BBN Planet, Sun Microsystems and Utopia Help Massachusetts Software Council
Create Presence on World Wide Web

Local companies join forces to bring state Software Industry Directory and
Switched-On Classroom to the Internet

BOSTON, June 22, 1995 -- Today, BBN Planet Corporation, Sun Microsystems,
Inc. and Utopia, Inc. announced the introduction of the Massachusetts
Software Council's World-Wide Web site at URL http://www.swcouncil.org/

"Massachusetts has always been a technology leader," said U.S.
Representative Edward J. Markey. "The Software Council's foray onto the
Internet is yet another example of our Commonwealth's leading the way
toward the future. This new Web site further expands the influence of the
Massachusetts software industry beyond the borders of the state, and
provides a broader audience with information about our software
products."

The Web site was created through contributions by local companies with
recognized Internet expertise. BBN Planet Corporation is providing
Internet access and is hosting the Web site through its Web Advantage
service, which collocates customers' Web servers at one of their network
operations centers and transmits high-volume publishing traffic directly
onto the Internet. The Internet server and networking software at the
Council's offices were donated by Sun Microsystems' East Coast division,
based in Chelmsford, MA. Sun is a leader in products and services that run
the Internet; 56 per cent of the servers on the Internet are made by Sun.
Utopia, Inc. provided the design, development and support for the Web
site. Utopia is a leading Internet design firm in the New England area.

"We wanted to create an electronic presence to better serve our members and
disseminate information about our education and training initiatives to
the larger community," said David Solomont, chairman of the Massachusetts
Software Council and chairman of the Council's Electronic Presence
Initiative. "We approached these three local companies because of their
expertise and strength in the Internet. BBN Planet, Sun and Utopia all
understand that the Internet and the World Wide Web are the future of
communication."

Software Industry Directory

One major feature of the Web site is the Software Industry Directory, which
provides members and others access to the Council's directory of 1,800
software companies in Massachusetts. The hardcopy directory is published
annually, but now browsers can access the same listings with the click of
a mouse, allowing them to get the information they need more quickly. The
directory also includes the ability to search by company name. In the
future, the Council hopes to host links to all 1,800 Massachusetts
software companies, providing them with increased visibility not only in
Massachusetts, but around the world.

Switched-On Classroom

Another goal of the Web site is to enhance the Council's Switched-On
Classroom program by providing the information more efficiently and
electronically. The SwitchedOn Classroom is a technology planning guide
including cases studies and a resource directory for public school grades
K-12 in Massachusetts. The Council has posted a "permission to copy" on
the Switched-On Classroom Web page that specifically allows Massachusetts
educators to download parts or all of the guide. With the information
available electronically, a broader audience of educators can now quickly
get details about bringing technology into their classrooms.

BBN Planet Corporation

Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, BBN Planet Corporation, a
subsidiary of BBN Inc., is the nation's leading provider of managed
Internet access and value-added services for businesses and organizations.
Last Fall, BBN celebrated the 25th anniversary of its development of the
ARPANET, which led to the development of the global Internet. Over 1,000
leading companies and educational, medical and research institutions
nationwide connect to the Internet via BBN Planet's operations. BBN
Planet's Internet services include managed security services,
around-the-clock network operations, end-to-end problem resolution,
comprehensive problem tracking, backbone management, training and
consulting and ongoing configuration management services. For its fiscal
year ended June 30, 1994, BBN had revenue of $196 million.

Sun Microsystems, Inc.

With revenues in excess of $5 billion, Sun Microsystems, Inc. provides
solutions that enable customers to build and maintain open network
computing environments. Widely recognized as a proponent of open
standards, the company is involved in the design, manufacture and sale of
products, technologies and services for commercial and technical
computing. Sun's SPARC workstations, multiprocessing servers, SPARC
microprocessors, Solaris operating software and service organization each
rank No. 1 in the UNIX industry. Founded in 1982, Sun is headquartered in
Mountain View, Calif., and employs more than 13,000 people in 32 corporate
offices worldwide.

Utopia, Inc.

A fast-growing Massachusetts start-up company, Utopia, Inc. has established
itself as an innovator in the design and development of interactive
World-Wide Web (WWW) sites. Utopia's Cyberspace Architects offer Internet
and WWW design services to companies, organizations and government
agencies that want to reach the mushrooming Internet audience. They have
created Web sites for clients in the software, finance, banking, legal,
entertainment and other industries. Utopia has developed advanced WWW
technologies that provide a high degree of interactivity, easy navigation
and easy updating of site information -- all key factors in getting
visitors to come to a site more frequently and to stay longer. Founded in
1992, Utopia is quickly developing a reputation as one of New England's
top Internet design firms, providing strategic consulting for electronic
initiatives.

Massachusetts Software Council

The Massachusetts Software Council was established in 1985 as a non-profit
trade association. Its mission is to promote the Massachusetts software
industry here and abroad; to provide information and contacts to software
company CEOs to help them manage and grow their companies; to help create
an environment that will continue to attract capital, customers, and
employees to the state; to represent the interests of its members on
issues impacting the industry; and, to locate resources to assist software
companies in meeting the needs of the future.

BBN Planet Corp
150 CambridgePark Drive
Cambridge, MA 02140
 
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