Powersim Metro Beta Server Released to Customers
Boeing, Coopers-Lybrand, Lockheed Martin, Ziff-Davis Test Powerful New Server
HERNDON, VA - June 23, 1997 - Arthur Andersen, Avant Digital, Burgundy
Educational Resources Group, Centrec Consulting, Coopers and Lybrand,
Decision Architects, Group Decisions Support Systems, Medical Practice
Systems, Meetinghouse Technologies, MITRE, Strategic Management Group,
Sandia National Laboratories, and Whitman-Hart join Boeing, Lockheed
Martin, and Ziff-Davis are among the companies now using Metro server, a
powerful new PC product for solving problems, communicating business
decisions and examining possible results of business scenarios, before
they are implemented. These companies, and a growing list of beta
testers, are working with Powersim to build and host business simulators
on their own Intranet or internet web sites.
"People pointing their browsers to our beta customers web sites
containing a Powersim business simulator, can actually visualize how new
products and services will run inside their own organizations and
understand the ramifications," said Powersims CEO, Powersim Corp. Citing
more examples, Capece said, Employees accessing the corporate Intranet can
experience (and challenge) for example, a CEO's vision for his company's
expansion over the next decade, or examine scenarios for the company's
stock price growth."
The new Powersim Metro server handles all networking, communication and
synchronization between the server and the client software, giving the
impression to each user that the simulation is running locally so that
their experience is fast consistently as well as reliable. This kind of
smooth communication is part of every Powersim-designed business
simulation, because the user interface and the simulation are running on
the same client machine.
Metro server includes the simulation server software to run the business
model or scenario, installation of the user interface on the client, and
the transfer control of the business model to the client. Powersim is
also making available to testers Constructor 2.5, developer software, that
coupled with Metro server provides a completely integrated package to
create and run any kind of business solution on the internet.
Web-based Business Simulations
Business simulations can be used in a variety of ways, including as a
marketing communications medium to better communicate product benefits to
customers, and as a means of expressing policies and ideas to employees
over corporate Intranets. Powersim is also working with companies to
develop generic multi-player business simulations where teams of managers
can practice making decisions in multi-competitor market.
Multiple users can run the same business simulation at the same time; a
useful technique for business "war gaming," where individuals take on the
role of different competitors, vendors in the supply chain, or functions
in an organization. Unlike video, business simulators load very quickly
via standard internet browsers and are playable and responsive since they
place minimal bandwidth requirements on the internet.
Technical Features
Multiple users - can run the same business simulation at the same time
regardless of their location. It launches a separate simulation for each,
and keeps track of the details of each simulation separately. Supports
hundreds of concurrent simulations.
Java - connect to a user interface written in the Java software language.
Role playing- allows several users to play different roles in the same
model. This kind of multi-user simulation is useful for "business
war-gaming," where different people might play different competitors,
different vendors in the supply chain, or different functions in an
organization.
Message broadcasting - from one role to all others, and message
pointcasting for one role to another. There are significant coordination
and synchronization issues in this architecture, particularly if the
different roles are played on machines which widely different bandwidth
connections. It makes these communication issues transparent to the users.
Multiple models - supports different models executed at the same time. It
provides programmatic support for letting a user interface choose which
model to launch.
Beer and Market Growth business simulation games- two classic systems
dynamic multi-player games available in a Java web-based version. These
games are bundled with the Metro Server to allow an organization to
rapidly implement multi-player web based business simulations.
System Requirements
The beta release of Metro server is available for Windows 3.11, 95, and
NT. Powersim Metro server also requires a minimum 32 Mb RAM with 64 Mb
recommended and 25 Mb free space required on the hard drive.
Pricing and Availability
Powersim Metro Server is expected to be widely available third quarter
1997. Prices will range from $3,995 to $14,995 depending upon the number
of simultaneous users.
Joining the Metro Server Beta Test Team
The Metro Server Beta test is limited to selected individuals and
companies. An application to join the beta test is available at
www.powersim.com or www.powersim.no.
About Powersim
Powersim develops business simulators and comprehensive business modeling
software for Windows NT, 3.11, and Windows95. Powersim Corporation
provides a full-range of simulation development consulting and training
services through its Powersim Advanced Simulation Services Group in the
United States, as well as through its software-development and consulting
subsidiary in Norway, Powersim AS. Visit Powersim on the world wide web
at http://www.powersim.com.
Members of the press: for additional information, contact Judy Tarabini,
Complete Communications, (510) 855-9522. In Europe, contact Per-Ivar
Kjfrgaard (+47-56-34-24-00) at Powersim AS, Knarvik Senter, 5100 Isdalstx,
Norway.
Powersim and Powersim Metro is a trademark of Powersim Corporation.
Windows and Windows95 are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
--[Host's Note: Please sign msgs with full name... ] CHChurchjr@aol.com
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>