BT and Fujitsu to Apply Teamware Pl@za in Internet Community Knowledge Management System (8.3.2000)

British Telecommunications Plc and Fujitsu Ltd have announced their jointly developed Intelligent Distributed Information Management System (IDIoMS). The system uses core parts of the advanced agent technology in Teamware Pl@za. Pl@za is a dynamic Internet service application platform for communities.

IDIoMS is an agent-based system that intelligently supports the sharing, management, search, and production of information

in a multiple platform environment. This system integrates BT’s Personal Agent Framework (PAF) and Fujitsu’s Open Agent Middleware (OAM) technologies. Teamware Pl@za is equipped with OAM technology and, thus, enables flexible management of distributed information systems.

The IDIoMS technology integrated with Teamware Pl@za and its Software Development Kit benefits IT people building certain types of knowledge systems. "System engineers and administrators are required to combine numerous services and applications for distributing information from multiple sources and databases. IDIoMS automatically provides users with timely and relevant information with minimal need for searching", says Intelligent Systems Research (ISR) Group Leader Nader Azarmi from BT. The system also benefits service providers through the plug-and-play provision of information services.

Jukka Norokorpi, CEO of Teamware Group: "Teamware Pl@za recognizes the different devices used to access the Internet. Pl@za offers the end user the desired interface to the service, regardless of whether the device is a PC, a mobile phone or a WAP browser. We believe these features to be particularly valuable for teleoperators in the future." The end user receives relevant information according to a personalized profile. Interaction becomes more efficient for everyone involved, i.e. the content provider, the operator and the end user.

BT and Fujitsu have been promoting the standardization of agent technology through FIPA (Foundation for Intelligent Physical Agents). A demonstration of IDIoMS took place at the FIPA meeting in January 2000 in London, which was well-received by the agent community. BT and Fujitsu will continue their research collaboration program in agent technology, and are considering future exploitation of IDIoMS in the world market.

About Teamware

Teamware Group develops and markets software products and services designed to facilitate human networking and make Internet communities of professionals intelligent. Teamware is a Fujitsu company. It operates through sales offices and development centers in Europe, the USA, Japan and the Asia-Pacific region employing 1000 people worldwide. Teamware has developed a substantial skill base and product portfolio in collaborative applications, groupware and workflow. Teamware Pl@za provides an application platform for communities of professionals.

For more information on Teamware, please visit our home pages at www.teamware.com.

Press contacts:

Ingrid Korpela, Teamware Group
Tel. +358 9 5128 2539
ingrid.korpela@teamware.com

About BT

British Telecommunications plc is one of the world's leading providers of telecommunications services. With a market capitalisation of around £70 billion, it is one of the largest private sector companies in Europe. Its principal activities include local, long distance and international telecommunications services, mobile communications, Internet services and IT solutions. In the UK BT serves 28 million exchange lines and seven million mobile customers. International direct-dialled telephone service is available to more than 200 countries and other overseas territories - covering 99 per cent of the world's 800 million telephones.

Press Contacts:

BT Corporate Newsroom (London)
Tel: +44 20 7356 5369
Homepage: http://www.bt.com/

About Fujitsu

Fujitsu Limited (TSE: 6702) is a leading provider of comprehensive information technology and network solutions for the global marketplace. Comprising over 500 group companies and affiliates worldwide -- including ICL, Amdahl and DMR Consulting Group -- the Fujitsu Group had consolidated revenues of 5.24 trillion yen ($43.3 billion) in the fiscal year ended March 31, 1999. With world-class hardware and software technology in computers, telecommunications and microelectronics, and a corps of 55,000 systems and services experts around the world, Fujitsu is uniquely positioned to harness the power of the network to help its customers succeed. Altogether, the Fujitsu Group has 188,000 employees and operations in over 100 countries.

Press Contacts:

Toru Ozaki, Bob Pomeroy, Scott Ikeda
Fujitsu Limited, Public Relations
Tel: +81-3-3215-5236 (Tokyo), e-mail: pr_mailbox@hq.fujitsu.co.jp
Homepage: http://www.fujitsu.co.jp/en/