Krowne Communications is agency of choice for leading industry alliance
Java Card Forum to outsource program management

Munich, 26th May 2005 - Krowne Communications GmbH, marketing communication specialist for partner programs and alliance management, has been chosen by the business committee of the Java Card Forum (JCF) to supervise a range of activities for the Forum. The primary purpose of the Java Card Forum is to promote and develop Java as the preferred programming language for multiple-application smart cards. Member companies include all of the major Java Card licensees and long
established smart card companies.
Besides acting as an outsourced treasury, Krowne will be responsible for membership management, as well as the active communication and promotion of the Forum's milestones and achievements.
Alliance management has been at the heart of Krowne Communication's business strategy since 2000. The success of a partner program heavily depends upon professional administration and cost transparency for its members, as well as an integrated communication approach to promote group opinions and achievements.
Amongst the communication tools used by Krowne are partner websites, custom publications, dedicated conferences as well as the development of strategic whitepapers.

"The companies behind Java Card Forum decided that the involvement of a neutral third party would significantly improve the running of the Forum." says Simon Reed of the JCF Business Committee. "Krowne was competitively selected because of their experience and service offering, as well as their market know-how. It was important to us to work with a company that understands the industry and what the JCF is trying to achieve."

"We are is delighted to have been chosen to oversee the organization of the Java Card Forum, as it confirms Krowne's role in the industry as the leading Partner Program specialist." says Karen Brindley, Managing Partner of Krowne Communications.

About JCF
The primary purpose of the Java Card Forum is to promote and develop Java as the preferred programming language for multiple-application smart cards.
Java, developed by Sun Microsystems in 1995, had several important features that made it ideally suited for smart cards. However considerable specialist work was needed to tailor the language for use in the smart card industry. Therefore following the announcement, by JavaSoft, (now the Java Card division of SUN Microsystem) of the Java Card API in October, 1996, Schlumberger (now Axalto) and Gemplus decided a collaborative approach to the requirements was needed and laid the groundwork for the Java Card Forum early the next year. Bull CP8 Transac joined with these two companies to officially organize the Forum on April 27, 1997. The group has grown ever since to over 25 member companies.
The Forum is divided into two committees, the Business Committee and the Technical Committee. The groups have met every quarter since the Forum was founded and have successfully prepared recommendations to SUN Microsystems for the Java Card 2 API specifications. Current work is focused on vertical market extensions to the core specification for GSM telecom, banking and information technology and defining specification recommendations for the next generation Java Cards.

About Krowne Communications
Krowne Communications GmbH is a marketing communications company, with offices in Munich and Berlin, Germany and Harrogate, England. The company works within the high-technology field, with expert knowledge of the identification, smart card, biometric, RFID and wireless markets. As well as offering a range of relationship marketing strategies, PR and creative services, Krowne's core competency is the development, management, marketing and promotion of programs for Special Interest Groups, Associations, Partners and Alliances and Consortiums within the high-technology industry.

Java Card is a trademark or registered trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and other countries.

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