RosettaNet Press Release
RosettaNet Champions e-Business for Small to Medium Sized Companies

New RosettaNet Basics programme will enable affordable adoption of e-business standards to a wider technology trading network

For Release October 4, 2001

Munich , Germany --  

RosettaNet, the high tech industry's leading e-business standards consortium, today announced the launch of its ‘RosettaNet Basics’ milestone programme in Europe. This initiative ensures the affordable implementation and adoption of e-business standards for small-to-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), thereby allowing them the same supply chain advantages normally associated with much larger organisations. RosettaNet is a self-funded, non-profit consortium of major information technology (IT), electronic components (EC) and semiconductor manufacturing (SM) companies, working to create and implement industry-wide, open e-business standards to form a common supply chain language.

RosettaNet is backed by many of the world’s leading IT and electronics companies including; Cisco, Ericsson, HP, IBM, Intel, Nokia, Philips, Sony and STMicroelectronics. But the consortium is also championing the e-business needs of small-to medium sized companies, so that they can leverage this streamlined, Internet-based partner trading network. Participation in electronic data interchange has traditionally been a challenge for companies further down in the supply chain with regard to cost and expertise. Now, with RosettaNet Basics, SMEs can engage easily and simply with trading partner e-business commerce.

Thierry Ceillier, Vice-President Europe, RosettaNet, says:   “Until recently, many e-business initiatives have been out of reach for small-to medium sized companies because of the vast resources required to implement these critical activities.   However, because RosettaNet exists to create and drive standards, which are non-proprietary, affordable and easy to implement, the consortium is committed to developing programmes that help ease adoption.   The end result – a more robust trading partner network that significantly increases value throughout the supply chain.”

The goal of RosettaNet Basics is to extend RosettaNet standards into the SME marketplace, which is especially relevant in Europe where SMEs represent a significant part of the industry. The RosettaNet Basics milestone programme, led by Intel, brings together SMEs, RosettaNet Solution Providers and their respective Trading Partners, with a target of 50 to 100 medium-sized companies on board by Q4, 2001. The programme defines a core set of usage recommendations and simplifies the implementation of e-business standards for SMEs -- both in terms of complexity and cost. For example, RosettaNet Basics will provide an automated capability in to and out of a small business’s ERP (enterprise resource planning) system. In addition to Intel, the programme's participants include Hewlett-Packard and NEC, along with Infoteria Corporation, Iona Technologies, Insight, Peregrine Systems, SeeBeyond, TIBCO Software and webMethods.

Ceillier continued: “RosettaNet Basics will enable smaller organisations to become a part of the $1 trillion high-tech trading network, which the RosettaNet Partner Network represents today. This is fundamental to our mission to open the lines of communication between all companies involved in today’s technology market place, irrespective of size. First and foremost, we have created the open e-business standard for the high technology trading network with over 400 partner organisations -- now we want to open this network up to an even larger and wider community.”

Andrew Oldham, e-commerce standards manager, Intel EMEA, commented: "RosettaNet Basics is an initiative that allows the RosettaNet standard to be implemented by many more organisations at significantly reduced implementation cost and complexity - meaning increased and more rapid return on investment.  RosettaNet Basics opens up this ‘ next generation’ e-business to a much wider range of our customers which in turn helps to build a ‘ network effect’, where our customers can trade with other suppliers, and with their own customers, to really enhance the value of their RosettaNet investment.”

In a series of European customer forums over the next few weeks, RosettaNet, in conjunction with Intel, Iona Technologies, Peregrine Systems, SeeBeyond and TIBCO Software, will be raising awareness of the RosettaNet Basics programme and recruiting new partners across Europe. For more information or to register online, please visit www.rosettanet.org

About RosettaNet

RosettaNet is an independent, non-profit consortium dedicated to the collaborative development and rapid deployment of open Internet-based business standards that align processes within the global high-technology trading network.

More than 400 companies representing over $1 trillion in annual information technology, electronic components and semiconductor manufacturing revenues currently participate in RosettaNet's standards development, strategy and implementation activities. A complete list of member companies and more information on RosettaNet is available at www.rosettanet.org