REDMOND, Wash., Feb. 5, 1997 —
Continental Airlines Inc.
today became the latest corporation to choose Microsoft® Internet Explorer 3.0, currently the fastest-growing browser among Web users, as the standard browser for its corporate intranet. This move will put Microsoft Internet Explorer on 5,000 Continental desktops across the United States.
Continental selected Microsoft Internet Explorer for three key reasons:
-
Microsoft Internet Explorer offered integration with its existing systems and applications, including the Windows NT® Server network operating system, Microsoft Internet Information Server and the Microsoft BackOffice
™
family. -
The native support of Microsoft Internet Explorer for ActiveX
™
technologies provided the compatibility and ease of intranet development the company needs by integrating Microsoft Internet Explorer with its current in-house development. -
The Microsoft Internet Explorer Administration Kit technologies helped make possible cost-effective installation and management.
“After evaluating other options, we decided that Microsoft Internet Explorer was the direction to go,”
said Michael Natale, senior manager of advanced technology at Continental Airlines.
”
With the seamless integration with Windows NT, ActiveX and the Microsoft Internet Explorer Administration Kit, Microsoft has provided Continental with the technology necessary to run a dynamic and cost-effective intranet. Microsoft Internet Explorer’s integration with Outlook
™
, Office 97 and FrontPage
™confirmed for us that it is a natural fit for our infrastructure.”
Ease of Integration
Continental is also moving its network infrastructure from Novell NetWare to Windows NT Server, Microsoft Internet Information Server and Microsoft BackOffice and is deploying Windows NT Workstation on 5,000 of its U.S. desktops. In pilot testing, Continental found that Microsoft Internet Explorer provided the integration Continental required with these key applications and operating systems. In addition, the company is evaluating NetMeeting
™
conferencing software as a collaboration and corporate conferencing solution.
Compatibility With ActiveX
The support of Microsoft Internet Explorer for ActiveX technologies is a major advantage to Continental, which is basing its intranet development on ActiveX technology. The company has already developed an ActiveX control for on-time performance levels that monitors company on-time flight performance while running in Microsoft Internet Explorer.
Microsoft Internet Explorer is also a perfect fit with the tools Continental has chosen for its intranet development. The company is moving its current Visual Basic® programming system-based custom applications to its intranet, and Microsoft Internet Explorer makes it easier to take advantage of these existing investments. For example, Continental is converting its Visual Basic-based application for employee booking of electronic tickets into an ActiveX control that runs in Microsoft Internet Explorer and easily interfaces with Continental’s legacy applications.
In addition to supporting online business solutions, Microsoft Internet Explorer will be the interface for new data analysis applications and is expected to broaden overall employee use. For example, Continental is developing a corporate data warehouse application to analyze and forecast operations, financial performance, business processes and trends. Continental expects that the use of the familiar and highly intuitive user interface of Microsoft Internet Explorer will result in greater work efficiency companywide.
Microsoft Internet Explorer Administration Kit Provides Seamless Deployment
To deploy the browser quickly and cost-effectively, Continental is utilizing the Microsoft Internet Explorer Administration Kit. With the central distribution and management features found in this Microsoft Internet Explorer tool, IS will be able to create customized solutions and streamline deployment and system maintenance. The Microsoft Internet Explorer Administration Kit will also enable IS to customize the Microsoft Web browser for its corporate users, adding Continental’s logo and preinstalling toolbar favorites that take employees to key intranet sites with a single mouse click.
Continental Airlines joins the growing number of leading companies that have selected Microsoft Internet Explorer as their corporate standard, including Arthur Andersen, Compaq Computer Corp., Coopers & Lybrand L.L.P., FINA Oil and Chemical Co., Intergraph Corp. and Sprint PCS. 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.
Microsoft, Windows NT , BackOffice , ActiveX , Outlook , FrontPage , NetMeeting and Visual Basic are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
Other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.
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