Latest News :  1/26/2004
 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
Judy Blake
Hughes Network Systems, Inc.
+1-301-601-7330
jblake@hns.com

Lara Kline
Fleishman-Hillard
+1-202-828-9758

Hughes Network Systems Optimizes IBM Lotus Notes 6.5 Version For Operation on DIRECWAY® Broadband Satellite Network

Leading Email Product is Optimized to Increase Performance and Server Access Speed


ORLANDO, Fla., Jan. 26, 2004 -- Hughes Network Systems (HNS), Inc., a leading provider of broadband satellite network solutions worldwide, announced today the successful completion of a program that optimizes performance of IBM's Lotus Notes 6.5 software when operating over the DIRECWAY broadband satellite network. Compared to previous versions, customers who use Notes 6.5 will now gain access speed and other advantages when replicating Notes and Domino databases across wide area networks utilizing DIRECWAY.

This program is managed under the Hughes Broadband Alliance, whose mission is to facilitate development and expand interoperability for new value-added products and services utilizing DIRECWAY. Lotus Notes is used by more than 100 million customers worldwide and more than 50,000 of these customer sites are served by HNS networks. Satellite 's ubiquitous coverage enables broadband networking on a wide scale, whether citywide, statewide, or continent-wide. Increasingly, users are accessing their mailboxes from branch offices, at home, or from wireless hotspots such as cafes, hotels, and convention centers. DIRECWAY can provide broadband service worldwide, and now coupled with Lotus Notes 6.5, maximize performance of IBM Lotus messaging and collaboration. This extends DIRECWAY's existing suite of business applications, such as email, credit transactions, and multicasting of media rich content, and can be implemented as a reliable primary network, or as a back-up alternative to conventional terrestrial cable or telephone data networks.

While client to server replication is typical across wide area networks, the HNS program for Lotus Notes 6.5 included server to server as well as client to server replication. Additionally, HNS optimized web browser settings and its Performance Enhancing Proxies (PEP) for network connections. When combined with Lotus Notes 6.5 enhanced replication, HNS testing demonstrated up to 35% faster database replication speeds and up to 70% faster mail server access times, depending on message sizes. The 6.5 version incorporates portal-based features that reflect Lotus's migration to its IBM Lotus Workplace platform. IBM Lotus Domino Web Access (iNotes) is a sophisticated Web client that gives end users messaging and collaboration.

"This is great news for our new and existing customers who use on DIRECWAY broadband networks for messaging applications with IBM Lotus," said Marc Newman, head of the Hughes Broadband Alliance. "It is particularly compelling that the IBM Lotus Workplace platform is showing even greater performance improvements in speed of client to server replication over satellite ."

Information on the Lotus Notes and Domino 6.5 product family is available at http://www.ibm.com/lotus/messaging . Contact your HNS account team for the optimized configuration.

About Hughes Network Systems

Hughes Network Systems, Inc. (HNS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Hughes Electronics Corporation (HUGHES), is the world's leading provider of broadband satellite network solutions for businesses and consumers, with more than 600,000 systems ordered or shipped to customers in 85 countries. HNS pioneered the development of high-speed satellite Internet access, with its market leading broadband by satellite service, DIRECWAY®. SPACEWAY™ is the next generation broadband satellite system being developed by HNS that will unlock a wealth of benefits from new value-added applications. The first SPACEWAY satellite will launch in mid 2004, with commercial service in North America following later in the year. In addition, HNS is a leading manufacturer of DIRECTV® satellite television receivers, having shipped more than 14 million to date.

Headquartered outside Washington, D.C., in Germantown, Maryland, USA, HNS maintains sales and support offices worldwide. HUGHES is a unit of Fox Entertainment, part of the News Corporation. To learn more about HNS, please visit http://www.hns.com/.

HUGHES, Hughes Network Systems, DIRECWAY, and SPACEWAY are trademarks of Hughes Electronics Corporation. Lotus, IBM, and Workplace are trademarks or registered trademarks of IBM Corporation in the United States and other countries. Other trademarks are the property of their owners.

IBM, Lotus, Lotus Notes and Domino are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation in the United States, other countries or both. All other trademarks are owned by their respective companies. Other company, product or service names may be trademarks or service marks of others.

 


   
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