NEW YORK, Dec. 10, 1997 — Microsoft Corp. today announced that over 10,000 corporations have licensed the Microsoft® Internet Explorer Administration Kit, another indication of the continuing customer satisfaction with Internet Explorer 4.0. These licenses represent a potential 8 million deployments of Internet Explorer worldwide.
Corporations such as ACE Hardware, Aetna Inc. and Matsushita Electric Corp., maker of Panasonic, are standardizing on Internet Explorer 4.0 as the browsing software for their corporate Internet and intranet solutions . In addition, a new total cost of ownership (TCO) study by Interpose Inc. shows that organizations can save as much as $1,000 per computer per year in a typical corporate environment by standardizing on Internet Explorer 4.0.
“Microsoft Internet Explorer is the most popular browser in the home and with the continued demand by businesses it is fast becoming the browser of choice for organizations,” said Yusuf Mehdi, director of marketing, applications and Internet client group at Microsoft. “Microsoft has listened to corporate IS managers and designed Internet Explorer 4.0 to meet their deployment needs. We are excited to see companies around the world develop mission-critical solutions based on technologies such as Active Channel
™
, Dynamic HTML and Active Desktop
™
.”
Corporations License Over 10,000 Internet Explorer Administration Kits
In the eight weeks since its launch, the Internet Explorer Administration Kit 4.0 has been licensed to over 10,000 corporations, including many Fortune 500 and Fortune 100 companies. These corporations represent a broad cross section of industries, from accounting and financial institutions to pharmaceutical, insurance and manufacturing firms.
The Internet Explorer Administration Kit 4.0 helps lower the overall cost of PC ownership by giving corporate IT managers unmatched flexibility to customize and maintain Internet Explorer 4.0 on all of their enterprise desktops. IT managers can easily configure and lock down virtually all the features of Internet Explorer 4.0 – including full control over Active Desktop items, what Active Channel content is available to users, and Security Zones – and quickly and easily change settings on thousands of desktops from a single, central location. It is available free of charge to those registering at the Microsoft Web site at (http://ieak.microsoft.com/) (connect-time charges may apply).
Internet Explorer 4.0 Offers Lower Total Cost of Ownership
Interpose Inc., a leading provider of cost-of-ownership tools and services, found that Internet Explorer 4.0 returns TCO savings of 24 percent, providing savings of as much as $1,000 per desktop per year in typical corporate applications over other browsers.
“Microsoft’s focus on reducing the TCO of networked computing has led to an integration of features aimed specifically at reducing or eliminating key administrative, support and development costs,” said Thomas Pisello, a leading TCO expert and author, and principal of Interpose Inc.
TCO is measured using Interpose’s TCO Advisor software, a comprehensive database of costs from over 120 international companies in all industries, which measures four major categories: direct costs, indirect costs, economic benefits and business benefits. Internet Explorer 4.0 provides features that help reduce TCO, including these:
-
Security. New security features in Internet Explorer 4.0 and the Internet Explorer Administration Kit give corporate administrators complete control over the types of software downloaded or run on their networks.
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Active Desktop. Desktops can be easily managed and standardized to provide access to local sites, ActiveX
™
Controls and scripts. -
Active Channel content. Users can control which channels and information to receive on a scheduled basis, reducing data access management costs without increasing network bandwidth.
Internet Explorer 4.0 Offers the Best Internet and Intranet Solution
Corporations are choosing Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 because it provides superior technology such as Dynamic HTML and Active Channel content, better integration with existing systems, greater security and customization, and broader Internet and intranet functionality. These capabilities, combined with its ease of use, make Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 an important technology for building corporate intranet and Internet solutions.
Aetna has standardized on Microsoft Internet Explorer as its internal Internet and intranet browsing solution and is deploying this technology to more than 20,000 desktop and portable PCs throughout its U.S. business and several of its international locations.
As reasons for choosing Internet Explorer, Aetna cites the technical strength of the version 4.0 release, integration with its other deployed distributed computing technologies, superior performance, and the ability to deliver Web-based solutions using both new Java and existing COM-based software applications, assets and expertise.
Aetna has made a commitment to building its new application solutions around a three-tier model that highly leverages Web-based clients, and provides common and timely information and business transaction services to customers, partners and employees. Internet Explorer technology will play an important role in delivering these leading-edge, highly competitive solutions over the Internet, extranet and intranet.
ACE Hardware, Aetna Inc. and Matsushita Electric Corp. join a wide range of leading
corporations now standardizing on Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 as their enterprise Internet and intranet platform, including Bechtel Corp., Compaq Computer Corp., Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corp., Countrywide Home Loans Inc., Dell Computer Corp., Ernst & Young LLP, General Mills, Mellon Bank Corp., Merrill Lynch, Monsanto Co., Ontario Hydro, Owens Corning, Reynolds Metals Co., Nabisco, Shell Services Co., Siemens Energy and Automation Inc., Sprint PCS, The Dow Chemical Co., Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc. and Wheat First Butcher Singer.
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, Active Channel, Active Desktop and ActiveX are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
TCO Advisor is a trademark of Interpose Inc.
Other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.
Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/ on Microsoft’s corporate information pages.
EDITORS’ NOTE, December 30, 2004
— This page has been revised since original publication.
