CLINTON, Miss., October 10, 2001 - WorldCom (NASDAQ: WCOM), the leading global business data and Internet communications provider, today announced that Arby's, a subsidiary of Triarc Companies, Inc. (NYSE: TRY) has selected WorldCom - with the support of its high-end managed Web and application hosting affiliate Digex (NASDAQ: DIGX) - to host and manage its worldwide franchisee extranet.
Founded in 1964, Arby's has grown to more than 3,000 franchisee-operated restaurants around the world and has been rated the #1 franchise opportunity in its category for five consecutive years by Entrepreneur Magazine.
To help build upon its record of success in the most efficient manner possible, Arby's turned to the WorldCom-Digex team to manage a new franchisee extranet - a secure, password-protected Web site accessible only to Arby's employees, its franchisees and Arby's affiliates (AFA and ARCOP). The extranet provides franchisees with a wealth of information, including marketing and promotions news; policies, procedures and manuals; training class dates and locations; best practices; and a catalog section that franchisees can use to request point-of-sale materials. There is also a Forum section that facilitates communication and idea sharing among franchisees and Arby's, Inc., and Arby's affiliates (AFA and ARCOP) in a bulletin board-type format. And, the extranet additionally offers a vendor marketplace to facilitate e-commerce with Arby's key vendors.
"Our goal was to create a comprehensive online franchisee information source - a one-stop-shop for the tons of material that was once only available via print, mail or fax," said Gilbert Reyes, director of business systems for Arby's Inc. "But we found that an in-house IT solution would be too expensive, requiring staffing increases and infrastructure costs in an area where we had no existing expertise. After carefully assessing hosting providers based on our needs, we went with WorldCom and Digex, by virtue of their experience, capabilities and long-term stability. Judging by the results, Arby's made the right choice."
"By placing its franchisee extranet in our hands, Arby's is saving time, money, and freeing in-house IT resources to focus on what it does best," said Ron McMurtrie, vice president of WorldCom Global e-Services. "Making that kind of efficiency possible, with a secure and reliable managed hosting solution that will grow with its business and expand with new functionality is what WorldCom does best."
WorldCom offers Web hosting services to meet every customer's need, from Web server colocation to shared, dedicated and custom managed hosting services. WorldCom's suite of global Web hosting services run over the company's award-winning global IP network and through its state-of-the-art data centers located throughout the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. Web hosting services are part of the full continuum of advanced digital data communications products and services WorldCom provides to business customers of all sizes around the world.
About Arby's
Arby's, Inc. d/b/a Triarc Restaurant Group, a subsidiary of Triarc Companies, Inc. (NYSE: TRY), services more than 3,300 single- and co-branded restaurants worldwide. Brands under the Triarc Restaurant Group umbrella are Arby's, Pasta Connection® and T.J. Cinnamons®. System-wide sales for 2000 were more than $2.3 billion.
About WorldCom Group
WorldCom Group (NASDAQ: WCOM) is a preeminent global communications provider for the digital generation, operating in more than 65 countries with annualized revenues of more than $20 billion. WorldCom provides the innovative technologies and services that are the foundation for business in the 21st century. For more information go to http://www.worldcom.com.
| Area: | Global |
| Name: | News Bureau |
| Role: | Media Relations |
| Tel: | 800-644-NEWS |
