XcelleNet hooks up remote users to Net

XcelleNet today announced an Internet-access service aimed at users of RemoteWare, the company's middleware software, which will help manage users' time on the Internet.

RemoteWare provides management software for linking occasionally connected remote sites and mobile users via X.500, wireless, or dial-up connections. Typically, a company maintains a RemoteWare server at its headquarters, enabling salespeople in various locations, for example, to exchange email and files with others on the company's network.

Now, XcelleNet plans to get RemoteWare users connected to the Net by offering a turnkey Internet-access solution with its Internet offline service. The service, which will be available in mid-1996 for a $5,000 setup fee and $10 per month per user, will connect RemoteWare services to the Internet via a dedicated or dial-up connection to XcelleNet's server farm.

The Internet offline service also comes with an access-control feature that may appeal to companies wary of untrammeled Web surfing. With the feature, users can register to receive information updates from specific Web sites rather than having uncontrolled access to the entire Web.

"For our market, the last thing you want is a salesperson accessing the Internet all day," said Robert Estes, general manager of enterprise business at XcelleNet, based in Atlanta, Georgia. "We've found that [our] market is trying to understand the Internet. This way [with the Internet offline service] they can put an Internet address on businesspeople's business cards."