OPTUS SOFTWARE ANNOUNCES MAJOR CONTRACT WITH BORAL LIMITED
AUSTRALIA-BASED BUILDING/CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS AND ENERGY GIANT
SELECTS OPTUS FACSYS AS ITS WORLDWIDE NETWORK FAX SOLUTION
SOMERSET, N.J., Jan. 20 /PRNewswire-Asianet/ -- Optus Software Inc., which has been integrating fax into data networks since 1989, today announced that it has signed a significant contract with Boral Limited, which will eventually result in Optus' FACSys(R) Fax Messaging Gateway for Microsoft Windows NT becoming the single Boral corporate network fax server standard worldwide. Based in Sydney, Australia, Boral Limited is a building products, construction materials and energy giant that has operations in Australia and 23 other countries around the world, including the United States.
The selection of FACSys is part of Boral's ongoing effort to create a "standard operating environment." The initiative, which began in 1995, has top management support and is intended to enable Boral to reduce Information Technology costs while increasing the company's flexibility and productivity. Other portions of the initiative include creating a single worldwide financial system and global deployment of Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft Office Suite.
Boral, which reported operating profit for the fiscal year ended June 30,1997 of $271 million on $4.7 billion in sales (AUS), has begun a worldwide roll-out of FACSys to all its desktop, networked PCs in approximately1,000 Boral facilities initially in Australia, with plans to continue on to Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore then the remaining sites in Asia, the United States and Europe in that order. The Australian roll-out is expected to be completed by 1999.
"The cost of IT is inherently high. So we didn't select FACSys because we thought it was a good idea. We selected FACSys because after analysis we knew it could help us improve business efficiency and because it can be integrated tightly with Microsoft Exchange Server on the desktop," said Stephen Kowal, Supplier Relationship Coordinator, Boral Limited. "Prior to selecting FACSys, we went through rigorous negotiations with our reseller, Meridian Asia/Pacific, and rigorous internal testing for several months in Sydney and Melbourne. To date, FACSys has proven to be a reliable, cost-effective network fax solution at the locations where it has been deployed in Australia. We are confident FACSys is enhancing the productivity of Boral employees by automating the sending and receiving of faxes."
"The worldwide roll-out of FACSys by Boral Limited is a significant gain for Optus Software," said Joseph Avellino, President and CEO, Optus Software. "As more and more major organizations, including Microsoft Corporation, select FACSys as a core component of their messaging infrastructure, it becomes apparent that a well-integrated fax server is vital for effective business communications. Global contracts such as this are proof-positive that FACSys is indeed a true, enterprise-wide fax solution."
In addition to Sydney-based Meridian Asia/Pacific Pty Limited, GE Capital and NetBridge Communications also are involved in the FACSys roll-out in Australia. Frank Downes is Managing Director, Meridian Asia/Pacific.
Phase I of Boral's roll-out -- Australia -- is proceeding smoothly and ahead of schedule, according to Kowal. By mid-December, he said that FACSys will be installed on 1,400 PCs at approximately 120 sites in all Australian States and Territories -- Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, Western Australia, Australian Capital Territory, Northern Territory and New South Wales.
The functions carried out at the sites include sales, manufacturing and administration. Administrative employees include managers, clerical staff, accountants, human resource professionals, etc.
Boral currently is using Version 4.1 of FACSys and Version 4.0 of Microsoft Exchange Server. Installation of FACSys at Boral locations in Australia is being handled primarily by independent contractors, with Boral employees overseeing the work.
Kowal added that work in Australia, the largest single phase of the roll-out with some 450 sites, is expected to be completed in mid-1999. Timelines for the other three phases, elsewhere in Asia, the United States and Europe, have not been set.
As of mid-December, a few keystrokes are all that will be needed for1,400 users in Australia to access FACSys. Boral has one of the largest, if not the largest, wide area network (WAN) in Australia. Boral's WAN also is one of the largest routed networks in the Southern Hemisphere. The WAN's primary operating system is NT. Desktop, networked PCs run Windows 95. The WAN has a frame relay backbone with ISDN provided by Telstra. Fax servers in Boral facilities in Australia are Dell and Compaq machines equipped with Pure Data SatisFAXtion 400G fax cards.
About FACSys and Optus Software
FACSys Fax Messaging Gateway for Microsoft Windows NT supports both Windows NT and NetWare LANs. It integrates with leading desktop and workgroup applications, including Lotus Notes and Microsoft Exchange Server. Unlike other NT-based fax servers, FACSys is a full Win32, native NT application. This allows it to deliver outstanding processing performance, as well as fully customizable control over user rights and system parameters. FACSys Version4.1 was selected as Editor's Choice by Windows NT Magazine and voted Integrator's Choice by readers of Network VAR, a leading channel publication.
Optus Software Inc., Somerset, NJ, has been integrating fax communications into data networks since 1989. It introduced FACSys in the LAN marketplace in1990. Optus works closely with leading corporate solutions partners such as Citrix, Microsoft, Octel, Onyx Software, SAP and Xpedite to help IT departments organizations effectively exploit the convenience and ubiquity of fax for fast, reliable and effective business communications. Optus can be reached by phone: 732-271-9568; FAX: 732-271-9572; or the Internet: [email protected]. Case studies about how organizations are using FACSys to enhance workflow, messaging and business processes can be found at the Optus web site -- http://www.facsys.com.
FACSys is a registered trademark of Optus Software Inc. All other product and company names should be considered trademarks of their respective companies.
SOURCE Optus Software Inc.
CONTACT: Kathy Christiansen of Optus Software, 732-271-9568 ext. 210, fax, 732-271-9572, or [email protected]; or John Chester of Hammond Farrell,212-995-5680 ext. 225, fax, 212-995-5696, or [email protected], for Optus Software