Flynet uses iE's Screensurfer to put host data on tap for Interbrew

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

London (December 10 2000): Brewing giant Interbrew (formerly Whitbread) has chosen Screensurfer to web-enable its data entry and stock control systems, cutting development costs and improving access to legacy systems for the company's staff at a stroke.

Screensurfer, supplied by Cambridge based connectivity and integration specialist Flynet, enabled Interbrew to transform complex AS/400 screens from the company's MRP system to user-friendly web pages accessed over the Interbrew intranet without changing a line of code in the host application. The new intranet interface makes it easier for operators to reconcile real stock levels with those recorded in the MRP system.

Mike Buck, development manager for the AS/400-based Wonderware PRISM MRP system at Interbrew, said: "Flynet used iE's Screensurfer package to directly convert data from our existing MRP system's screens into HTML pages with no host intervention. No re-programming or re-configuring of the original applications was necessary and the whole process was completed with minimal disruption to our day-to-day processing."

The browser based solution resulted in lower development, maintenance and licensing costs and will allow Interbrew to roll out the system to all the staff who need to use it without any additional training effort. Unlike rival HTML page development methods, which require painstaking remapping of screen layouts and data, Screensurfer delivers the host data to the browser on the fly and without incurring processing overheads.

Screensurfer is a web-to-host gateway introduced earlier this year by e-finance applications provider iE following a successful US launch in 1998. Flynet, Screensurfer's sole UK reseller, provides a comprehensive sales, consulting and integration service to help users derive the maximum benefit from the product.

James Barrell, Marketing Director at Flynet says, "Few organisations can afford to ignore the urgent need to translate their complex mainframe programs into web-friendly applications. With Screensurfer we can provide them with a solution that is both highly cost effective and fast, while actually reducing licence, administration and maintenance costs. It has enabled us to complete the Interbrew project in a shorter timeframe and at a fraction of the cost of other HTML page development methods."

Interbrew and Flynet will be presenting further information about the application to members of the Wonderware Solutions UK User Group in December and the IBM CUA in February.

A free evaluation copy of Screensurfer can be downloaded from www.inventu.com. Further information on Flynet's consulting and integration services is available from Flynet LTD...

About Flynet:

Based in Burwell, just a few miles from the Cambridge Science Park, Flynet LTD has been providing legacy integration tools, services and support to major organisations throughout the UK since 1995. The company is the sole UK re-seller of Screensurfer.

About iE

iE (www.ie.com) is an international leader in complex mainframe integration and e-commerce tools. Since 1989, the company's integration products and advanced technology services have enabled clients, to deploy business-critical customer service applications. Starting in 1996, such systems have also been deployed via the Internet. From locations in Boston, MA, and London, England, the company distributes its products in 20 countries and has sold over 10,000 licenses worldwide. Founded in 1985, iE is a public company, quoted on the London Stock Exchange (AIM) as IEN.

Screensurfer provides secure, high-performance, screen-based access to a wide range of IBM, DEC, UNIX and other terminal-based host systems, with fast time-to-market. It is a highly scalable solution that now offers unparalleled integration with pure applet-free HTML, all popular Application Servers including Microsoft ASP/MTS, IBM's WebSphere and Allaire's ColdFusion. Screensurfer invariably is the quickest and most economical means for implementing feature-rich Web-to-host solutions. Screensurfer is used by global leaders such as Merrill Lynch, Johnson & Johnson, MasterCard, Verizon, AT&T, Wells Fargo and Towers Perrin.