Lockheed Martin Opens Direct Link for Consumers with Government Offices Via the Web.

SANTA ANA, Calif., Sept. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Transacting business with local government got a little easier today with the introduction of GovernLink(TM), a new electronic commerce program that allows individuals to access government records and services from their home or office computer.

Introduced by Lockheed Martin, GovernLink provides consumers with confidential and secure access 24-hours-a-day to various government records. In

its first application, the innovative service is designed to link county and municipal government offices across the nation directly to consumers, allowing them to access birth, death and marriage certificates, or to search a fictitious business name without having to visit or wait in lines at the government centers.

"Consumers routinely use the Internet to access a variety of information. Lockheed Martin, using Web-based technology, now has provided a direct link from home or office to the halls of local government," said Holli Ploog, managing director and senior vice president with Lockheed Martin, which is partnering with Oracle Corp., to offer the innovative government service.

Oracle will provide its Internet computing technology, which includes the Oracle8 database, Oracle Application Server and other products.

"More and more consumers also are discovering the convenience and efficiency of purchasing goods and services over the Internet. GovernLink opens a new door that allows consumers to quickly and effectively handle various transactions," Ploog said.

The innovative local government service was unveiled here today at the annual meeting of the California Clerk-Recorders' Association Conference in Orange County. GovernLink is now available to the county's approximately 800,000 residents on the Internet at www.oc.gov/recorder/.

Orange County Clerk-Record Gary L. Granville said, "Orange County is pleased to be the first local government in the country to offer this service to its residents. This service will allow residents, including those who are disabled, to access records around-the-clock, making government more convenient and efficient.

"The service also will enhance our office operations, because customers will not have to commute great distances or pay additional fees for parking. Local government is government at the front lines of serving citizens, and GovernLink gives us a new tool and additional technology to better serve our citizens," he added.

GovernLink is designed to protect a consumer's confidentiality as well as ensure the integrity of the data.

Ploog said Lockheed Martin plans to make GovernLink available to government offices nationwide. By using the system, consumers will be able to request and receive government records, including fictitious business names, satisfy regulatory requirements, pay delinquent fees and fines, and apply for licenses and permits.

Other GovernLink features are:

* Easily customized to meet the requirements of an individual local

government Web site.

* Allows existing government business processes to benefit from Web-based

technology.

* Provides consumer access via credit cards to transactional services.

* Allows businesses to send and receive privileged data.

* Enables electronic funds transfer directly between business and

government bank accounts.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) is a highly diversified enterprise principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced-technology systems, products and services. The corporation's primary businesses span space, telecommunications, electronics, information and services, aeronautics, energy and systems integration. Employing approximately 170,000 people worldwide, Lockheed Martin had 1997 sales surpassing $28 billion.

Oracle Corp. (Nasdaq: ORCL) is the world's leading supplier of software for information management, and the world's second largest software company. With annual revenues of $7.5 billion the company offers its database, application server, tools and application products, along with related consulting, education and support services, in more than 140 countries worldwide.