.rm 70 .po 5 .sp 2 .nf .nj CONTACT: Nicholas C. d'Arbeloff Public Relations Specialist (617) 256-6600, x4499 .sp 3 .ce {!THE NET WORTH OF A NETWORK!} .sp 2 .fi .ju .ls 2 CHELMSFORD, MASSACHUSETTS -- Increasing the flow of information, providing quick and easy access to a large database, facilitating intra- corporate communication, automating sales orders, inventory, and even the product design process--these are all important items of concern for today's high-growth companies. .sp Acquiring such corporate characteristics, however, is easier said than done. In the early stages of growth, a company rarely worries about such factors. Since the organization is small, communication is not usually a problem. .sp Yet the potential for problems remain. Suddenly, the company isn't functioning effectively. Communication is hampered. Orders are received and processed haphazardly. Locating information becomes very difficult. Products just aren't getting out the door. .sp Avoiding these problems before they materialize is crucial. Establishing a system that is designed to accommodate growth should be a high priority from the start. .sp One company has done just that; Apollo Computer Inc., headquartered in Chelmsford, Massachusetts. Before the company had made its first shipment, Apollo was using its own computers to manage the flow of information, track incoming and outgoing parts and supplies, and even aid in the design of future products. .ce --more-- .bp .ce {!NETWORK!} .ce -2- .sp The company, founded in 1980 by John William Poduska Sr., manufactures dedicated, high-performance, 32-bit professional workstations, which operate in a distributed, local area network. These workstations are currently used in Computer-Aided-Design (CAD), Computer-Aided-Engineering (CAE), engineering and scientific problem solving, computer science education and research, and Computer-Aided-Software-Engineering (CASE). .sp "Apollo was designed to be a high-growth corporation", said Poduska, the company's chairman of the board and chief executive officer, "In light of this, we knew the in-house network would prove to be an invaluable resource, and we were determined to reach a high level of productivity from day one." .sp Since the company's founding when just a small handful of computers, or "nodes", were sufficient, the Apollo in-house network has grown in pace with the company. Today, while net sales have grown at an annual rate of approximately 500%, the network boasts some 475 nodes, facilitating almost every activity from design to marketing to manufacturing. .sp Linked to all departments corporate-wide, the network is used for a wide range of applications. Common to all users is the substantial benefit of resource sharing. The network allows any user at any node to "reach" into a multitude of other computers and "pull" information on an as-needed basis. .ce --more-- .bp .ce {!NETWORK!} .ce -3- In addition, Apollo's local-area network offers the unique capability of virtual memory and demand-paging across the network--providing a level of functionality to which only the DOMAIN system may lay claim. .sp Overall, the network offers approximately 480 million bytes (MB) of main memory, and forty-five billion bytes (gigabytes, or GB) of disk storage. On an average day, three-quarters of the nodes are in use at a given time, and roughly two-thirds (30 GB) of disk capacity is taken up by stored information. .sp Connected by over eighteen miles of high-speed coax cable among four Chelmsford sites, the nodes can exchange information at a speed of up to twelve million bits-per-second. At this speed, users can view documents or run programs located elsewhere in the network almost instantaneously. .sp "The network offers extremely fast response time," said Tom Esposito, Apollo's director of MIS and chief administrator of the network. "This speed is achieved primarily as a result of the Apollo system's dedicated architecture--each workstation has its own 32-bit processor, so users needn't wait for access to a mainframe." .ce --more-- .bp .ce {!NETWORK!} .ce -4- .sp Although a number of the applications on the network are quite complex and specific, many are used by everyone. These common applications are provided by DPSS, Apollo's DOMAIN Professional Services Support. DPSS is a comprehensive, user-oriented package of integrated administrative tools including DPSS/DOCUMENT, a structured document editor; DPSS/MAIL, electronic mail; and DPSS/CALC, an electronic spreadsheet. .sp Each of these tools can be accessed from anywhere on the network. If a file is created at one node, using DPSS/DOCUMENT, it can be called up from any other. For example, if someone in R&D writes a report and wants the piece edited by someone in marketing communications, all that is needed by the editor is the name of the node and the sub-directory, or the "pathname". The Communications employee can simply access the specified directory from his/her own node, edit it, and put it back. The system automatically keeps a back-up file of the original, unedited document. .sp DPSS network-wide electronic MAIL sends, receives, and forwards messages, documents, and programs, and data. It is integrated with other DPSS tools, giving users the capability to manage and transmit reports easily. .ce --more-- .bp .ce {!NETWORK!} .ce -5- .sp MAIL provides complete interoffice and even inter-building communication. Be it simply a quick message or an entire document, MAIL allows for faster and easier communication--something from which any corporation might benefit. .sp "The time-saving capabilities of these tools are extensive," said Edward J. Zander, vice president of marketing. "Ordinarily, contacting people in other departments, or accessing necessary documents or files is extremely time-consuming. With DPSS, it's simply a matter of sitting down at a node and telling the network what it is you want." .sp In addition to these network-wide facilities, there are a number of applications specific to each department. Marketing, for instance, uses the system to create, edit, and store its promotional literature, write monthly reports, memos, press releases and even business letters. .sp Another marketing application involves customer demonstrations. During customer visits, the network is used to highlight system capabilities. Also, prepared demonstrations may be accessed on demand from anywhere on the network, allowing the visitor to view a full range of graphics and programming possibilities, such as solids modeling, finite element analysis, or graphic simulation. These demonstrations use application software from third parties. .ce --more-- .bp .ce {!NETWORK!} .ce -6- .sp Apollo's Software Supplier Program has over 250 widely-used, high-quality software packages which run on the DOMAIN system. As the need arrives, any one of these packages may be put on-line to meet the requirements of a given in-house project. .sp "In customer presentations, the in-house network speaks for itself," said Zander. "When customers see firsthand the speed, performance, and application possibilities of our systems--on a network as large as our own--they are always impressed." .sp Sales order reporting and analysis is also on-line. Marketing Administration manages all sales data and statistical breakdown on networked nodes. Thus, sales reports and projections can be generated within the network as well, allowing information from 25 sales and service offices in North America and eight international subsidiaries to be compiled and analyzed. .sp Another important function served by the corporate network is centralized dispatching, whereby customer inquiries and service requests are processed and sent to the appropriate office in a fraction of the time it would take by any other method. .sp Finance & Administration uses the network for budgeting, financial planning/reporting, business systems development, payroll management, and the employee stock option plan. Employment records for over 1800 employees, including information on insurance programs, state and federal taxes, and remuneration are managed and stored within the network. In addition, Apollo employee stock options are recorded and handled on-line. .ce --more-- .bp .ce {!NETWORK!} .ce -7- .sp Manufacturing's use of the network is somewhat more complex. One of the primary applications is called the "automated slot plan." When an order is received, the information is fed into the system and matched against manufacturing's assembly schedule. Dates are then set for the assembly and shipment of the order, and customers are notified when they can expect to receive their Apollo equipment. Because these manufacturing nodes are networked, other departments such as Marketing Administration can access this information for their own reports, projections, and sales order management. .sp Quality reporting, another manufacturing application, is also maintained on the network. As parts and peripherals are received, the system automatically pulls the appropriate shipping records on each separate item using Apollo's D3M database management software. This package allows users to organize and access information located anywhere in the network. .sp Using D3M, a user can combine whole or partial views of many individual databases into a single database view for both query and update purposes. The incoming parts enter an inspection process whereby those found unsuitable are set aside. Those accepted are then bar-coded and ready for stocking. .sp Inventory control is also managed on the network. Once processed, all incoming shipments are given a "move ticket", each with a unique bar-coded label. The system, which has been programmed with a complete layout of the stock room, places each order in storage according to size, weight, fragility, and the duration of storage. .ce --more-- .bp .ce {!NETWORK!} .ce -8- .sp The system chooses the quickest path to retrieve or store a given item, increasing overall efficiency and decreasing clerical and processing tasks. .sp "It's hard to imagine processing incoming and outgoing orders without the help of the network," said Herb Morton, manager of manufacturing systems. "The entire process lends itself to mistakes and clerical errors, causing costly delays. The network, however, allows us to get our products out the door with very few problems whatsoever." .sp Research & Development, using the Apollo DOMAIN Software Engineering Environment (DSEE), a set of four integrated software management functions, enhances and develops software. In the design of new products, Apollo engineers use Apollo computers for their own in-house Computer-Aided-Design applications. .sp "Overall, the Apollo network allows for an extremely smooth and efficient flow of information," stated Poduska. "The classic bottlenecks which normally develop after a period of high growth are absent, as the network lets employees access the information they need, regardless of where in the organization it's located. The corporate efficiency resulting from such easy access gives Apollo an edge over competitors." Poduska continued, "If a problem arises, whether technical or logistical in nature, the network architecture allows for a program to be written and shared by all users, thus providing a company-wide solution." .ce --more-- .bp .ce {!NETWORK!} .ce -9- .sp Allowing for a great deal of flexibility, the Apollo network provides all employees a wide range of applications and automated tools with which to perform their jobs. While many systems can offer one or the other, the Apollo workstation is a general purpose system capable of anything from routine DPSS functions to complex Computer-Aided-Design. .sp The Apollo network, although quite sizable in its present form, will expand. Links will be installed across the U.S., providing home-office to field communications. Expanding communications even further, Apollo will integrate its international operations as well. "In the not-too-distant future, we plan to have one of the few private transcontinental networks in the world," Esposito remarked. .sp 2 .ce * * *