FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Rich Polt
Schwartz Communications, Inc.
781/684-0770
[email protected]

VenturCom Introduces Boot-NIC

World's First and Only Technology to Enable Centralized Booting
and Maintenance of Network Attached Diskless Windows 2000, Windows NT 4.0 and Windows NT Embedded 4.0 Client Equipment

Las Vegas, NV February 5, 2001 VenturCom, Inc. introduced Boot-NIC today, the worlds first and only technology that enables centralized booting and maintenance of networked diskless equipment and PCs running Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 or Windows NT Embedded. Boot-NIC provides manufacturers of Windows-based intelligent connected equipment with virtual hard drive functionality hosted on a centralized LAN server running Windows 2000 or Windows NT 4.0.

VenturCom will demonstrate Boot-NIC in booth #214, at the Microsoft Windows Embedded Developers Conference, which takes place February 6 through February 8 in Las Vegas, Nev.

Al Gillen, research manager, system software at IDC, stated, VenturCom's Boot-NIC technology is well positioned to impact growing segments of the dedicated systems market, particularly in environments where people need to improve cost efficiencies and manageability of deployed connected equipment. The ability to boot and maintain complex systems from a central location offers tangible time and cost saving benefits in a variety of markets.

Boot-NIC addresses the need of OEMs to reduce cost and improve reliability by eliminating hard disk drives and flash media from client equipment across the network.

Boot-NIC offers the following benefits:

• Reduces hardware costs With Boot-NIC, a server hosts client disk images, applications and data. This eliminates the requirement for local storage, a local hard drive or flash memory on the client machine, reducing hardware costs significantly. The client performs all application processing.
  
• Enhances stability Storage media failure is a common cause of system downtime and instability. Boot-NIC-based networks transcend this problem by rendering unnecessary the need for local rotating drives and flash media.
  
• Saves time Operating system and software centralization enables substantial time savings in the administration, configuration, monitoring and updating of an entire distributed environment from a single server. Boot-NIC-enabled systems offer a low maintenance client environment.
  
• Improves performance Boot-NIC overcomes the limitations of previous server-centric computing solutions by combining file system storage on the server with application execution at the client. This represents the next step in client/server computing for distributed intelligent connected equipment.
  
• Tightens security Because Boot-NIC clients have no ability to store data locally, they cannot assume a persistent identity of their own. All client software and data reside on the network server, which is locked away and protected through a variety of security measures.
  
• Plug and play serviceability If a client PC or piece of equipment fails, operation is quickly restored with the introduction of a new machine to the network. The absence of a local hard drive makes client configuration virtually non-existent.
  
  Frank Logan, VenturCom=92s director of corporate development, stated, =93Boot-NIC builds on the concept of network-centric computing and improves it for the 21st century. In comparison with previous generation technologies, where a host computer served applications to a bank of dumb terminals, Boot-NIC machines and appliances are powered by a high-performance processor, which offloads processing duties from the server. As the first and only technology of its kind available for Windows 2000, Windows NT 4.0 and Windows NT Embedded, Boot-NIC is well positioned to become an influential market-making technology.
  
  Boot-NIC is incorporates patented technology licensed under an agreement with 3Com Corporation. VenturCom will apply Boot-NIC to all OEM and dedicated systems markets including: communications, kiosks, automatic teller-machines, point-of-sale, medical and industrial automation.
  
  Boot-NIC-enabled equipment requires a standard PXE boot ROM or MBA compliant firmware. Server stations0 require Windows NT 4.0 or a Windows 2000 workstation license or server license. A server-based software application facilitates centralized management of virtual drive images.
  
  About VenturCom, Inc.
  VenturCom, Inc. is the leading provider of software and services for developers of Win32-based Intelligent Connected Equipment. The company has over 2,000 customers worldwide and distribution channels in more than 30 countries. Complete corporate and product information is available at VenturComs Web site, www.vci.com
  
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  Rich Polt
  Senior Account Executive
  Schwartz Communications, Inc.
  230 Third Ave.
  Waltham, MA. 02451
  Ph. 781-684-0770 Fax 781-684-6500