IBM and Eurotech initial partnership in pervasive computing

IBM (NYSE: IBM) announces today an agreement with Eurotech (Star:ETH) to embed IBM Lotus Mobile Connect software in Eurotech's "NanoPC" devices that include: Embedded PCs, Network Appliances, Wearable PCs. Eurotech is an Italian leading designer and developer of high performance and low power embedded computing systems.

IBM Lotus Mobile Connect provides easier, more secure and more cost-efficient access to key information through the optimized usage of wireless technology. This allows mobile workers to improve productivity, protect the privacy of important data and maximize companies' return on their wireless IT investments.

With Lotus Mobile Connect, users can move with portable devices from location to location unaware of network issues across Wi-Fi, cellular, satellite data telecommunications or even wirelines without interruptions to Web or other application connections, while secured in a high speed access to information. The software creates a mobile VPN (Virtual Private Network), for Internet Protocol (IP) networks, that protects sensitive enterprise data by encrypting data, optimizing performances and reducing transmission costs.

Without the secure, seamless, cross networking roaming capability of this software, an end user would experience disconnections from their sessions and be forced to repeatedly re-authenticate to the firewall, obtain a new IP address, and renew the VPN connection to finally restart each application from scratch.

Eurotech's mobile device users like Zypad, a wearable PDA, can now benefit from a new customized network roaming feature, which enables enterprises to prioritize the network they prefer to use based on important business priorities -- for example, the most cost-effective network, which network offers the highest-speed access to data, or provides the better security. IBM Lotus Mobile Connect is used by the Eurotech Group to realize solutions for their customers wishing to get the maximum from their networks. Lotus Mobile Connect complements the current Eurotech's offering with an easy to integrate component that can optimize network usage, enhance effective throughput, enable networks roaming while keeping a VPN certified to FIPS 140-2 standard.

"This agreement extends the collaboration with Eurotech already in action with Arcom Inc (USA), an Eurotech Company with IBM Sensor and Actuators group to implement IBM Middleware in Eurotech devices", said Monica Tassinari, Manager of Lotus Italy, IBM Software Group.

Roberto Siagri, President and CEO of the Eurotech Group, says "I believe that this agreement could be considered as an important step in the development of pervasive computing, Eurotech and IBM are truly looking toward the future, this marks the migration of the information technology domain to a totally ubiquitous era where a single device has multiple capabilities."

For more information on IBM Lotus Mobile Connect go to: http://www-142.ibm.com/software/sw-lotus/products/product1.nsf/wdocs/mobileconnect

Lotus Mobile Connect V6.1 is the new version of IBM WebSphere Everyplace Connection Manager V5.1, with additional features and greater synergy with other Lotus products like Lotus Sametime and Lotus Expeditor.

Eurotech

Eurotech designs and develops innovative high performance and low power embedded computing systems. With operations in Europe, North America and Asia, the Group's product are used in industrial, defence, transportation and medical applications. Eurotech miniaturised computer business designs and manufactures products to the miniaturisation requirements of its customers. The product range from compact stationary PCs (headless or HMI) to embedded, ruggedised mobile computers designed to operate in harsh environments.

Eurotech through Arcom Inc (USA) has been in action for the last three years with IBM Sensor and Actuators group focused on developing software frameworks for pervasive computing devices used in vertical markets. The result of thus co-development is a line of RFID Edge Controller incorporating the IBM sensors and actuators group: IBM Websphere RFID Device Infrastructure (WRDI) framework.