A security guard for Net commerce

Premenos will advance its lead in software that enables electronic commerce over the Internet on July 26 with the release of version 2.0 of its Templar software, which allow users to conduct secure transactions known as electronic data interchange.

EDI allows direct computer-to-computer transactions, without human intervention. Although Premenos is the only company with Internet EDI software today, rivals are nipping at its heels.

Sterling Software and Harbinger have announced plans for competitive products. In April, Netscape Communications and GE Information Services formed a joint venture called Actra to develop a suite of electronic commerce products is due in early 1997.

Templar 2.0, available for Unix and Windows platforms, sports a new user interface and enhanced tracking abilities. It also supports S/MIME and SSL security systems. Templar 1.0 was unveiled in May 1995.

Templar comes in three versions. Pricing for North America is $19,990 for enterprises, $6,990 for a smaller version to support up to 20 users, and $449 for a desktop version.