IMARK Corporation, Computer Associates and InfoCast Corporation Partner to Develop e-Commerce Portal for Downloadable Audio Content
TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 23, 2000--IMARK Corporation (TSE:IAK.), Computer Associates International, Inc. Services (NYSE:CA) and InfoCast Corporation (OTCBB:IFCC) announced today a joint agreement to develop a customized audio hub for Imark Corporation.
Imark will be the premier client to work with Computer Associates and InfoCast's team of e-business experts and applications developers at the Enterprise Development Center (EDC) in Calgary, Alberta. The combination of Computer Associates' intelligent eBusiness infrastructure solutions with InfoCast's applications service capabilities and Internet technologies will provide Imark with leading-edge technology and enable Imark to deliver audio content to an exclusive and robust market.
The audio hub will enable Imark to provide it's own as well as other publishers content to customers through either hand held portable audio download players such as the Diamond Rio 500 and the RCA LYRA or through the recently announced iRadio from Motorola. General Motors has also announced their intention to make entertainment content available to their Onstar subscribers.
"This custom portal will position Imark at the top of the online audio industry," says Don Matheson, President and CEO of Imark Corporation. "The audio hub will be the first of its kind in the world and will enable Imark to capitalize on the next level of Internet enabled mobile communication. It will allow us to mass distribute downloadable, and potentially streamable, novels to a global audience. Motorola and Qualcom have recently announced products capable of mobile Internet connectivity. We will develop marketing programs supported by this audio hub which will allow us to target specific markets, avoiding the excessive marketing costs incurred by early entrants in the audio downloading business. Expanding our services to the Internet means Imark will have cost-effective access to our market, anytime, anywhere. InfoCast and CA provide a powerful combination that we are confident will have very positive results," said Matheson.
"We are very pleased that Imark has chosen InfoCast and Computer Associates to create and develop their eBusiness environment," said Hayley Taylor, CA senior vice president, general manager of Canada. "This will enable Imark to deploy it's business solutions online quickly, expand it's business and take advantage of further opportunities with the growth of e-commerce."
InfoCast uses ASP (application service provider) technology to discover, develop and deliver Internet-based business solutions for both emerging "dot.com" companies and established enterprises moving to the Internet. The foundation of the company's offering is a networked infrastructure of Sun Microsystems servers called I-Hubs.
"InfoCast is committed to moving IMARK's audio data to an effective and easy to use online platform so that their customers can access the content, regardless of where they are," says Ken Maclean, general manager of InfoCast. "It is a great opportunity for us to work with our partners to support the development of a groundbreaking business model." |
