SoftArc Breaks Into Top Five In Census of LAN E-mail Market Leaders,
Posting 500% Installed Mailbox Growth

- Two Leading Industry Newsletters Rank SoftArc Fourth Largest LAN
Messaging System Installed Overall in Mailbox Counts -

- FirstClass Poised to Take Third Place from GroupWise; QuickMail and Notes
Don't Place in Top Five -

MARKHAM, Ontario -- SoftArc Inc., a leading developer and manufacturer of
enterprise-wide, cross-platform group communication software, is now the
number four provider of LAN-based e-mail worldwide, according to surveys
from both Electronic Mail & Messaging Systems (EMMS) and Electronic
Messaging News. In the April 3rd issue of EMMS, SoftArc is credited with
over three million users of its award-winning product FirstClass - and a
10.1 percent market share. The April 5th issue of Electronic Messaging
News also reports SoftArc now has more than three million FirstClass
users, compared to the Company's 1.4 million count six months ago.
FirstClass has at least tripled its user base each of the four years it
has been available.

Based on data published in EMMS, SoftArc also posted the largest growth in
the number of LAN e-mailboxes for any of the top vendors over the last 15
months (December 1993 through March 1995), with a 500 percent increase in
the number of FirstClass users. (Microsoft Mail is a distant second, with
an installed mailbox growth rate of 155 percent.) Electronic Messaging
News' survey, which covers the last six months (October 1994 through March
1995), also found that SoftArc posted the largest e-mailbox growth for any
of the top vendors, with a 114 percent increase.

LAN Mailboxes Worldwide (Source: EMMS)

Microsoft Mail          7,000,000    23.6%
Lotus cc:Mail           6,500,000    21.9%
Novell GroupWise        3,500,000    11.8%
SoftArc FirstClass      3,000,000    10.1%
On Technology Da Vinci  2,300,000     7.7%
CE Software QuickMail   1,700,000     5.7%
Lotus Notes             1,350,000     4.5%
Other                   4,360,000    14.6%

"Being recognized as one of the top five e-mail vendors is particularly
gratifying, because our numbers are truly substantiated," stated Steven
Asbury, president of SoftArc. "Unlike several of our competitors, we've
actually sold our three million licenses - not given them away in office
suite products, or counted them from acquisitions. FirstClass is
penetrating the LAN e-mail and groupware markets three times faster than
our nearest competitor, on the strength of our client/server mail
technology."

According to Eric Arnum, editor of EMMS, "Novell continues to dogfight with
Da Vinci eMail and SoftArc's FirstClass for third place (in the worldwide
LAN e-mail market). Novell has it now, but Da Vinci is selling a hot new
release and FirstClass continues to win contracts all over."

EMMS reports that there are now at least 61.5 million electronic mailboxes
in use worldwide, of which some 86 percent are on private systems and 14
percent are on public network services. LAN e-mail continues to lead
host-based e-mail.

Growth in LAN Mailboxes (Source: EMMS & EMN)

                          EMMS          EMN
                       12/93-3/95   10/94-3/95
SoftArc FirstClass        500%        114%
Microsoft Mail            155%         30%
Lotus cc:Mail             103%         30%
Novell GroupWise           84%         40%
Lotus Notes                69%         50%
CE Software QuickMail      55%         17%
On Technology Da Vinci     44%         15%

FirstClass is a powerful workgroup communication system that integrates
advanced e-mail with replicable discussion databases, remote access, forms
processing, enterprise database access and online information services.
The product offers a number of unique features and enhancements designed
to improve information communication and management. FirstClass offers the
same ease of use, functionality and robust performance over network or
modem, and operates in Macintosh, Windows, DOS, OS/2 and terminal
emulation environments. The product is available in 12 languages and is
used by businesses, educational institutions, governments and private
individuals in more than 30 countries. SoftArc is headquartered in
Markham, Ontario, Canada.

SoftArc Inc.
Global Area Communications
100 Allstate Parkway, Markham, Ontario, CANADA, L3R 6H3
1902 Ridge Road, #325, West Seneca, New York, USA, 14224
Tel: 905-415-7000 Fax: 905-415-7151 FirstClass: 905-415-7070
Internet: sales@softarc.com

 ============================================================
 From the  'New Product News'  Electronic News Service on....
 AOL (Keyword = New Products) & Delphi (GO COMPUTING PRODUCT)
 ============================================================
 This information was processed from data provided by the 
 company or author mentioned. For additional details, please 
 contact them directly at the address/phone number indicated.
 All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
 ============================================================
 All submissions for this service should be addressed to:
 BAKER ENTERPRISES,  20 Ferro Dr,  Sewell, NJ  08080  U.S.A.
 Email: RBakerPC (AOL/Delphi), rbakerpc@delphi.com (Internet)
 ============================================================
