OATSystems, IBM and Arcom Collaborate on Enterprise-Class RFID Appliance

OATxpress 5.0 Applications Deploy Directly on Devices

WALTHAM, Mass. and OVERLAND PARK, Kan. - May 2, 2006 - OATSystems®, Inc., the recognized RFID framework leader, and Arcom, a provider of RFID edge controllers, today announced the first enterprise-class RFID appliance. Specifically, OATxpress 5.0 best practice RFID applications may be flexibly deployed on any combination of enterprise and premises servers and as of today, intelligent readers and Arcom's RFID controller. This flexibility enables the deployment of business processes in a distributed fashion, based on process requirements, mitigating the risk of locking into a single architectural approach that may not scale past a pilot or may fail to address the requirements of various RFID-centric business processes. Arcom is the first edge controller to be validated for OATxpress 5.0 deployments, leveraging IBM's WebSphere RFID Device Infrastructure (WRDI). WRDI provides a standards-based, embedded environment for deploying distributed applications directly on intelligent readers and edge controllers.

"IBM's WebSphere RFID Device Infrastructure enables OATSystems and Arcom to help companies implement truly distributed RFID applications for their enterprises," said Scott Burroughs, Solutions Executive, Sensor & Actuator Solutions at IBM. "Implementing business processes that exploit new insights from RFID data and integrating with both legacy and new applications are the key to maximizing the power of RFID to deliver real ROI. Implementing those processes on a distributed architecture allows flexible and scalable RFID solutions on top of a robust middleware platform."

"OAT's Flexible Architecture enables companies to deploy RFID applications on any combination of devices or servers based on use case requirements," said Marc Osofsky, VP Marketing & Product Management, OATSystems. "With our latest release, OATlogic provides a single, graphical design environment to manage all RFID applications regardless of where they are deployed and OATxpress provides best practice RFID applications which are pre-configured to deploy directly on IBM WRDI-enabled devices such as the Arcom RFID appliance."

Enterprise-class RFID appliances are a next generation approach that provide the benefits of the appliances approach such as local operational event processing on a stateless, hardened box and reduced network dependency, while also adding the major benefit of running the appliance software on a common, flexible enterprise IT class architecture. Enterprise-class RFID appliances provide the following benefits over and above proprietary or closed RFID appliances such as:

• Enable numerous RFID use cases with a single common architecture. OATxpress 5.0 RFID applications can run on any deployment option including readers, edge controllers, premises and enterprise servers.
• Eliminate lock-in to a single appliance vendor. Using WRDI as a common interface between hardware and software provides for a plug-and-play capability for all WRDI-enabled devices.
• Change appliance software functionality remotely. Dozens of best practice OATxpress 5.0 applications may be remotely provisioned to an enterprise-class appliance
• Single design environment for all RFID applications no matter where they are running. OATlogic 5.0 provides a single, graphical design environment with point and click capability to assign deployment locations for any primitive.

"WRDI provides a cross-platform, standard interface that enables Arcom and OATSystems to deliver an enterprise-class RFID appliance that enables our customers to continue to innovate their RFID enabled processes both now and in the future," said Arlen Nipper, President, Arcom Control Systems, Inc. "Before WRDI, hardware vendors have had to develop the whole solution themselves, which has led to proprietary technology, rigid architectures and limited application functionality."

The OAT-Arcom enterprise-class appliance is available immediately through OATSystems and Arcom Solutions account representatives.

About OAT
OATSystems, Inc. is the recognized RFID framework leader with software that empowers businesses to achieve competitive advantage from radio-frequency identification (RFID). As a pioneer in the development of RFID technology, OAT has been setting the standards in RFID for over half a decade and is responsible for industry firsts that include; the largest scale and largest scope of deployments, as well as the most innovative approaches to providing enterprise-wide RFID solutions. OAT's multinational client base consists of over 70 customers in retail, CPG, consumer electronics, manufacturing, life sciences, aerospace and defense. Headquartered in Waltham, MA, OAT has offices in Austin, Chicago, London, and Bangalore and is on the Web at www.oatsystems.com.

About IBM
IBM is the world's largest information technology company, with 90 years of leadership in helping businesses innovate. IBM Software offers a wide range of middleware and operating systems for all types of computing platforms. The fastest way to get more information about IBM software is through the IBM Software home page at www.software.ibm.com.

About Arcom
Arcom, a Eurotech Group S.p.A (www.eurotech.com) company, is a leading supplier of embedded computer and communications technology to industry. Founded in 1982, Arcom has developed a broad range of standard embedded hardware and software solutions for control, data acquisition and data delivery systems. From its design centers in Kansas City (US) and Cambridge (UK), Arcom is also able to offer Design Services to meet the needs of high volume OEM and specialized customer requirements. To learn more about Arcom, visit www.arcom.com/ibm/rfid-edge-controller-IC.htm or [email protected]