Press Release
September 22, 2003
NeedTEXT Shell Mobile Software for Network Management Adds New Customers, New Features
Software's flat-rate pricing complements the growing adoption of BlackBerry
Toronto, Ontario - Epoch Integration Inc., a leading provider of mobile software for network management, today reported that its NeedTEXT Shell software continues to be chosen by BlackBerry-using organizations as an essential tool for wireless access to business-critical infrastructure systems. New customers include such high-profile organizations as Raytheon Missile Systems, Advisen Ltd, The Charlotte Observer, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) of the U.S. Government.
NeedTEXT Shell is the industry-leading solution for secure terminal access from BlackBerry® handhelds, by Research In Motion (RIM) (Nasdaq: RIMM; TSX: RIM). It gives IT Professionals, such as network and system administrators, a completely interactive command shell interface to their servers, routers, switches, and other mission-critical assets. Administrators therefore have the ability to troubleshoot and respond to network events, such as server failures, from the palm of their hand, even if they are away from a desktop terminal. As a result, NeedTEXT Shell significantly decreases elapsed time-to-repair for network incidents, which has a direct impact on reducing the costs of system downtime in customer organizations.
Epoch Integration recently released version 2.5 of NeedTEXT Shell, which has been enhanced with several new features requested by existing customers. The software now supports VT100 terminal emulation, allowing administrators to run advanced diagnostic and troubleshooting applications like top, vi, emacs, and even pine, directly from a BlackBerry. For ease of use, NeedTEXT Shell has proportional scrollbars, giving users the ability to pan from left to right and up and down, in order to see all terminal output on the handheld screen. Quick response time is guaranteed by the software's proprietary technology, which is designed specifically to reduce wireless network latency and minimize data charges.
Coinciding with the version 2.5 release, the company also announced new flat-rate pricing for NeedTEXT Shell. The software now includes unlimited user access for a one-time fee of USD $695. As before, there is no limitation on the number of servers or other network devices that may be managed with the application. The new pricing is a direct response to the continued adoption of BlackBerry within smaller and medium-sized organizations around the world. NeedTEXT Shell is now affordably priced for smaller customers, as well as departments and branch divisions of larger, enterprise organizations.
Summary of key NeedTEXT Shell Features:
- Full command-line access to host systems, devices and applications
- VT100 terminal emulation support
- End-to-end Triple DES encryption through BlackBerry Enterprise Server
- Simple and quick installation in Windows, UNIX and Linux environments
- Web-based administration for convenient management through any web browser
- Flat-rate pricing with no user limit, and no limit on the number of servers or network devices that can be managed
More information, including case studies and ROI analysis, can be found at www.needtext.net/shell.
About Epoch Integration
Epoch Integration Inc. is a Toronto-based software development company focused on providing customers with the best available tools to manage their networks. The company's products, such as NeedTEXT Shell, allow Information Technology professionals to significantly reduce system downtime and its associated costs to their organization. Epoch Integration's customer list includes many of the world's leading organizations, such as Raytheon Missile Systems, Ernst & Young LLP, CIBC World Markets, and the U.S. Government. Epoch Integration Inc. is a federally registered corporation with wireless networking experience since 1997. Visit www.epochintegration.com.
