Briefs: Previo, HP Roll Out Network Appliance

FRAMINGHAM (04/28/2000) - Previo Inc., formally known as Stac Software Inc., a data-compression company in San Diego, plans to roll out this week a new network appliance with Hewlett-Packard Co. called SureStor Auto Backup. The system is designed for workgroups in the enterprise and will be available exclusively though HP. Previo also plans to announce a software-only version of the product.

Mary Kay Goes B-to-B

Extricity Inc., an e-commerce software maker in Redwood Shores, California, said it has made a deal to supply its XML-based business-to-business software to $2 billion cosmetics company Mary Kay Inc. The Extricity software will be used to integrate inventory, purchase order and sales information between Dallas-based Mary Kay and its partners in the supply chain.

Ixos Taps Fujitsu Siemens President for CEOIxos Software AG announced last week the appointment of Robert Hoog as the company's first CEO. Hoog, who plans to start June 1, will manage the global operations of the Grasbrunn, Germany-based document management software provider.

Hoog was previously co-president at Fujitsu Siemens Computers BV, a computer vendor formed through a joint venture between Tokyo-based Fujitsu Ltd. and Munich, Germany-based Siemens AG's systems unit.

Leadership Shifts At Panasonic

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., which sells products under the brand name Panasonic, announced last week that its president, Yoichi Morishita, plans to step down later this year.

Kunio Nakamura, a senior managing director at the Osaka, Japan-based company, will take over as president, and Morishita will become chairman, replacing Masaharu Matsushita, who will take on the new title of honorary chairman and executive adviser.