Edify Corp

Rockwell Electronic Commerce, a division of Costa Mesa-based Rockwell International Corp., said Monday it has signed a worldwide joint distribution agreement with Edify Corp. in order to expand its product line. Rockwell Electronic, based in Wood Dale, Ill., specializes in developing software and technology for corporate call centers. Santa Clara-based Edify is a leading maker of software used in automated service systems.

Rockwell Electronic Commerce, a division of Costa Mesa-based Rockwell International Corp., said Monday it has signed a worldwide joint distribution agreement with Edify Corp. in order to expand its product line. Rockwell Electronic, based in Wood Dale, Ill., specializes in developing software and technology for corporate call centers. Santa Clara-based Edify is a leading maker of software used in automated service systems.

Security First Technologies Corp., a developer of Internet application software for financial transactions, agreed to pay $1.4 billion in stock for its two largest rivals, FICS Group of Belgium and Edify Corp. Separately, Intuit Inc., the No. 1 personal-finance software maker, will buy a 2.5% stake in Atlanta-based Security First for $50 million. Security First is paying about $1.08 billion for privately held FICS and $345 million for Santa Clara, Calif.-based Edify.

In the first large-scale consumer use of speech verification technology, Home Shopping Network will use software to authenticate a customer's identity over the telephone, the company will announce today. The television shopping company has long kept profiles of repeat customers that include the person's address and credit card number, expediting the ordering process.

TIMES STAFF WRITER What's in a name? For public companies in California, it was Datathis Inc. or Datathat Inc. back in the 1980s, when virtually every garage-based high-tech company was seemingly sprouting into a major publicly held company. In the feel-good '90s, try "For Better Living" or "Excite Inc." There's the bubbly "Affymetrix." And don't forget the friendly "Hello Direct Inc." or helpful "Edify Corp."

Companies with sales between $10 million and $50 million are ranked by percentage increase in 1996 sales. The Sales Growth 100 list on Page 31 measures companies with sales above $50 million. *--* Rank Company 1996 sales 1996 (millions) % change 1 SmarTalk TeleServices $15 3209% 2 NetVantage Inc. 27 1,923 3 BroadVision Inc. 11 1,915 4 Triathlon Broadcasting Co. 19 1,611 5 Sequus Pharmaceuticals 33 1,533 6 Infoseek Corp. 15 1,363 7 Gilead Sciences Inc. 33 821 8 Yahoo! Inc.

Calabasas-based Digital Insight Corp. on Monday agreed to buy rival NFront Inc. in a $439-million stock deal that would merge two of the leading Internet banking services companies. Analysts say the acquisition is a logical step in the consolidation of a relatively new industry. NFront is focused on providing Internet services to smaller community banks around the nation. Digital Insight's services are focused on credit unions.

Brookline Savings Bank in Boston, in business since 1871, leaped into cyber-banking this year by offering online banking to its customers. Keeping up with technology is one thing, keeping down costs is another. So the tiny bank leased its home banking service from Digital Insight Corp. in Calabasas. Cyber-banking is the bread and butter of 4-year-old Digital Insight, with 380 customers, mostly credit unions and pipsqueak-to-mid-sized banks.