Record Numbers of Organizations Convene in Vancouver as ebXML Nears Completion

Boston, MA, USA, Geneva, Switzerland; February 27, 2001- Organizations from around the world came together in Vancouver, Canada to overwhelmingly approve the ebXML Technical Architecture Specification. Serving as a roadmap to ebXML, the Technical Architecture Specification provides the foundation for all other ebXML specifications. This announcement from the UN/CEFACT and OASIS marks the deliverable stage of ebXML, as the initiative nears its goal of delivering a complete suite of specifications in May 2001.

"Interest in ebXML continues to build at a phenomenal rate," said Robert S. Sutor, Ph.D., of IBM, vice chair of ebXML and member of the OASIS Board of Directors. "The ebXML Technical Architecture Specification gives implementers a clear understanding of the entire initiative and how the various ebXML specifications relate to one another."

The ebXML Technical Architecture Specification defines the relationships, interactions and basic functionality of ebXML specifications including those involving core components, business processes, registry & repository, messaging services, trading partner agreements and security. In addition, the Technical Architecture Specification provides an ebXML use case scenario and conformance guidelines.

"In developing this specification, we concentrated on translating business needs into a functional specification covering all aspects of the ebXML initiative," said Anders Grangard of EDI France, leader of the ebXML Technical Architecture Project Team. "We were careful to balance our definition of the ebXML architecture with the ongoing work of the other project teams."

More than 350 participants from Asia, Australia, Europe and North America approved the ebXML Technical Architecture Specification. The group, which gathered in Vancouver to advance the initiative, remains open to all interested organizations and individuals.

"We congratulate the ebXML Technical Architecture Project Team for being able to deliver this important ebXML component ahead of schedule," stated Klaus-Dieter Naujok of Netfish Technologies, chair of ebXML and member of the UN/CEFACT Steering Group. "They met the dual challenge to remain consistent with the ebXML Requirements document and to develop the Technical Architecture in parallel with the ongoing work of the other ebXML project teams."

Developers and all interested parties are encouraged to review the ebXML Technical Architecture Specification on http://www.ebxml.org/specdrafts/approved_specs.htm.

About ebXML
ebXML (www.ebXML.org) is an International Initiative established by UN/CEFACT and OASIS in late 1999 with a mandate to undertake an 18-month program of work to research and identify the technical basis upon which the global implementation of XML (Extensible Markup Language) can be standardized. The goal of ebXML is to facilitate open trade between organizations regardless of size by enabling XML to be used in a consistent manner to exchange electronic business data.

About UN/CEFACT
UN/CEFACT (www.uncefact.org) is the United Nations body whose mandate covers worldwide policy and technical development in the area of trade facilitation and electronic business. Headquartered in Geneva, it has developed and promoted many tools for the facilitation of global business processes including UN/EDIFACT, the international EDI standard. Its current work programme includes such topics as Simpl-edi and Object Oriented EDI and it strongly supports the development and implementation of open, interoperable global standards and specifications for electronic business.

About OASIS
OASIS (http://www.oasis-open.org) is the international, not-for-profit consortium that advances electronic business by promoting open, collaborative development of interoperability specifications. OASIS serves as the home for industry groups interested in developing XML specifications. OASIS sponsors include Adobe Systems, Access360, Aerospatiale, AND Data Solutions, Arbortext, Auto-trol, Aventail, Baltimore Technologies, B-Bop Associates, BEA Systems, Bentley Systems, Boeing, Bowstreet, Bridge, Chrystal Software, Cohesia, Commerce One, Critical Path, DataChannel, Dataloom, Defense Information Services Agency, Deutsche Post AG, Documentum, EADS Airbus, eCredit.com, empolis, Enigma, Excelergy, eXcelon, Extensibility, Extricity, First Call, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, icomXpress, Informix, Infoteria, Innodata, Interwoven, IPNet Solutions, ISOGEN, ITEDO, Jamcracker, JetForm, Logistics Management Institute, Mediaplex, Mercator Software, Micrografx, Microsoft, Netegrity, Netfish, Netscape/AOL, NextPage, NII Enterprise Promotion Association, Nimble Technology, NIST, ObjectSpace, Pick Systems, Pearson Education, Planet 7 Technologies, Popkin Software, ProNet Technology, Reuters, Sabre, SAP, Securant Technologies, Sequoia Software, SilverStream Software, SoftQuad, Software AG, Sterling Commerce, StreamServe, Sun Microsystems, Tamalpais Group, Thomas Technology Solutions, TIBCO, Virtual Access Networks, Visa, Wavo, webMethods, Whitehill Technologies, Xerox, XML Global, XMLSolutions and XyEnterprise.

For more information:
Carol Geyer
Director of Communications
OASIS
carol.geyer@oasis-open.org
+1.941.284.0403