(February 3, 2003) - Two new software products have just been released from Swingtide, Inc. that help businesses understand and make diverse XML standards work together. QoB Lab and QoB Assistant counter the effects of "XML service creep" - the uncontrolled way that XML is coming into many businesses - by transforming programmers into XML productivity experts. The products reduce poor choices at design time that can result in downstream management cost and complexity, missed business opportunities, and poor online quality of business (QoB).

QoB Lab and QoB Assistant automate and accelerate the design of XML-based service networks by combining Web-based software with a hands-on lab environment supported by a rich knowledge base.

The QoB Assistant knowledge base is a vendor-neutral, cross-standards resource for XML interoperability. The QoB Assistant blends a pre-populated knowledge base with an XML project-planning tool and an online community. It delivers distilled, relevant, and cross-referenced intelligence on 12 different XML standards, breaking them down into more than 250 different interoperability elements in the areas of XML security, messaging, transactions, and payload. Technical professionals get 24x7 online access to multi-vendor XML documentation, XML experts, and leading XML service developers.

The QoB Lab is a three-day, intensive hands-on technology session under the guidance of some of the world's foremost XML experts. Software architects and programmers will learn to make more informed decisions about implementing XML, including choices involving XML standards, XML implementations, and potential XML interoperability problems. Sessions cover XML fundamentals, security, data payloads, messaging, standards, and interoperability, as well as the ACORD insurance-industry standards and XML network management.

The QoB Lab and QoB Assistant are available immediately. A free online test drive of the QoB Lab and the QoB Assistant is available at www.swingtide.com.