OpenWebs Develops Microsoft .NET-Based Web Service; OpenWebs Implements Intelligent tradingNetwork Application Suite as a .NET Web Service to Enhance Customer Experience

    PITTSBURGH & REDMOND, Wash.--Feb. 12, 2002-- OpenWebs Corporation, a leading provider of enterprise solutions utilizing peer-to-peer (P2P) technology, today announced an agreement with Microsoft to integrate Microsoft .NET technologies into tradingNetwork(TM) to provide more direct and customer-centric service and support for e-businesses.
    "Our effort with OpenWebs underscores our belief that P2P-based e-business solutions are a tremendous area for growth in the software industry," said Dan'l Lewin, Microsoft Corporate Vice President of .NET Business Development. "By building industry-specific virtual trading communities on the .NET platform, companies such as OpenWebs will be able to dramatically accelerate deployment and bring real business benefits to customers at a much faster rate."
    "We're excited about collaborating with Microsoft with its industry leading technology," said Brad Oberwager, CEO of OpenWebs. "Building our solutions on Microsoft's robust .NET platform will enable us to rapidly deploy tradingNetwork and do so much more cost-effectively. This is a triumph for OpenWebs and will be a driving force in our mission to become the leading provider of demand-chain management software."
    OpenWebs' Intelligent tradingNetwork is a revolutionary software platform that provides a complete, integrated application suite used to build industry-specific, peer-to-peer networks of retailers, distributors and manufacturers to let them locate, buy and sell products with each other.
    tradingNetwork creates a virtual inventory across the entire distribution channel, enabling product requests to be fulfilled in a matter of minutes while reducing the need to carry excess inventory. Further, tradingNetwork works directly in the ERP and POS systems, integrating back office functions to provide immediate transaction updates. tradingNetwork offers all the efficiency of e-commerce while maintaining the flexibility and autonomy of traditional business interactions.

    Microsoft .NET Benefits
    Microsoft .NET, Microsoft's XML-based Web Services platform, will benefit both businesses and end users. For businesses, it changes the way they build software and sell products, making information technology a significant contributor to corporate success and introducing new business models. For end users, .NET will produce unparalleled access to a dramatically more personal, integrated computing experience. XML Web Services are constructed using XML for data exchange to help applications, services and devices work together. Sharing data through XML allows them to be independent of each other while simultaneously giving them the ability to loosely link themselves into a collaborative group that performs a particular task.

    About OpenWebs
    OpenWebs was founded in 2000 to develop and implement industry-specific peer-to-peer trading communities among manufacturers, distributors, and retailers. Its founders brought together expertise in large-scale computer-based trading, artificial intelligence, POS/ERP application software and the automotive aftermarket, and jump-started its technology platform through the acquisition of Extraprise Corporation, a technology based research and development company that had been focused on P2P for more than 2 years. The company's current focus is on the automotive aftermarket -- starting with tires, where the founders have POS/ERP experience dating to the late 1980s. tradingNetwork's P2P technology can revolutionize any independently owned multi-tier supply chain, and the company has identified over 100 markets for future expansion. For more information, please visit www.openwebs.com.

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