REDMOND, Wash., April 10, 1997 — Financial services provider Wheat First Butcher Singer today became the latest corporation to standardize on Microsoft® Internet Explorer 3.0, the world’s fastest-growing browser among corporations, consumers and Web professionals. The company is putting Microsoft Internet Explorer on its more than 2,900 desktops in 125 offices nationwide, rolling out the browser to 2,200 desktops by May 1 and the other 700 desktops by the end of the year. In addition, 700 financial consultants who use Wheat First’s correspondent clearing services ultimately will use Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 to access Wheat First’s intranet.
After evaluating other browsers, Wheat First said it was making the move because of Microsoft Internet Explorer’s superior integration with its existing applications, the easy deployment and management available with the Microsoft Internet Explorer Administration Kit, and the innovative solutions the company can develop and support with ActiveX
™
technologies.
“Microsoft provides us with the best technology for high-performance, low-maintenance, mission-critical solutions that will keep our financial consultants ahead of the competition,” said Mike Culp, vice president of information technology at Wheat First. “Knowing this made picking Microsoft Internet Explorer easy. We can rest assured knowing that we have the best browser on the market.”
Integration
Culp said Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 integrates seamlessly with Wheat First’s existing applications on the desktop and across the enterprise. For example, one of the company’s most mission-critical applications is a stock quote program that provides real-time securities prices to Wheat First financial consultants, ensuring that they are working with the latest data to meet their clients’ financial needs. The level of integration that Microsoft Internet Explorer offers with this application is one of the key reasons the browser was selected.
Wheat First has also standardized on the Microsoft Windows® 95 operating system, Microsoft Office 95 and Microsoft Exchange on the client side and a lineup of Microsoft products on the server side, including Systems Management Server, Microsoft SQL Server
™, the Windows NT® Server operating system and Internet Information Server, and Index Server for search engine service. The familiar user interface and smooth integration that Microsoft Internet Explorer offers with these products provides Wheat First with greater ease of use, requiring less technical support and management for the IT department.
Management
In choosing a standard browser, Wheat First also wanted a solution that was easy to customize, deploy and manage. With the Microsoft Internet Explorer Administration Kit, the company has been able to do all three. Wheat First has used the Microsoft Internet Explorer Administration Kit in the following ways:
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Preconfigure the start page to Wheat First’s intranet home page, so employees get the information they need as quickly as possible
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Ensure maximum security by setting the browser’s safety level so that only digitally signed software is downloaded to the users’ workstations
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Custom configure the browser to use Microsoft Exchange for e-mail
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Manage the browser settings and users’ options from a single, central server location, reducing support needs
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Reduce Wheat First’s overall cost for deploying the browser across its intranet since the Microsoft Internet Explorer Administration Kit has no licensing fees or purchasing costs (except shipping and handling).
ActiveX Support
In addition to selecting Microsoft Internet Explorer for its easy integration and management, Wheat First chose the browser to take advantage of its ActiveX support for innovative applications. For example, Wheat First is using the PowerPoint® Animation Player for ActiveX, an ActiveX control, to allow financial consultants to view compressed presentations without the delay of having to launch the PowerPoint application first. Wheat First also benefits from the ActiveX support in Internet Information Server (IIS) with Active Server Pages. Now Wheat First can create dynamic Web pages that reduce site management costs and reduce the processing load on client PCs, further reducing intranet traffic and costs.
“Wheat First’s reputation as a financial service firm is based on its ability to provide its clients with the best financial counsel based on the latest market updates,” said Yusuf Mehdi, group product manager in the Internet client and collaboration division at Microsoft. “We are pleased that Wheat First has chosen Microsoft Internet Explorer as the browser to complete its Microsoft-based intranet solution to keep its financial consultants on the leading edge of the financial market.”
Wheat First joins the growing number of leading companies and organizations that have selected Microsoft Internet Explorer as their corporate standard. Those companies include Arthur Andersen L.L.P, Baltimore Gas & Electric Co., Catholic Healthcare West, Compaq Computer Corp., Continental Airlines Inc., Coopers & Lybrand L.L.P., Crestar Financial Corp., FINA Oil and Chemical Co., Intergraph Corp., Reynolds Metals, Sprint PCS and Wang Laboratories Inc.
For more information on companies that have selected Microsoft Internet Explorer, visit the Microsoft Internet Explorer Business Solutions Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/ie/corp/
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.
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