KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa., Dec. 13, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- Neoware Systems (Nasdaq:NWRE), the leading supplier of award-winning software, services, and appliances for thin client computing, today announced that supermarket chain, Elea Polska has replaced personal computers for point-of-sale, ERP, and general business operations in all of its stores with Neoware thin client appliances and software.
Since switching to Neoware for point-of-sale applications, the Elea Polska chain has been able to provide its customers with the fastest, most reliable, and consistent uninterrupted checkout experience available. Deploying Neoware thin client appliances has improved the quality of Elea Polska daily sales, inventory, and other ERP reporting chain-wide, while significantly reducing costs associated with hardware and technical service.
"Deploying Neoware thin client appliances dramatically improved the reliability and manageability of our entire network," says Cezary Kosewski, IT manager of Elea Polska. "With Neoware, our point-of-sale and ERP systems run non-stop, giving customers a consistently speedy experience, and keeping ERP data completely up-to-date. We stay ahead of the competition by constantly searching for innovative technologies, like Neoware's thin client appliances, that can streamline processes and improve efficiency."
In the space of 43 years, Elea Polska's parent Auchan, the French retailer, has grown into one of the world's leading retail groups. Auchan has enjoyed continual expansion and is now established in 12 countries across the world with a workforce of 165,000. In 2002, Auchan opened its 16th hypermarket in Poland: Elea Polska. With nearly 1,000 employees, Elea Polska's stores are located in Poland's largest cities.
Before deploying Neoware's thin client appliances, Elea Polska used personal computers to deliver point-of-sale, Microsoft Office, Internet, and the company's business-critical ERP applications. The company also was dependent on personal computers to transmit sales, stock, goods, and other crucial business data back to the main office on a daily basis. But the personal computers failed often due to hardware faults; serious compatibility problems with the company's Java-based ERP application; and innocent, yet fatal tinkering by end users. Every time the personal computers failed, the company was forced to dispatch IT experts to the stores to make repairs. Worse still, the personal computers also required regular and costly updates in order to remain minimally operational.
Deploying Neoware thin clients and software enabled Elea Polska to move its ERP, point-of-sale, Microsoft Office, and Internet applications to centrally managed servers. Deployments, updates, and support are now all centrally administered by a single IT staffer. Also, data no longer is stored locally at each supermarket, where it could be compromised by a failed personal computer. Instead, data is transmitted instantly from the store's Neoware thin client appliance to the company's central servers, improving the integrity of the company's daily sales, inventory, and other ERP reporting. And because Neoware thin client appliances and software are immune from standard PC viruses and prevent users from accidentally reconfiguring settings or using unauthorized software, Elea Polska network is more secure and more reliable than ever before.
In addition to savings brought on by Neoware's increased reliability and manageability, Neoware thin clients cost up to one-fourth the price of a standard business personal computer, and they last up to four times longer, enabling Elea Polska to reduce its IT budget for PC hardware according to the company's IT executives.
"Neoware's software and thin client appliances are an ideal fit for innovative retailers like Elea Polska, who lead their industry by constantly streamlining business processes, reducing costs, and most important, always finding new and better ways to serve their customers," says Michael Kantrowitz, Chairman and CEO of Neoware. "Neoware thin client solutions are simply more reliable and manageable than personal computers, allowing retailers to keep their focus on the customer and the management of business processes, instead of battling with their technology infrastructure."
About Neoware
Neoware's software, services, and thin client appliances make computing more secure, manageable, reliable and affordable by enabling global enterprises to fully leverage server-based computing. By incorporating open, standards-based technologies and eliminating the obsolescence that is built into standard PC architectures, Neoware provides enterprises with increased flexibility and choice, as well as lower up-front and total costs.
Neoware's software products enable enterprises to gain control of their desktops, and to integrate mainframe, midrange, UNIX and Linux applications with Windows(r) and the web. Neoware's thin client appliances enable enterprises to run applications on servers, and display them across wired or wireless networks on secure, managed, reliable appliances that cost as little as one fourth the price of today's typical business PC. Neoware services enable corporations to benefit from server-based computing with training and end-to-end support.
Neoware's products are available worldwide from IBM, as well as from select, knowledgeable resellers. More information about Neoware can be found on the Web at http://www.neoware.com or via email at invest@neoware.com. Neoware is based in King of Prussia, PA.
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