Corporate Directories: a step towards a Global Directory

Although electronic mail was the starting point for X.500, the author found that the real problems requiring immediate attention within British Telecom (BT) were rather different. This work led to the specification of what has become known as a Corporate Directory System which would conform to X.500 and provide services to many different users. Having failed to find anything remotely like it on the market, he became the founder member of a unit in BT; Directory Products Unit, which has been developing electronic Corporate Directory Systems for 2 years and has recently announced its first products for external sale. The paper describes BT's philosophy and views on X.500.<>