May 1999

This month's Editors' Choices:

• Axiom Technology's AX6162 (350)
• NetCentric's FaxStorm Internet Fax System
• Net2Phone Interactive's easysurf.com

Axiom AX6162 (350)
Axiom Technology, Inc.
16801 E. Gale Ave., Unit D.
City of Industry, CA 91745
Ph.: 626-934-1199
Web site: www.axiomtek.com

Axiom has developed a disk array rack server with solid support for Internet and intranet applications with the AX6162. The system is ideal for a rackmount, RAID fault tolerance scheme, and features a 20-slot, PICMG passive backplane with PCI/ISA slots. The AX6162 comes in a 6U high, 19" rackmount chassis, and features hot swappable, redundant, dual 300W power supplies, or optional dual 400W power supplies.

The server also features two 3.5" drive bays for IDE and floppy drives, and has support for as many as seven removable SCSI HDD. SCSI ID addresses are displayed on the front of the tray, and the system comes with a keylock for tray protection, as well as a DC power on/off switch. Other features include 16 LEDs for thorough system status display, and a lockable door for front panel protection. Four 6-cm., 27 CFM cooling fans with removable air filters also come with the unit, and are accessible from the front.

The unit's four-layer backplane has passive AC termination for high-speed signals, and has four segmented system configurations. The single configuration offers 20 expansion slots, while a dual configuration can be adjusted for two sets of 10 slots or a set of five and a set of 15 slots. Triple configuration is available for two sets of five and a set of 10 slots, and a quadruple setup features four sets of five slots.

The AX6162 is ideal for CTI and NetWare/NT server applications, and Axiom is an ISO-9001-certified company. The server has also been used for telecom applications in conduction with banking, defense, and police activity. It is part of the AX616x Disk Array Rack Server Series, designed for industrial use through heavy-duty steel chassis construction. The series integrates host computers and raid servers into a compact size, which still has room for 20 full-size cards or segmented systems. Servers in the series also have room for an additional Baby AT motherboard. For additional information, visit Axiom's Web site at www.axiomtek.com.

NetCentric FaxStorm Internet Fax System
NetCentric Corporation
28 Crosby Dr.
Bedford, MA 01730
Ph.: 781-685-5200
Web site: www.netcentric.com

The FaxStorm Internet Fax System is a standards-based Internet telephony system, which uses HTTP, SMTP, and SNMP to integrate into a service provider's network. The system allows providers to offer a variety of IP fax capabilities to customers as enhanced service offerings.

The software consists of a four-tier architecture, made up of three servers and user access software. The FaxStorm Management Server enables management capabilities for service providers, including a configuration manager, a customer care manager, and an account manager. The system's Messaging Server acts as a host for fax subscribers' accounts - accepting fax jobs submitted by users, providing user authentication, and performing intelligent delivery functions. The Messaging Server also collects transaction information.

The FaxStorm Telephony Server acts as the network's PSTN-to-IP interface, and can be combined with a state-of-the-art telephony subsystem for support of gateways from external vendors. User access software rounds out the FaxStorm architecture, and enables users to access faxing services via computer desktops, e-mail, traditional fax machines, and through NetCentric-enabled partners. Services include point-to-point faxing, fax-to-e-mail capability and vice versa, broadcast faxing, and an electronic fax mailbox for receiving faxes online. Special features include production faxing for high-volume applications, and fax-on-demand Web site customization, which allows providers to set up HTML forms that customers can use to send faxes.

The desktop subscriber capabilities from FaxStorm allow customers to send faxes directly from Windows applications. The software features a built-in contact manager for organizing and maintaining recipient lists, while a status manager logs all fax histories. A Web-based Customer Kiosk is an additional feature, and allows users to access their account home pages, which contain information on all faxes sent and received. Customers can preview transmission prices through the kiosk, and change their account information and passwords.

FaxStorm is part of a network of telephony ports that can carry over 1,000 minutes of fax traffic per day. Each gateway can be set up to provide 48 T1 ports or 60 E1 ports, and the system supports the T.38 real-time fax standard with store-and-forward backup. An additional feature is secure transmission from the desktop to the Messaging Server and across the fax network, through RSA technology. For additional information, visit NetCentric's Web site at www.netcentric.com.

easysurf.com
Net2Phone Interactive
190 Main St.
Hackensack, NJ 07601
Ph.: 888-872-1230
Web site: www.easysurf.com

Net2Phone has combined the convenience of its Click2Talk, Click2CallMe, and Click2Mail customer service tools in the company's new portal offering, easysurf.com. The service provides the tools to make online shopping simple for both vendors (whom the company refers to as e-tailers) and customers. Merchants can list corporate information on their Web pages within the easysurf.com site, and they have the option of posting additional product and customer service information.

E-tailers are listed by product category on the easysurf.com home page. They have the option of creating an enhanced listing on the site, and including key words so the Net2Phone search engine will quickly find a specific site. Other features for e-tailers include banner advertising, and the option to list a logo.

Each merchant also has the option of using Net2Phone's Click2 services as customer support mechanisms. If users have Net2Phone software installed on their computers (available for free download at www.net2phone.com), they may use the Click2Talk feature. This enables them to click an icon and automatically place a direct Internet call to participating merchants. Customers who do not have outbound calling capability can use the Click2Call feature by clicking on an icon and entering information about when they want to be contacted. A retailer can then call them back on their PSTN phones.

An additional feature is the Click2Mail service, which allows customers to click and send a direct e-mail to a listed vendor, without having to search for the appropriate e-mail address. Merchants can also list information about special offers on their site, and indicate whether the site is available in multiple languages. Other listed features include payment options, return policies, and notice of whether transactions with particular vendors are secure - meaning the merchant utilizes Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol and Secure Electronics Transactions (SET) to protect credit card information.

The goal of easysurf.com is to add a human element to the online shopping experience by enabling vendors to provide real-time customer service, as well as information on ordering through a regular phone instead of on the Internet. For more information, visit easysurf.com at www.easysurf.com.