Today at the Microsoft High-Tech Solutions
launch, Microsoft Corp., one of the founding members of the RosettaNet consortium, announced the
availability of the BizTalk
® Accelerator for RosettaNet version 2.0. Built on top of Microsoft
® BizTalk Server, the second version of the Accelerator for RosettaNet combines prebuilt
support for all current RosettaNet Partner Interface Processes
® (PIPs
®) with an improved suite of development, management and rapid deployment tools to
significantly reduce the time and resources required to build, deploy and manage RosettaNet
solutions.
High-tech companies can use the BizTalk Accelerator for RosettaNet to quickly and easily
implement RosettaNet, which allows them to integrate applications with supply chain partners and
orchestrate sophisticated, collaborative business processes. Intel Corp., a founding member of the
RosettaNet consortium, and Flextronics Corp. are presenting at the conference, discussing the
benefits of automating their entire supply chains via XML Web services and the BizTalk Accelerator
for RosettaNet.
“Using an XML-based standard such as RosettaNet has helped ease integration difficulties,
and the BizTalk Accelerator for RosettaNet is making it easier for us and our suppliers to
implement RosettaNet solutions,” said Chris S. Thomas, Intel’s chief e-strategist. “Automating our
supply chain with RosettaNet and XML Web services has brought significant business benefits.
Communication with our customers and partners happens in real time, and our ability to provide them
with timely and accurate information has increased. RosettaNet has received a lot of support from
industry leaders, such as Microsoft, and its importance in the high-tech industry continues to
grow.”
Flextronics, a leading global provider of electronics manufacturing services, decided to use
BizTalk Server and the BizTalk Accelerator for RosettaNet as part of its integration solution,
enhancing its ability to communicate with customers and trading partners using RosettaNet along
with Electronic Data Interchange (EDI).
“Flextronics used a combination of EDI and manual processes to handle orders. Our customers
were moving toward a variety of B2B communication methods, and we wanted to offer them the most
flexible connection while further automating our existing processes,” said James Simpson, senior
director of e-business at Flextronics. “By implementing a solution that supported XML, RosettaNet
and EDI communication, we have really been able to optimize our customers’ and suppliers’
experiences with Flextronics. BizTalk Server, together with the BizTalk Accelerator for RosettaNet,
has enabled us to add this flexibility, enhancing our customers’ satisfaction while giving us a
single platform on which we can reduce the number of manual processes, lower operational costs and
speed order processing.”
BizTalk Accelerator for RosettaNet: Features
and Pricing
According to Research Director Vinay Asgekar in the AMR Research Alert article for June 27,
2002, “In the high-tech industry, where relationships are based on a product lifecycle and hence
are short-lived, platforms such as Microsoft’s provide the essential characteristics for rapid
setup and dismantling of relationships: flexible, manageable, cost-effective, scalable, all on a
rapidly deployable platform.”
The BizTalk Accelerator for RosettaNet is a set of tools and technical resources that
enhances the functionality of BizTalk Server to significantly reduce the amount of time and
resources required to build, deploy and manage RosettaNet solutions.
Version 2.0 of the BizTalk Accelerator for RosettaNet includes all the functionality of the
first version plus new features:
·
Full support of the RosettaNet Implementation
Framework (RNIF) versions 1.1 and 2.0.
The RosettaNet consortium recently introduced
version 2.0 of its RNIF. The BizTalk Accelerator for RosettaNet 2.0 supports both releases of the
framework simultaneously, giving developers and IT professionals easy access to the most up-to-date
framework.
·
Inclusion of all published Partner Interface
Processes.
The BizTalk Accelerator for RosettaNet 2.0
includes all published PIPs along with tools to rapidly and securely import and deploy new and
custom PIPs from trading partners. These PIPs allow developers and IT professionals to quickly
integrate their applications and trading partners into a RosettaNet solution.
·
Partner Agreement Wizard for importing,
deploying and testing new and customized PIPs rapidly.
This wizard allows companies to import and
deploy new and customized processes created by trading partners, dramatically reducing the time it
takes to change, update, test or add a new process or trading partner and lowering the solution’s
overall cost of ownership.
·
Support for additional industry standards
including Chemical Industry Data eXchange (CIDX) and Petroleum Industry Data Exchange
(PIDX).
The BizTalk Accelerator for RosettaNet 2.0
includes support for the chemical industry’s
e-chemical standards from the CIDX consortium as well as standards defined by the PIDX
consortium.
·
Support for all versions and editions of
Microsoft BizTalk Server.
This version of the BizTalk Accelerator for
RosettaNet is built on the latest versions of the Microsoft .NET Enterprise Server family,
including all editions of BizTalk Server 2002.
The BizTalk Accelerator for RosettaNet 2.0 is available in two editions: Enterprise Edition,
which is $19,999 (U.S.) per CPU, and Standard Edition, which is $4,999 (U.S.) per CPU.
Microsoft’s Commitment to the High-Tech
Industry
Microsoft is committed to the high-tech industry, as well as to other vertical industries
such as manufacturing and healthcare, and is dedicated to bringing XML-based standards to these
industries. Along with being a founding member of the RosettaNet consortium, Microsoft is a member
of the RosettaNet Solution Provider board.
“On behalf of RosettaNet, I am pleased that Microsoft continues to show its commitment to
business processes integration in the high-tech arena, especially around helping to develop and
drive open, Internet-based standards,” said Jennifer Hamilton, CEO of RosettaNet. “From an industry
perspective, we are encouraged by the volume of emerging products and services being developed to
facilitate RosettaNet implementations on a global scale. With the new version of the BizTalk
Accelerator for RosettaNet, Microsoft is taking a leadership role in promoting the value of B2B
standards across the global trading network.”
This week, Microsoft also announced a plan to increase the specialization of its sales force,
staffing teams so there is deep industry expertise. As a result of this announcement, Matt Pease is
now general manager of the U.S. high-tech industry segment for Microsoft.
“Microsoft understands that customers need solutions that are tailored to their business and
their industry,” Pease said. “With the development of the new Microsoft high-tech team, we’re now
100 percent committed to ensuring that customers in this exciting industry find the exact software
solution that meets their specific business needs. The BizTalk Accelerator for RosettaNet is one
such solution that has seen great success, enabling quick and easy integration with applications
and supply chain partners using the RosettaNet standard.”
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and
Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a
wide range of products and services designed
to empower people through great software —
any time, any place and on any device.
For More Information, press only:
Alexa Miller, Waggener Edstrom, (425)
638-7000,
alexam@wagged.com
Rapid Response Team, Waggener Edstrom, (503) 443-7070,
rrt@wagged.com
