Phoenix And Eltan Keep Siberian Railroad On Track: For Leading Russian Embedded Systems Manufacturer
Fastwel Uses Phoenix Core System Software to Deliver Unmatched System Management, Reliability, Recovery for Use Under Severe Operating Conditions

MILPITAS, Calif. and DEN DUNGEN, The Netherlands, February 21, 2005 -- Phoenix Technologies Ltd.  and Eltan B.V., a Phoenix Trusted Partner specializing in PC and communication technology, today announced that Phoenix’s embedded Core System Software has been selected by Russian industrial automation and electronics leader Fastwel Company Ltd.

Fastwel, based in Moscow, provides a range of embedded computing solutions and electronic card modules used in applications such as railway systems, robotics, gas-pumping stations and space exploration.  Many of Fastwel’s products have to operate under harsh conditions, and the company needed a proven, dependable software solution.  After a competitive analysis, the contract manufacturing pioneer chose the Phoenix Embedded Core System Software products, provided by Phoenix Trusted Partner Eltan B.V., to meet the demanding needs of its customers for reliability and security, and the ability to operate 24/7 in harsh conditions..

“The environments that our customers operate in do not allow any margin for failure,” said Konstantin Korneev, CEO, Fastwel.  “When we chose our new technology partner, we wanted the highest quality and reliability in the marketplace, and Eltan met our needs with the Phoenix Embedded Core System Software.  When we are building systems, reliability, time to market and data protection are critical, so it is important to design and produce our products that have trust and recovery built in. This Phoenix Core System Software creates a seamless, reliable foundation that will also allow us to pursue additional market opportunities where security and reliability are critical for success.”

Demand for Reliability, Recovery In Networked Embedded Devices Is Growing

As reported by industry analysts, the embedded device market is growing at a faster rate than the PC industry.  According to IDC, more than 25 million x86-based devices will ship this year.  Complex embedded product designs that leverage the x86 PC industry economics and supply chain are emerging in key sectors such as industrial control, car navigation, military systems, consumer electronics devices, point-of-sale devices, gaming and arcade systems, thin clients, test and measurement and medical devices.

Although these devices are not PCs, they still create high volumes of point-of-sale financial, customer, industrial and medical data and business critical content that requires them to be secure from the start, protected on a network and recovered if it becomes inoperable.  Phoenix Technologies Core System Software meets this growing demand for built-in security and trust by providing device authentication capabilities that transform digital devices into secure, trusted end points on the network.

Because embedded systems frequently run automatically for long periods of time, and interact with the network and other devices, they are vulnerable to viruses and loss of data. As a result, companies are demanding products that have trust, security and recovery built into the device to protect their mission-critical applications and sensitive customer data.  Today, it’s important to have embedded asset management, security and recovery capabilities available for all X86-based device manufacturers, so they can concentrate on designing innovative products that provide better customer service, safety and tracking.

Phoenix offers a family of feature-rich Core System Software products, tools and applications that can be easily customized to meet the configuration requirements of various target markets.  Phoenix products are modular, easy to deploy and easy to use for the manufacturer, OEM and system builder, spanning computer firmware, development tools and managed applications designed for the future.  The Phoenix Core System Software ensures that embedded systems provide a “chain of trust” to protect users. The technology allows manufacturers and system builders to deliver built-in security and protection from the start.  Phoenix Core System Software protects against malicious attacks and accidental damage to the original system software, securing operating systems, applications, critical data, and the automation systems themselves.

“The Phoenix industry-leading embedded Core System Software gives us a competitive advantage in the marketplace with a high-quality solution that allows us to quickly respond to the needs of industrial automation customers,” said Gerard Duynisveld, CEO, Eltan B.V.  “The Phoenix Embedded Core System Software and recovery products provide us with a seamless way to develop solutions that give our customers the assurance that their devices are trusted and the data in the devices will be always available.  Unlike competitive low-end BIOS products that were designed for standalone PCs, not networked embedded devices, Phoenix Core System Software provides us with the building blocks to create reliable, smart self-authenticating devices with intrinsic defense and recovery built in.”

“The Russian region is an emerging market for industrial automation, where our Core System Software is ideally suited given its unmatched capabilities in embedded system management, reliability and recovery.  Reliability and recovery is critical in embedded devices that Fastwel manufactures because they run remotely and oftentimes in an unattended, extreme vibration or extreme temperature environment,” said Michael D. Goldgof, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Corporate Marketing and Products Division for Phoenix Technologies.  “Embedded systems manufacturers such as Fastwel have turned to Phoenix Technologies because they must meet particular customer, and in some cases regulatory, requirements to enable, protect and secure their data.  Phoenix has been able to deliver to our customers the power to add unique reliability and recovery capabilities in their embedded devices and help make the devices available on a 24/7 basis.”

About Eltan B.V.
Eltan is based in Den Dungen, The Netherlands, and provides products and engineering services for Europe, The Middle East, India and Africa. Eltan specializes in embedded PC and communication technologies including: hardware design, firmware/ BIOS, drivers, operating systems, and in bringing products to market.  The company can be reached on the Web at http://www.eltan.com/.

About Phoenix Technologies
Phoenix Technologies develops a complete product suite of Core System Software, tools and applications to deliver trusted, seamless computing to digital devices for an Internet-connected world. Phoenix Technologies helped launch the PC industry nearly 25 years ago. Today the company is extending its leadership and knowledge at the core of machines, beyond the PC to a wide range of platforms and devices.

Phoenix Core System Software has set the standard for the world’s leading branded PC OEMs and their global network of supply chain and software partners.  Today, Phoenix solutions enable, secure, connect, and recover the world's best-known systems. These solutions are built into the device core, where they are protected from viruses, user errors, hackers, and corruption. Phoenix is headquartered in Milpitas, Calif. (Silicon Valley), with offices in global business and technology centers. For more information, visit www.phoenix.com.

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