Patrick Townsend & Associates announces new AS/400 secure Internet FTP communications facility for IBM Global Network

 

Press contact:                    Jeffrey Atwood

                                                Patrick Townsend & Associates Inc

                                                7700 Earling Street NE

                                                Olympia, WA 98506

                                                (360) 357-8971

                                                Email: jeff.atwood@patownsend.com

 

November 21, 2002 - Olympia, Washington.  Today Patrick Townsend & Associates announced  tremendous cost savings and increased speed for IBM iSeries and AS/400 users of IBM’s Global Network with the release of its secure SSL FTP client.  For AS/400 EDI users the new Alliance SSL FTP support provides the ability to securely exchange data with IBM Global Network over the public Internet, eliminating the need for expensive leased line or frame relay connections, or time consuming and unreliable dial connections. AS/400 users can seamlessly and securely exchange data with any trading partner on the IBM network using the speed of Internet connections. 

Patrick Townsend, President of Patrick Townsend & Associates, says “A major expense for AS/400 customers using EDI is the high cost of frame relay and dial connections to Value Added Networks like IBM Information Exchange.  This expense is vastly reduced by providing a direct connection from their IBM AS/400 computer system to the IBM Global Network over the Internet.  AS/400 customers can now securely exchange EDI data with their trading partners using the security of 128-bit SSL encryption - the same encryption technology that protects their Web browser sessions. An added benefit is a dramatic increase in the speed of data transfer and the complete elimination of frame relay and dial modem connections.  There is an immediate cost savings and a rapid return on investment.” 

IBM Global Network provides secure FTP connections to its Information Exchange facility using Information Exchange FTP (IEFTP).  The connections are secured by the use of X.509 PKI certificates and SSL technology.  IBM Global Network customers can obtain PKIX certificates from their network account representative.  Patrick Townsend & Associates will assist AS/400 customers in obtaining the certificates and configuring their AS/400 systems for secure transfer.  Alliance software and IBM Global Network both support passive FTP connections which eliminates any requirement to open in-bound connections through corporate firewalls. Alliance customers can be safely exchanging data over the Internet in a few hours after installing the software. 

Alliance FTP Manager integrates easily with all major EDI translators including Extol, Inovis (formerly Premenos, Harbinger and Peregrine) Trusted Link, and Sterling Gentrans, as well as the Townsend’s own Alliance EDI Workbench/400 translation product.  Alliance’s support for secure communications, full document indexing, automatic recovery and re-transmission, and FTP automation add significant value to these EDI translation technologies. 

Alliance FTP Manager is tier-priced based on the processor group of the AS/400 and includes support for FTP automation, systems management, data conversion, and system security.  Alliance is integrated with IBM’s AS/400 Digital Certificate Manager for native AS/400 security. Digital Certificate Manager is a no-charge option with the AS/400 operating system. Multiple system discounts are available. 

About Patrick Townsend & Associates:

Patrick Townsend & Associates is a privately held corporation that specializes in B2B eCommerce and communications solutions for the Enterprise, ISV, and ASP customer.  More information on Townsend products is available by calling (800) 357-1019. International customers call +1-360-357-8971. Email: info@patownsend.com. The company web site is located at http://www.patownsend.com.

                                                           # # # # #