIS 4.0 product," said Nick Kromenacker, director of product marketing for Verio, a leading national Internet service provider for small and mid-size businesses. Verio (http://www.verio.net/) is deploying IIS 4.0 as part of its BackOffice Small Business Server promotion and as an integral component of Verio's national Web hosting strategy. "We especially like IIS 4.0's ability to manage multiple Web sites on the Windows NT platform," Kromenacker said. "Microsoft has given Verio added ability to serve the growing Internet needs of our middle-market business and institutional customers."
• SPRYNET. SPRYNET, the nation's fourth largest Internet service provider, recently announced its strategic partnership with Microsoft to support Small Business Server. SPRYNET plans to use IIS 4.0 to service its small-business customers in a shared server environment. IIS 4.0 will allow SPRYNET to provide more customized service levels to its clients by configuring their respective Web servers on a per-virtual directory basis and by controlling bandwidth for each customer. "The enhanced administration features of IIS 4.0 will allow us to control each customer's environment more specifically, as well as allocate our resources more efficiently," said Michael Murray, product marketing manager for the SPRYNET small-business service. "We look to provide more services for customers while containing our costs, and IIS 4.0 will help us achieve those goals."
• NetConcepts. "The combination of Microsoft BackOffice Small Business Server, with its unprecedented ease of setup and configuration, the ISP Resource Guide, which auto-configures our systems, and IIS 4.0 enables us to deliver the highest level of quality service," said Mark Guagliardo, CEO of NetConcepts. "IIS 4.0 will allow us to host multiple Web sites on a single IP address, use command line scripting to automate routine setup and maintenance tasks, and configure security on a per-file basis, offering complete flexibility and scalability from an operational and support standpoint. With these new features we are confident we can deliver on a shared server platform."

Bob Noe of First Exchange Corp., a NetConcepts customer, said, "When we decided to deploy our system, we chose NetConcepts due to a depth of technical products and quality of service."