Esker and Onset Technology Partner to Automatically Route Inbound Faxes

Stillwater, Oklahoma (PROTEXT) - Esker and Onset Technologytoday announce a partnership pairing Esker's fax server productswith Onset's ThruFax inbound fax routing technology. Esker'spopular LanFax server software and Faxgate production faxsoftware can now deliver additional productivity for users andsystem administrators because documents are automatically routedto the correct location using Onset's ThruFax software module.Onset has optimized the software for both new and existing EskerLanFax customers. The combination of these products will read and intelligentlyroute inbound faxes without human intervention. Onset's ThruFaxuses Intelliroute(TM) technology to identify the intendedrecipient on a cover page or document, intelligently match thiswith the corporate address book, and create an e-mail documentwhich is automatically sent to the recipient. This integration oftechnology delivers the fax as editable text as well as theoriginal fax image, allowing the receiver to edit and reuse thecontent in other applications. Traditional Routing Problem Fax persists as a fundamental form of business communication,and the use of fax automation is rising dramatically. Whileoutbound fax automation is in widespread use throughoutenterprises, inbound fax automation is less pervasive due to thedifficulties of routing faxes once they are received. A recentpoll* reveals that more than half the enterprises responding usefax automation, but less than 25% use it for inbound fax routing.While Esker LanFax software already supports a variety ofattributes and techniques to route incoming faxes -- DID, RSCID,length of fax, time received, date received, and others -- themost desirable routing criteria is the recipient's name itself.On a fax, this information does not exist as machine-readabletext, but as image data. Working together, Esker and Onset havesuccessfully implemented a solution that correctly routesincoming faxes with up to 90% accuracy -- with no misroutes. * Gartner Group IT Vendor Direct Quick Poll data. Quick Polldata does not represent Gartner Group analysis or endorsement. The Esker/Onset solution The Esker/Onset fax routing solution works in conjunction withan installed fax server and a corporate e-mail network. When afax arrives at the fax server, ThruFax analyzes the fax pagelayout and structure, "reads" the content and determines to whomthe fax should be delivered. The fax is translated into editabletext, which is provided in the message field of the e-mail. Thebitmap image of the fax is also provided as an e-mail attachment.To the end-user, their fax simply appears as a message in theire-mail in-box, just seconds after it arrives at the fax server. "We began working with Esker about 15 months ago," says DrewFreeman, vice-president of sales and marketing for Onset."ThruFax was developed in collaboration with Esker and several oftheir fax customers who conducted Beta tests. The result is asolution that is optimized for the Esker fax product line, bothAlcom LanFax and Faxgate. It is very easy to setup, often takingno more than 20 minutes. Best of all, neither the sender orreceiver of the fax has to change the way they use fax forThruFax to read and route a fax. When ThruFax is implemented withan Esker fax server, it streamlines what is usually a manualprocess of routing inbound faxes, improving the time value ofinformation and eliminating the significant administrative costsassociated with manually retrieving and walking faxes to users." Customer experiences with this fax routing solution confirmits ease-of- use and value. In October 1997, the InternationalAssociation for Financial Planning (IAFP) installed a MicrosoftExchange server. "At that time, we wanted our faxes to come intoend-user inboxes," states Bob Doster, director of computerservices for IAFP. "We thought it would be nice if our e-mail andfaxes could all be in the same place." IAFP receives on-average200 faxes per day -- copies of relevant legislation, membershipapplications and renewals, meeting registrations, and otherdocuments. Now that he has implemented ThruFax, nearly all of thefaxes are routed automatically, with only about 10 faxes per dayrequiring manual routing. "ThruFax was very easy to implement andworks very well," Doster concludes. "I am amazed at how my faxesautomatically arrive in my inbox. It's really quick!" Pricing and Availability A free, 3-user version of Esker's Alcom LanFax is availablevia download from http://www.alcom.com. Alcom LanFax NT 6.0pricing starts at $695.00 for 5 users and 1 fax line. Esker'sFaxgate software pricing starts at $2,495. ThruFax is currently available and sells for $395 per server.A 10-user pack sells for $200 and volume pricing for additionaluser quantities is available. Esker is an authorized reseller ofThruFax. About Onset Technology Onset develops software that uses proprietary and externalrecognition technologies to streamline human-computerinteraction. Onset's corporate headquarters are located at 125Mission St., Santa Cruz, CA, 95060, telephone (831) 471-1360, fax(408) 480-5764. Onset's Web address is www.onsettechnology.com. About Esker Esker develops and delivers software products that integrateexisting and emerging technologies, allowing enterprises tocreate better connections between people and information. Thecompany's connectivity products include: -- Tun PLUS for terminal emulation, database access andnetworking services for traditional PC and multi-user Windows NTenvironments -- Esker PLUS, a two-tier Web-to-host solution for Intranetenvironments, and Corridor for Active Server, a three-tier HTMLconversion solution for Internet/extranet environments -- Faxgate and Alcom LanFax for Document Distribution The company was founded in 1985 and is traded on the FrenchStock Exchange (Le Nouveau Marche: 3581). Esker's operations spanNorth America, South America, Europe and Asia/Pacific with 190employees and an installed base of over half a million licensedusers worldwide. All trademarks, service marks, product and company names arethe property of their respective owners. CONTACT: Jerry Rackley of Esker, (USA) 405-624-8000 X246, oremail, jrackley@esker.com. ots Original Text Service: EskerInternet: http://www.newsaktuell.de Contact: Jerry Rackley ofEsker, (USA) 405-624-8000 X246, or email, jrackley@esker.com Website: http://www.esker.com

http://www.alcom.com

http://www.onsettechnology.com

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