New UUNET GroupHost service offers extensive global access and advanced support feature for Intranets and Extranets FAIRFAX,Va., March 17, 1999 --- UUNET, the Internet services division of MCI WorldCom, announced today the launch of GroupHost for Lotus Domino. As a fully managed Intranet or Extranet solution, GroupHost enables businesses worldwide to outsource the management of their Lotus Domino operations, resulting in reduced costs, faster time to market, extensive global access, and 24 x 7 proactive management and monitoring. Available immediately, GroupHost provides, in one comprehensive solution, a reliable, high-performance infrastructure, advanced security features and easy administration essential for business solutions based on Lotus Domino.
"Collaborative applications ranging from sales force automation to concurrent product design can represent an important edge in today's global and highly competitive market," stated Dave Foster, general manager and vice president, hosting and electronic commerce group, UUNET. "With GroupHost, companies can easily extend the collaborative capabilities pioneered by Lotus across both geography and enterprise boundaries."
GroupHost is the first groupware product available from UUNET, following the recent combination of MCI WorldCom Advanced Networks and UUNET. Backed by the extensive experience and resources brought together by the two entities, GroupHost leverages the expertise of a premier Lotus Notes/Domino hosting provider with the knowledge and skills of a leader in complex, enterprise Web hosting. Providing a comprehensive solution, GroupHost is also available packaged with high-performance networking and managed security services.
UUNET's GroupHost offering encompasses a dedicated Compaq server; 24 x 7 proactive server management and monitoring; nightly backup services; Lotus Notes and simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP) mail services; private/extended Notes domain; and Internet domain name services (DNS). Companies can access GroupHost from Virtual Private Networking (VPN) dial, frame relay or the Internet.
In addition to providing access and infrastructure support, GroupHost helps businesses manage their Domino resources more efficiently with a new administrative interface called AdminAdvantage SM. With AdminAdvantage, administrators have access to many enhanced features including convenient end-user registration, group management and online performance reporting. Administrators can also benefit from a new web-based registration tool, allowing end-users to register themselves and set up direct billing for vendors, business partners and other end-users.
In the area of support, UUNET offers a technical Notes Administrator Help Desk, a dedicated account manager, and end-user help desk services to ensure seamless service and support for the customer. UUNET also offers several layers of security at the physical, system and application levels including managed firewall and authentication services to protect sensitive data.
"As a premier hosting provider for Lotus Notes/Domino, UUNET has the experience, know-how and infrastructure to support our solutions," stated Joe McLaughlin, vice president, Strategic Alliances Group, Lotus Development Corp. "With the expanded capabilities of the recently combined division, we are excited about the possibilities. Lotus and UUNET are extending the enterprise. Home office users, field sales, vendors and business partners will all benefit from the extended global reach and enhanced support offered by GroupHost."
"We host our TK-Net application with UUNET," stated Paul Vierow, director worldwide dealer systems, Thermo King Corp., an Ingersoll-Rand company and a leader in transport temperature control. "UUNET has been supporting our applications since 1997. We depend heavily on GroupHost for communicating with our sales force and customers. Without Lotus Domino, we would be unable to conduct business around the globe seven days a week, 24 hours a day," added Vierow.
