Baan Company Unveils Vision for E-Business Collaboration Through New Baan OpenWorld(TM) Integration Framework

Vienna, Austria (PROTEXT) - Standards-based E-CollaborationFramework Enables Responsiveness and Agility for ImprovedCompetitiveness in $1.3 Trillion B-2-B Internet Marketplace. Baan Company N.V. (Nasdaq: BAANF; Amsterdam: BAAN), a globalprovider of enterprise business solutions, today announced itsBaan OpenWorld(TM) Integration Framework. Baan OpenWorld is anenterprise integration architecture that enables new levels ofinter-enterprise collaboration to optimize traditional andInternet-based business to business commerce. The market for Business to Business (B-2-B) electroniccommerce is estimated to grow to over $1.3 Trillion by 2003according to Forrester Research -- with more than 65% of thismarket opportunity controlled by manufacturing companies. BaanOpenWorld is the first integration framework designedspecifically to help manufacturing companies collaborate acrossthe Internet to deliver higher value and profitability. Today, manufacturing organizations spend more than 35% oftheir IT budgets integrating disparate applications, tyingtogether CRM, ERP, and Supply Chain applications. Yet, the levelof integration most organizations achieve is simple point-to-point data exchange-sharing customer information between frontand back office applications, or batch transfer of supply chainplanning information to/from an ERP system. Such low levels ofintegration may solve tactical IT problems, but do not enableorganizations to truly collaborate at the business processeslevel with customers and business partners and to address therapidly changing dynamics of today's Internet economy. With Baan OpenWorld, Baan is painting a vision of truebusiness to business collaboration over the Internet. With thisvision, business partners are able to seamlessly shareinformation and collaborate on business processes to deliver newlevels of customer responsiveness. Baan OpenWorld is anintegration framework built on four tiered levels of exchange: * Data Level: At this first level, applications share orexchange common elements such as customer information, partnumbers, and inventory levels. This level of integration includesdata migration, replication, and data connectivity. Baan hasprovided this level of data exchange as batch processes for morethan 10 years through its BaanExchange data transfer mechanism.As part of Baan OpenWorld Integration Framework, the dataexchange is expanded and provided as real time interfaces. * Application Level: At this second level, applicationsexchange data in the form of objects at the sub-process level.This level of integration includes connectivity betweenapplications, and certified integration interfaces for 3rd partyapplications. Building on the Business Object Interfaces (BOI)which have been released over the last 2 years, this applicationlevel integration takes advantage of a new hub-and-spoke model toprovide true enterprise-wide integration between the variousapplication components. * Business Process Level: At this third level, organizationsare able to integrate business processes between applicationsusing standards like XML and based on IBM MQ Series or MSMQmessaging queues. At this level, businesses are able to usecommon process modeling and workflow tools, common userinterfaces and business intelligence systems to seamlessly solvemulti-functional business problems like Available to Promise,order fulfillment, demand management, etc. Baan delivers thislevel of integration this year through its new Baan EnterpriseSolutions suite of products (See related announcement: "BaanEnterprise Solutions Suite Delivers the Broadest Set of TightlyIntegrated Enterprise Solutions Available," November 10, 1999).This includes BaanDEM (Dynamic Enterprise Modeling) which allowsorganizations to model their business processes from the frontoffice to the back office, BaanWorktop which allows organizationsto provide a seamless, unified user interface across allapplication components, and BaanBIS (Business IntelligenceSuite). * Business Community Level: This top-level of exchangeenables true business process collaboration within an enterprise,and across the heterogeneous enterprises of business partners andcustomers. True business collaboration allows organizations topartner with suppliers and customers to flexibly adapt businessprocesses, and business models to best meet customer demands. Intrue Business E-Communities, multiple business partners'processes are loosely coupled to allow business process workflowacross organizations that can dynamically adjust to changingconditions. Adaptable business logic, real-time alerts, and apublish and subscribe communications model allows organizationsto work together, using XML standards-based Internet messaging toreact quickly to customer demands. "For companies to compete effectively in the emerging businessto business Internet economy integration across the variousbusiness domains is an absolute requirement," said Mary Coleman,Chairman and CEO, Baan Company. "As consumer expectations ofservice and support have changed dramatically with the advent ofInternet sales -- today customers expect 7 x 24 service, next daydelivery and more competitive pricing -- Baan believes that thechanges brought about by the Internet on B-2-B commerce will beeven more dramatic. To compete, manufacturing businesses willneed to learn to partner with suppliers and customers to delivercustom configured solutions, while maintaining minimal inventoryin reduced timeframes. Businesses that don't learn to E-Collaborate will lose a competitive edge." The first three tiers of the Baan OpenWorld IntegrationFramework are included in the Baan Enterprise Solutions suite.Beta customers for new products supporting the Business Communitylevel are planned for the first half of 2000. About Baan Company Founded in 1978, Baan Company is a global provider ofenterprise business solutions. Baan Company offers acomprehensive portfolio of integrated services and best-in-class,component-based applications that span an organization's entirevalue chain including E-Business and Web Commerce, CustomerRelationship Management, Enterprise Resource Planning, SupplyChain Management, and Corporate Knowledge Management. Deployed atmore than 13,000 customer sites worldwide, Baan Company solutionsenable organizations to drive strategic business growth, improvebusiness processes, reduce operating complexity, and increasecorporate flexibility. Baan Company has dual headquarters in Barneveld, TheNetherlands and Herndon, Virginia, USA and can be found on theWorld Wide Web at www.baan.com. Statements in this press release using the words "believes,""expects," "anticipates," and the like are forward-lookingstatements within the meaning of the Securities Exchange Act of1934, as amended, and as such are subject to a number of risksand uncertainties that could significantly affect outcomes.Actual outcomes, therefore, may differ materially from theexpectations, estimates, or assumptions expressed in or impliedby any such statements. Typical risks and uncertainties may bereviewed in the Baan Company's public filings on file with theU.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (including its mostrecent Form 20-F and 6-K). "Baan" is a registered trademark of Baan Company, and anytrade, product, or service name referenced in this release usingthe name "Baan" is a trademark and/or property of Baan Company.All other company, product, and service names may be trademarksof their respective owners. ots Original Text Service: BaanCompany N.V. Internet: http://www.newsaktuell.de Contact:Andrew Hoerner of BaanWorld Vienna PR +43-260-692023, orpress@baan.com; or Bill Pendergast of Fleishman-Hillard (USA)202-828-8880, or pendergb@fleishman.com, for Baan Company Website: http://www.baan.com

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