The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America SelectsOpenConnect's OC://WebConnect Product...

Business Editors & Technology Writers

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 20 1999

Technology Solution Lets Insurance Agents Access Quotes,

Customer Data from a Centralized Web Page

OpenConnect Systems Inc. announced today an agreement to provide The Guardian Life

Insurance Company of America (Guardian) with a suite of OC://WebConnect products that will extend the company's intranet to 1,500 agents from a centralized Web page. All Guardian agents can now access the company's host system via a Web browser to retrieve customer data and provide quotes online without installing specialized software on each computer. Guardian purchased OC://WebConnect SNA Access Server(TM), OC://WebConnect Pro(TM), and OC://WebConnect SNA Print Server(TM) licenses.

Previously, agents obtained quotes using software installed on their desktop by accessing the company's mainframe through a dial-in network. The process was time-consuming, causing agents to update software at each computer several times a year. Guardian decided to centralize its software and not require software updates at agent sites. By providing agents with a simple URL address, they are now able to access customer data and print required quotes. The OC://WebConnect product suite allowed Guardian to take advantage of Web-based computing solutions to increase productivity and lower management costs incurred by the help desk and IS personnel for onsite trips required to resolve connectivity issues.

"OpenConnect successfully delivers a comprehensive answer to our needs by providing a comprehensive Web-to-Host solution," said Bob Kustek of Guardian's Office Automation division. "The OC://WebConnect product suite allows our agents to easily access information that was once difficult to update and expensive to maintain. We are very pleased with the results we have achieved using OpenConnect products."

OC://WebConnect SNA Access Server provides secure connectivity and interoperability between host systems and TCP/IP-based networks. This enables Guardian to take full advantage of the economics of gateway consolidation, an industry trend fueled by the growing use of TCP/IP as the standard protocol on the backbone, and SNA at the data center.

OC://WebConnect Pro gives Guardian network administrators the capability to automatically rejuvenate mainframe user interfaces in real time, providing partners, vendors, customers, and employees quick access to host information via a Web browser. Without additional programming or performance loss, OC://WebConnect Pro seamlessly converts traditional 3270 and 5250 character-based mainframe and midrange application screens into graphical Web-like interfaces. Its rules-based engine provides users with an intuitive, friendly interface to existing applications in real time.

OC://WebConnect SNA Print Server enables printing of host applications anywhere on the enterprise to any network-connected resource. The importance of centralized print management and distribution will become increasingly apparent with a 45 percent annual growth rate forecast by IDC (International Data Corporation).

About OpenConnect

OpenConnect Systems is the number one provider of solutions that Web-enable host applications. OpenConnect offers a family of scalable software solutions that provide secure high-performance, browser-based access to enterprise applications and data. Headquartered in Dallas, the company's products are distributed in over 61 countries worldwide. OpenConnect also has offices in Hong Kong and Europe, with coverage in Central and South America. For more information on OpenConnect, visit our Web site at http://www.openconnect.com.

About The Guardian Life Insurance Company

The Guardian is one of America's largest providers of life and disability income insurance and employee benefits, such as group medical insurance and pension products. The company has over 1,500 branch office locations across the country.

OpenConnect and OC://WebConnect Pro are trademarks of OpenConnect Systems Incorporated. All other products mentioned are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective companies.