The Department of  Defense has acquired a key component in the Department's efforts to go paperless and to provide a layered defense-in-depth information assurance strategy.  The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), through the Integrated-Computer Aided Software Engineering (I-CASE) contract, has executed the final option of a DoD-wide License with Netscape Communications Corporation.    The Netscape License provides the DoD and Intelligence Community with a site license for a number of Netscape server products as well as the professional version of the Netscape client software.

The Netscape software, specifically the Certificate Management System (CMS) 4.1, provides the central component of the DoD Public Key Infrastructure.  This product provides functions such as issuing and managing digital certificates, encryption key recovery, support for Federal Information Processing Standard-compliant hardware cryptography, and support for the Digital Signature Standard. The deployment of this product is a key milestone in the DoD's efforts to transition to a paperless environment and will significantly improve security.

In addition to other major DoD Initiatives, the Netscape products will be used to support the Joint Electronic Commerce Program Office (JECPO) DoD-wide implementation of Electronic Commerce.  These products will also be used in support of the Defense Travel System and to employ secure protocols in both the Global Command and Control System (GCCS) and the Global Combat Support System (GCSS).

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Netscape was hailed as a leader in information technology products and services in the government market by Federal Computer Week,  a major federal IT news publication, subscribed to by over 66,000 federal government IT decisionmakers.   Netscape was named as the No. 1  leader in software, as well as one of the top five leading companies in overall competitiveness, named along with Hewlett-Packard, Cisco, Intel and Gateway. It was also one of the top four companies federal customers were most likely to have had a contractual relationship with. Read the Announcement in Adobe Acrobat (PDF Format)

The executive summary of the document  is available online andthe full survey can  be ordered for your organization.

Netscape recently delivered Netscape Process Manager, a complete solution for developing, deploying, managing, and participating in automated business processes that extend over the extranet to business partners and customers.  Netscape Process Manager will enable enterprises to interact more closely with partners and customers, help them adapt their processes more quickly to the rapid changes occurring in the Net Economy, and help them monitor and manage their processes to improve operational efficiency.

Netscape Process Manager  includes a development tool for building business forms, a deployment engine based on the Netscape Enterprise Server and Netscape Directory Server, an administration kit, and a user interface.

Netscape Process Manager leverages the Internet to extend business processes beyond traditional boundaries to include partners and customers.  Using Netscape Process Manager, customers can design, deploy and manage secure processes over Extranets to interact more closely with customers and partners.

Netscape Process Manager is unique because it automates dynamically-changing processes that involve multiple organizations and external parties, such as job bidding, contract negotiation, or customer management. Traditional solutions fall short of meeting the needs of companies competing in the Net Economy because they are internally focused, are based on proprietary technology and are difficult to adapt.

Netscape Process Manager supports Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) directory servers and Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) database servers for centralized process management, storage of participant and process definition information, and remote process access.

Information World: "Netscape Delivers Extranet Collaboration Tool, Newest Directory":
http://www.infoworld.com/cgi-bin/displayStory.pl?980812.einetscape.htm

CRN and Techweb: "Netscape Aims to Automate Extranet Apps"
http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB19980812S0016

Information Week: "Netscape Intros Workflow Product for Extranet"
http://www.informationweek.com/newsflash/nf695/0812_st7.htm

This new version of Communicator provides next-generation browsing, email, calendar, and management features. The benefits of Netscape Communicator 4.6 include the following:

Smart Browsing with Netscape Communicator 4.7

High-performance Internet messaging

 Flexible roaming access

 Superior quality

 Directory-based centralized management

 Application servers offered by the Sun-Netscape Alliance provide comprehensive functionality for enterprises implementing business-critical Internet and extranet applications when high-performance, rapid deployment, scalability, high availability, and enterprise integration are critical. An intuitive, flexible development environment allows an enterprise to quickly build and extend its application frameworks. Application Server solutions integrate data and business processes into custom and packaged enterprise applications housed in heterogenous environments.

Netscape's CommerceXpert family of applications offers full Electronic Commerce and EDI capabilities that will enable Government organizations to move to a paperless environment for contracting, procurement and electronic document interchange over the Internet or a traditional VAN environment.  Based on Internet standards and technology they offer unmatched flexibility and can support the requirements of the largest enterprise.
* Read the Interview with Tony DeCelis and John Menkart published in December Federal EC Report

The CommerceXpert family is composed of primarily three components:

Netscape EcXpert
As the foundation of Netscape's commerce product line, ECXpert delivers EDI for the Internet. With Netscape ECXpert Internet commerce software, companies can communicate and exchange information within and beyond the enterprise.

ECXpert leverages corporate investments by integrating existing ERP and EDI systems across trading companies. Version 1.1 features improved enterprise connectivity through certified integration with Oracle Packaged Applications, mapping templates for SAP transactions, and tools for interfacing with almost any existing system.

EcXpert also extends EDI trading networks to small- and medium-sized companies and partners. It does this by enabling development of browser accessible EDI forms and through support for secure email via Netscape
Communicator.

Customer Examples

Knight-Ridder implemented three resourceful solutions in order to cut costs and improve communication, all of which take advantage of the company's intranet.

Booz-Allen & Hamilton uses ECXpert to link directly to agovernment client's EDI system, thereby getting its monthly invoices paid six days faster.

Netscape BuyerXpert
Netscape BuyerXpert is an Internet-based purchasing system that allows enterprises to automate the entire procurement process, from employee to supplier. Using BuyerXpert, purchasing professionals can set up electronic collections of approved vendor catalogs so that employees have one central resource for products and services. With BuyerXpert, employees can create, approve, and track orders from their web browsers while the application preserves corporate control. And because BuyerXpert makes use of ECXpert's EDI capabilities to automatically place orders with vendor for approved POs, purchasing executives are able to streamline approval and speed order fulfillment. The end result: improved productivity, reduced order processing costs, shorter cycle times, and greater volume discounts. A frequently asked questions (FAQ) provides more information about BuyerXpert.

Netscape SellerXpert
As a comprehensive and flexible high-performance application for business-to-business selling over the Internet, Netscape SellerXpert allows enterprises to increase revenues and reduce costs through business-oriented order management, better and more timely customer service, andintegration with existing systems. An enterprise's customers can use their web browsers to access SellerXpert via a simple-to-use selling interface, or they can access it via any leading procurement system that conforms to the specifications set by the Consortium for Open Buying on the Internet. SellerXpert includes a state-of-the-art object-based architecture, an interactive product catalog, configurable business rules, customizable interfaces, full online payment services, integration with ECXpert, and a complete reporting system.

  The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has initiated a major agreement for Netscape client and server software. This agreement involves multiyear options, resulting in a DoD-wide license covering  in excess of  2 million users. Specifically, DoD has licensed Netscape® client and Netscape server software to enhance the security capabilities across the DoD worldwide networks.  Netscape software will be used to support comprehensive and cost-effective Intranet, Internet and Extranet solutions that enable DoD organizations to communicate, access and share information easily.

DoD organizations can contact DISA's Enterprise Software License Program Office in DISA JIEO to discuss the terms of this agreement.  Netscape has created a Frequently Asked Questions document.

March 15, 1999:  Netscape Furthers it's lead in FIPS 140-1 Conformance by achieving level 2 validation across the board!
Netscape Communications software has been formally validated by NIST for compliance with the FIPS 140-1 Standard.   FIPS 140-1 is a mandatory U.S. government standard for implementations of cryptographic modules, that is, hardware or software that encrypts and decrypts data or performs other cryptographic operations (such as creating or validating electronic signitures). The FIPS 140-1 standard was created by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST); it specifies requirements for the proper design and implementation of products that do cryptography.   Netscape has compiled a list of frequently asked questions to help promote a better understanding of the standard and it's applicability.  We have also posted our  conformance certificates so you can view the original certificatesor view the newest level 2 certificates.

After June 30, 1997 only FIPS 140-1 Validated products are able to be used by Federal Government Agencies when dealing with sensitive but unclassified information and data.

(January 11, 1999)   NT 4.0 flunks cryptography test - "Products must pass the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-1 certification test before they can be sold to the U.S. and Canadian governments.

Not only did the Redmond, Wash., giant fail the cryptography tests, but Microsoft officials now acknowledge that the lab scrutiny exposed shortcomings in NT's cryptographic processing that will force Microsoft to redesign the operating system."

• CNET (Readers Choice Award) By an overwhelming margin, you chose Netscape's latest Internet software package as the best Net product available, and deserving of our Award for Internet Excellence. CNET agrees that Netscape still leads the charge: in our most recent browser comparison, we chose Communicator as the best browser package around, thanks in large part to its stability.
• CNET Top Internet Client: Netscape Communicator is our new choice. We originally gave our Editors' Choice award to Internet Explorer. Over time, however, our experiences--and those of our readers--showed that the demands IE 4.0 places on systems can cause some serious problems.

Communicator Evaluation and comparison guides go through the advantages of Communicator over Microsoft IE and other less capable client software.

MESSAGING PILOT GUIDE FOR UNIX: a resource that can help you quickly install, configure, and evaluate the Netscape client-server messaging solution, which consists of the Netscape Communicator client software and Netscape Directory Server, Enterprise Server, Messaging Server, and Collabra Server.

Creative Networks Study finds Messaging based on Internet Standards is 1/4th the cost to implement and maintain than Lotus Notes or Microsoft Exchange!   And a followup study finding Netscape's messaging solution is superior to proprietary solutions from Novell, Microsoft or Lotus.

Netscape Messaging Rated Best by  Magazine

Netscape Messaging: "offers strong support for standards and fast, easy setup; it earned our respect by doing e-mail nearly perfectly. Its low cost per seat makes it practically irresistible for any organization running Unix or Windows NT servers. Messaging Server truly earns its BYTE Best star."

Microsoft Exchange: "Even with its much-vaunted integration with NT, Exchange Server's lack of  general usability leaves it a distant but solid second behind Netscape Messaging Server."

Lotus Notes: "But considering the difficulty of its installation and configuration, poor documentation, and other problems, we wouldn't recommend Domino Mail Server to any organization not already running Notes."

Concerned about DMS compatibility find out why Netscape is more compatible than other COTS solutions!

All you need to do is sign up and over 150 providers (you select which and how many) will send News, Sports, and other information directly to you via Communicator Mail for your review. 

Netscape Technical Support has a large number of resources to help in problem resolution.

Infoworld "Netscape stays ahead of the pack with first-rate technical support"