Unisys e-@ction Solutions for Windows 2000 bring customers full benefits of enterprise-class E-business with key Microsoft technology

Unisys Corporation, a MicrosoftWindows 2000 Global Launch Partner, today announced Unisys e-@ction Solutions for Windows 2000. This comprehensive portfolio of services and support, horizontal and vertical industry solutions and enterprise-class technologies will enable customers to deploy the new Microsoft Windows 2000 network operating system as the linchpin for enterprise-wide electronic business solutions.

Capitalizing on Unisys proven expertise in enterprise-class computing, in-depth understanding of business requirements in key industries and strategic alliance with Microsoft Corp., users will be able to plan, deploy and maintain mission-critical solutions based on the powerful new-generation Microsoft technology. At the same time, they can protect and integrate their existing investments in critical information technologies.

"With its unprecedented combination of power and economy, Windows 2000 opens entirely new possibilities for customers to address their most pressing business challenges," said Irv Epstein, who heads Windows 2000 program management for Unisys. "Harnessing Unisys unmatched range of enterprise-class services, technologies and vertical-industry applications, Unisys e-@ction Solutions for Windows 2000 will help clients realize those possibilities and deploy end-to-end e-business solutions that let them capitalize on opportunities in an evolving and increasingly competitive global marketplace."

The portfolio of solutions is based on Unisys Best Practices for Windows 2000, a consistent methodology focused on developing, delivering and integrating enterprise-class solutions including services, vertical-industry applications and technologies from Unisys and partners to help customers fully exploit the power of Windows 2000 for mission-critical computing.

The portfolio of Unisys e-@ction Solutions for Windows 2000 comprises four key components:

• Infrastructure Services and Support

  - A set of readiness planning, design, deployment and support services that assess and optimize the client`s information technology and networking infrastructure to maximize the scalability, manageability, reliability and interoperability required for enterprise-class e-business. These services capitalize on the Windows 2000 benefits of enhanced usability and cost of ownership while ensuring that the infrastructure has "headroom" necessary to address future needs.

• Enterprise-Class Technology

  - The family of Unisys enterprise servers - spearheaded by the revolutionary Unisys e-@ction Enterprise Server ES7000 - takes advanced Intel and Microsoft technologies to new levels of performance and reliability in the most demanding e-business applications.

• Global Industry Solutions

  - These applications combine Unisys domain expertise in specific vertical industries with Microsoft solutions technology to deliver innovative ways for customers to compete effectively in, and prosper from, the global marketplace. These applications are combined with integration and consulting services to deliver maximum customer value in financial services; public sector; communications; transportation; publishing and commercial.

• Enterprise-Class Services

  - Driven by an in-depth enterprise architecture planning process, comprehensive solution integration services, reliance on key enterprise-class technologies and an intimate understanding of the customer`s business environment, these cross-industry services extend the boundaries for scalable electronic business solutions based on Windows 2000.

"Unisys is playing a central role in extending the benefits of Windows 2000 into the enterprise," said Deborah Willingham, vice president of Windows Marketing, Microsoft. "The portfolio of Unisys e-@ction Solutions for Windows 2000 provides a comprehensive foundation for designing, deploying and managing advanced e-business solutions. Unisys enterprise-class technologies, applications and services will help customers derive maximum value from strategic business solutions running on the Windows 2000 platform."

Infrastructure Services

Simplifying Deployment of Enterprise-Class Windows 2000 Windows 2000 builds on the strengths of Microsoft Windows NT, integrating new, advanced technologies for network, application, security and Web functions to deliver business advantage. Unisys is a recognized leader in the deployment of complex distributed networks, servers and desktops based on Microsoft Windows technology. The Unisys e-@ction Infrastructure Services for Windows 2000 leverage this experience to help customers realize the benefits of Windows 2000 by applying a best-practice methodology for managing Windows 2000 implementation and ongoing support. These services help an organization determine its readiness for Windows 2000; anticipate how the new technology will impact the existing IT environment; implement and integrate Windows 2000 based on the client`s specific business and technical requirements; and provide ongoing management of a complex heterogeneous infrastructure.

Key infrastructure services include Windows 2000 Readiness and Preparation, Windows 2000 and Active Directory Design and Deployment Planning, and Windows 2000 Enterprise Deployment.

In addition, Unisys offers a full range of industry-leading support services for clients` Microsoft environments and enterprise networks. These include Microsoft Alliance Support for High Availability for mission-critical environments, as well as complementary managed services such as the Unisys e-@ction OneCall Solution -- a single-point-of-contact help desk -- and Unisys e-@ction Network Transformation and Network and Systems Management for enterprise networks. Comprehensive training in the Microsoft environment is provided by Unisys instructors who are both Microsoft Certified Trainers (MCTs) and Microsoft Certified Systems Engineers (MCSEs).

Enterprise-Class Technology

Unisys e-@ction Enterprise Servers Optimized to Bring out the Best in Windows 2000

The Unisys e-@ction Enterprise Server ES 7000 is a key part of Unisys portfolio for Windows 2000. Designed by mainframe architects to meet mainframe standards, this enterprise server removes the last barriers to deploying Microsoft and Intel technologies for global, enterprise-class e-business computing, providing levels of performance once available only on mainframes and UNIX systems, but at a fraction of the price. Based on Unisys revolutionary Cellular MultiProcessing (CMP) architecture, the ES7000 supports up to 32 processors divisible into as many as eight partitions, as well as enormous memory and I/O resources. The ES7000 thus provides an unparalleled capability to scale up to meet all the requirements for enterprise-class, transaction-intensive e-business.

The ES7000 servers not only scale up but scale out as well, enabling "out of the box" clustering with other systems to create a seamlessly managed environment concentrating massive computing power on sophisticated tasks. This configuration versatility is especially valuable for server consolidation projects.

Unisys e-@ction Solutions for Windows 2000 include a range of ES7000 and other Unisys Windows 2000-based servers factory-optimized with specialized software and services to address key customer requirements: e-business; CRM and Enterprise Application Software (EAS) using Siebel, SAP and PeopleSoft software; Microsoft Exchange server consolidation; and thin-client computing and application delivery.

Global Industry Solutions

Complementing Windows 2000 with Market-Specific Business Expertise Unisys e-@ction Solutions for Windows 2000 include application solutions that draw on Unisys domain industry expertise to address key business challenges both in specific market sectors and in multiple industries.

These solutions combine consulting and integration services with proven software components from Unisys and partners that can be assembled and modified quickly and cost-effectively to meet the customer`s specific business requirements.

Key global industry applications in the Unisys e-@ction Solutions for Windows 2000 include:

• Cross-selling and customer care in retail banking

• Integrated newspaper publishing

• Image-enabled payment processing

• Tax and revenue processing and taxpayer services for public sector

• Business process and document management for financial services and public sector

• Customer loyalty systems to provide airline customers with a personalized experience

• Customer interaction and relationship management solutions

• Universal messaging for integrating voice, fax and electronic mail

• Solutions to assess, design, implement and manage enterprise-wide security

Enterprise-Class Services

Extending the Boundaries of Microsoft Technology Unisys has consistently extended the limits of Microsoft products in delivering enterprise-class solutions. Through applied research in the Unisys Enterprise Windows 2000 Centers of Excellence worldwide, Unisys has refined the enterprise-class attributes of scalability, availability, manageability, security, and interoperability needed to deliver solutions based on Windows 2000 that address mission-critical business computing issues -- such as customer relationship management -- common across a range of industries.

Unisys capability to integrate data center-class solutions based on Windows 2000 was clearly demonstrated at COMDEX `99 with Unisys "Data Center of the Next Millennium", the most scalable e-business solution ever developed on the Windows and Intel platform. During its five-day, 7x24 operation, the Unisys solution demonstrated unprecedented performance, including 3 billion Web hits per day and 4,000 transactions per second against an active 2 terabyte OLTP database that ran on a single Microsoft SQL Server. The data warehouse, also running on a single Microsoft SQL Server instance, grew to 9 terabytes.

In addition to Enterprise-Architecture Planning, the Unisys Enterprise-Class Services include Enterprise Electronic Business; Data Warehouse on SQL Server, focusing on very large, high-performance, high-volume database management solutions; Enterprise Customer Relationship Management, integrating the Web, call centers, field sales and other key channels; and Legacy Data Integration, to create a seamless, heterogeneous IT environment for mission-critical solutions.

Unisys Solution Sets for Windows 2000

Taking the portfolio of solutions for Windows 2000 a step further, Unisys will deliver integrated solutions combining the Windows 2000 platform with specific services and best-in-class technology components from Unisys and other partners to address high-level, industry-wide business challenges. For example, Web-enabling a business through Windows 2000 requires more than Web tools and high-performance, highly reliable enterprise servers. It also demands planning and implementation of an entire information access architecture, with technologically complex integration of legacy data. Unisys will deliver these comprehensive solution sets combining the power and economy of the Windows 2000 environment with Unisys value-added business expertise, enterprise-class technologies, services and proven application solutions.