IBM Brings Datacenter Management Technologies to Retail Stores

IBM (NYSE: IBM) announced today a comprehensive series of offerings based on datacenter technologies that are designed to help retailers improve security, systems management and serviceability. The hardware and software enhancements are the latest efforts by IBM to simplify and automate retail environments -- helping retailers to lower costs, streamline operations, and protect existing investments.

The new technologies include upgrades to IBM's flagship 4690 point of sale (POS) operating system, new advanced systems management software, and serviceability enhancements to the SurePOS 500 series of POS systems.

"Retailers continue to seek out new technologies that can improve the customer experience, while streamlining and simplifying operations," said Steve Ladwig, general manager of IBM's Retail Store Solutions. "We've taken some of our most innovative data center advancements and applied those to the retail environment. This has resulted in solutions that help retailers improve end-to-end systems management, tighten security and ease serviceability -- allowing them to leverage the investments they've already made."

Enhancements to the 4690 operating system deliver store-level management capabilities and new features designed to help retailers protect store data and maintain robust network security. Enhanced systems management capabilities with remote management agent (RMA) and its new retail extensions for IBM Director include the ability to manage multiple stores remotely from a central location -- managing traditional IT, today's retail devices and next generation technology offerings with one easy-to-use tool. The newest SurePOS 500 offers easier serviceability, with a virtually tool-less design that enables fast, easy service to help reduce the total cost of ownership.

In addition to its new offerings, IBM's Retail Store Solutions Division also recognized the 25th anniversary of its Retail Solutions Business Partner program. Since it launched in 1982, the program has grown to over 1,000 members today that sell more than half of IBM POS and Kiosk solutions.

ScanSource, an international distributor of specialty technology products providing distribution sales to resellers in the specialty technology markets, was an early RSS business partner.

"We have been distributing IBM's POS products and retail solutions for more than 12 years and truly value their partnership," said Jeff Yelton, vice president of merchandising for ScanSource. "We continue to strengthen our relationship with IBM, and the new products IBM is announcing today will help the solution providers we work with better serve the needs of their retail customers."

New solutions from IBM

IBM's enhanced 4690 Operating System offers a strong platform for retail, with enhanced security and a single, convenient access point for POS, back-office and web-based applications. This latest version helps retailers establish a safe, secure and easy-to-manage platform for advanced software in all kinds of environments, and works equally well in stores of different sizes and segments. IBM's continued investment in 4690 also underscores its commitment to address the needs and protect the investments of its customers in order to better support their growth.

IBM's Remote Management Agent, a component of the IBM Store Integration Framework, empowers retailers to manage their store environments competitively by enabling them to achieve end-to-end stores system management of the retail devices and applications. This software can help retailers lower the total cost of ownership by improving the efficiency and consistency of new systems and application deployments in stores and across the enterprise. When implemented in conjunction with IBM Director software, Remote Management Agent software interoperates with best-of-breed, retail-specific software point products and enterprise systems management solutions across IBM's entire Retail Store portfolio. Consequently, retailers make use of existing management tools, which can help lower total cost of ownership, and have the flexibility to add solutions that are best suited to their business goals.

For example, leading cellular telephone provider T-Mobile Direct has started to implement IBM Director together with IBM Remote Management Agent for complete management, monitoring and reporting across all 2,000 of its point-of-sale solutions in the T-Mobile retail stores. IBM Remote Management Agent software enables T-Mobile to achieve end-to-end store system management of retail devices and applications.

Enhancements to IBM's SurePOS 500 systems offer next generation store capabilities that support a broad range of applications and include models that meet specialized retail requirements, particularly in the food service, hospitality, specialty and gas and convenience segments. They include a new tool-free design that allows customers or field repair technicians to quickly and economically remove and replace modules helping reduce outages and simplify recovery when needed. This can help reduce total cost of ownership.

These products and more can be seen at this year's National Retail Federation show January 14-17, 2007 at the Jacob Javits Center in New York, NY -- IBM booth #1319.