KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa., Jan. 17, 2002 (PRIMEZONE) -- Neoware Systems (Nasdaq:NWRE), the leading supplier of award-winning software, services, and solutions for the Appliance Computing market, today announced a significant upgrade for its ezRemote Manager software, the enterprise-class suite of management tools designed to lower the cost of administering large networks of smart, connected devices. With unique enhancements designed to ease administration, save time, and lower cost, ezRemote Manager 2.3 makes Neoware's Eon and Capio families of computing appliances even more versatile with new capabilities not found in other thin client appliance products.
Neoware's ezRemote Manager is a powerful suite of management tools designed to significantly lower the cost and time associated with administering large networks of thin client appliances. Enabling system administrators to remotely discover, configure, upgrade, and maintain their thin client appliances without traveling from desk to desk results in significant savings of time and money compared to the administration of personal computers. Neoware's ezRemote Manager provides enterprises with the tools to maintain control of their computer assets with a built-in database of information about installed devices including serial numbers, installed software, configuration, and network information.
Neoware's ezRemote Manager is the first enterprise-class management tool to fully integrate the management of Windows CE, Windows NTe, Windows XPe, and Linux powered appliances. ezRemote Manager is a powerful suite of tools that has been working in the most demanding environments at thousands of installations, capable of managing from one to over 10,000 Neoware appliances. It is scalable to the largest, most distributed global enterprises and works easily across complex networks, whether local or wide area. Designed using a familiar Windows Explorer-type interface, ezRemote Manager lets system administrators discover Neoware appliances anywhere on their network; sort lists by any attribute, including appliance type, software version, configuration, or hardware version; manage a database of assets easily with fully configurable, multi-level grouping; and save these databases for future activities such as updating software, changing security protection, and configuring network settings or server connections.
New Features in ezRemote Manager, Version 2.3
ezAnywhere Desktop Shadowing
ezAnywhere enables system administrators to remotely take control
of Neoware appliances running Windows CE, Windows NTe, Windows
XPe, and Linux for remote configuration or for help desk
functions. Using ezAnywhere, administrators can "shadow" end-user
sessions on Neoware appliances, without depending on protocols
such as ICA or RDP. With ezAnywhere, system administrators can
interact with the same desktop that a user views, enabling remote
assistance and remote configuration across a local or wide area
network, or the Internet. Fully integrated into ezRemote Manager,
ezAnywhere allows administrators to select any appliance from a
database, enable remote shadowing, and interact with the
appliance even if it is thousands of miles away.
ezUpdate Unattended Configuration
ezUpdate enables automatic pull-based software and configuration
updates for Windows CE and NeoLinux powered appliances. With the
addition of ezUpdate, administrators can configure their
appliances to automatically download updated software or
configuration files after checking for availability at power-up.
This enables unattended central management of Neoware appliances,
and ensures that all appliances on a network are automatically
updated to the latest version. With this addition, Neoware now
offers the choice of administrator controlled, push-based
updates, and unattended, pull-based updates to lower the cost and
time associated with device management.
ezClone Appliance Cloning
ezClone allows administrators to copy customized configuration
settings and software to a large number of appliances across the
network, simply and easily. With ezClone, an administrator can
configure a single appliance with customized software and
configuration, pull this customized software from the appliance,
and then send it to one appliance or thousands of appliances
across the network. ezCloned configurations can be used with
ezUpdate to automatically update Neoware appliances located
anywhere on a distributed network.
Fully Integrated Wake-On-LAN Support
Integrated Wake-On-LAN (WOL) enables ezRemote Manager to update
any WOL-capable Neoware appliance, anywhere on the network,
anytime, even if the appliance has been turned off. With
Wake-On-LAN, systems administrators can insure that devices are
upgraded to the latest configuration without requiring users to
keep them powered on, resulting in improved administration and
energy savings. ezRemote Manager's software and configuration
update tools automatically power on remote devices using WOL
without administrator interventions, assuring full and complete
update sessions.
Enhanced and Upgraded Graphic User Interface
ezRemote Manager Version 2.3 features an updated and enhanced
user interface to enable administrators to manage even larger
numbers of appliances conveniently. With enhanced drag and drop,
administrators can now create multi-level groups of appliances
much more easily. Using ezRemote Manager's ability to save and
use multiple databases, combined with enhanced group management,
administrators can more easily manage very large installations of
Neoware appliances.
These new software capabilities expand the proprietary advantages of Neoware's thin client appliance products, providing Neoware with a strong competitive advantage in the Appliance Computing market. Additional Neoware software technologies include:
-- ezOff eliminates operating system corruption at power-down, and
provides the ability for Neoware powered appliances to be turned
off by simply pressing the power button, without going through a
lengthy shut-down process as is required with a personal
computer.
-- ezSecure significantly enhances the security of an embedded
operating system by making it "read only," disabling unauthorized
changes and protecting a Neoware powered appliance from viruses.
-- ezSnap is a powerful customization tool that enables system
administrators to modularly update appliance software without
having to download the entire operating system image. This
capability allows updates of individual components of an embedded
operating system, reduces network bandwidth use, and enables
Neoware to easily provide updates to important components such as
ICA, RDP, terminal emulation, and browser clients much more
quickly, keeping customers up-to-date with the latest features
and capabilities.
-- ezConnect is an appliance user interface that lets customers
interact with Neoware appliances without any knowledge of the
underlying operating system. ezConnect provides a simple, easy,
and secure user interface for connecting to application servers
and the Internet, and enables users to configure an appliance to
start applications at power up, and to customize browsers for
particular environments such as kiosk use.
"Neoware's ezRemote Manager is a powerful suite of tools that enables our customers to gain all of the benefits of Appliance Computing," stated Michael Kantrowitz, president and CEO of Neoware Systems. "With ezRemote Manager, our customers can dramatically lower the cost and time associated with administering thin client appliances, driving down total cost of ownership. With important new capabilities such as ezAnywhere Shadowing for remote administration and help desk support, Neoware is once again raising the bar by providing the most robust suite of tools available to manage a new generation of thin client appliances."
Neoware's ezRemote Manager Release 2.3 is available immediately from Neoware's web site at www.neoware.com, or by calling Neoware at 1-800-Neoware (636-9273). Neoware customers who are currently covered under Neoware's Full Advantage programs can receive ezRemote Manager at no additional charge. Customers not currently covered under a software update program may license the new version along with a complete software update for $50 per seat.
About Neoware
Neoware provides software, services, and solutions to enable Appliance Computing, a new Internet-based computing architecture targeted at business customers that are designed to be simpler and easier than traditional PC-based computing. Neoware's software and management tools power and manage a new generation of smart computing appliances that utilize the benefits of open, industry-standard technologies to create new alternatives to personal computers used in business and a wide variety of proprietary business devices. Neoware's products are designed to run local applications for specific vertical markets, plus allow access across a network to multi-user Windows servers, Linux servers, mainframes, minicomputers, and the Internet. Computing appliances that run and are managed by Neoware's software offer the cost benefits of industry-standard hardware and software, easier installation, and have lower up-front and administrative costs than proprietary or PC-based alternatives. More information about Neoware can be found on the Web at www.neoware.com or via email at info@neoware.com Neoware is based in King of Prussia, PA.
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding the cost benefits and other advantages of the Company's products. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted in any such forward-looking statements include Neoware's timely development and customers' acceptance of Neoware's appliance computing products, pricing pressures, rapid technological changes in the industry, growth of the appliance computing market, increased competition, Neoware's ability to attract and retain qualified personnel, adverse changes in general economic conditions in the U.S. and internationally, risks associated with foreign operations and political and economic uncertainties associated with current world events. These and other risks are detailed from time to time in Neoware's periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, its report on Form 10-K for its fiscal year ended June 30, 2001.
Neoware is a registered trademark of Neoware Systems, Inc. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Citrix(r), ICA(r), and MetaFrame(r) are registered trademarks or trademarks of Citrix Systems, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. All other names, products, and services are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.