| SEATTLE, October 4, 1999 -
Punch Networks Corporation (Punch) today announced that ELF has joined the company's Hosting Partner Program and will offer Punch's Web-based file sharing and collaboration service from www.serengetiUS.com (Serengeti). Serengeti, an ELF solution, improves the handling of legal matters by leveraging the Internet to host a broad range of applications from the leading providers of legal software and services. Serengeti will feature Punch WebGroups, a service that enables users to access, share and automatically update files of any size via the Web, using just their Web browser. The WebGroups service will be available on Serengeti at the end of November.
"Serengeti is a great example of how the Web is breaking down barriers to communication and productivity" said Punch Networks CEO and President. "They've put together a great suite of services, and we're proud they selected Punch WebGroups as the file storage and collaboration component. There are very few other industries dominated by document management needs as the legal industry, and Punch WebGroups is uniquely suited to meet such needs."
"We chose Punch Networks because we believe its WebGroups service best serves the needs of legal professionals," said Don Murray, ELF President. "While Punch WebGroups has extensive document management capabilities, such as document locking, version control and audit trails, it remains easy to use. The legal industry requires this type of functionality to collaborate on documents. We will continue to partner with companies offering best-of-breed services in their industries to make Serengeti a world-class service for legal and insurance professionals."
A WebGroup is a private page on a secure Web site in which a user or a collection of users can securely store files they wish to share using just their browser. Any time a user changes a document and uploads it to the WebGroup, the system notifies the other members of that WebGroup via email that the document has changed. The other members can then come to the site and download the new version of the file directly to their machine, automatically updating the existing version.
Importantly, WebGroups can upload and download only the information that changes between versions of a document, so updates occur quickly. The site is password-protected and files are encrypted on the server to ensure security. Because the service is Web-based, users can access their files from any Internet-enabled machine.
Punch Networks has partnered with numerous other leading Internet sites to offer versions of WebGroups to their customers. The company has partnered with key sites in vertical industries, including education (powerstudents.com), business research (intellifact.com), small business services (workz.com), and science (cos.com). The Program offers two different options to partners seeking to offer its Web-based file access, sharing and updating service to their customers. In the first option, partners can offer a version of WebGroups (customized to reflect their branding and identity), from their site, with Punch Networks providing the back-end hosting service and support. In the second option, partners can purchase the WebGroups server software, customize the interface to reflect their branding, and install and maintain it on their systems.
About Punch Networks Corporation
Founded by David Campbell in 1995, Punch Networks develops software products, services and technologies that help people effectively manage changing digital information. The company's first service, Punch WebGroups, lets anyone store, share and automatically update their files using just their Web browser. The Company offers WebGroups as a hosted service to business partners and to companies as an outsourced service.
For more information, visit the Punch Networks website at www.punchnetworks.com, email info@punchnetworks.com, or call (206) 343-7661.
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