Wyse® Technology Winterm™ Windows Appliances Deployed at Empire Vision Centers in Lieu of Personal Computers

Wyse Winterm Devices Ease Desktop Management Pains And Drive Down IT Costs

San Jose, CA – 16/01/2001 - Wyse® Technology, the worldwide leader in thin-appliance computing, today announced that Empire Vision Centers (EVC) is deploying hundreds of Wyse's Winterm™ Windows® appliances. Empire Vision Centers, Inc. is a provider of premium vision-care services through its 58 wholly-owned retail centers throughout the U.S. EVC is overhauling its entire POS systems computing environment, replacing its traditional System 36 system with Windows NT servers, utilizing Citrix technology and Wyse Winterm 3000 series Windows appliances, enabling the company to simplify management of remote desktops and drive down overall technical support costs.

"A variety of thin appliance products were evaluated during our pilot test and the Wyse thin appliances were chosen over PCs and other thin appliances because of their ease of management, configuration and installation," said Ty Moore, vice president of POS systems for Empire Vision Centers. "Wyse's unique industrial design also provided a smaller and more easily deployable desktop device for our retail locations where counter space is a premium."

EVC expects to gain significant savings in Total Cost of Ownership from the company's thin-appliance deployment. Previously, EVC operated a data collection and checkout system running on IBM System 36's that were networked to the Home Office AS400 server. EVC centers are located throughout New York State, with additional locations in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Nevada, creating a challenge for diagnosing and replacing inoperable computer equipment. By deploying thin appliances instead of PCs, EVC has significantly reduced the number of desktops that require hands-on maintenance. Wyse thin appliances support EVC's point of sale system throughout the retail centers including patient registration, eye exam rooms, contact lens fitting rooms, sales floor and checkout stands.

"We are very excited about the advantages that this new appliance will bring to our valued customers," said Alan Thrower, Chief Operating Officer for Empire Vision Centers. "We expect to bring down the costs of doing business while improving our level of service and overall customer satisfaction. Support of our locations and reducing downtime is key to meeting our expectations."

Wyse's Dedication to Hassle-Free Modernization

The ability to easily maintain and administer current and future in-store POS systems and applications from the corporate office was a key factor in EVC's selection of Wyse Windows terminals. Unlike PCs, Wyse thin appliances offered the best of both worlds for EVC because it allows retail POS applications to be stored on central servers and permits in-store administration from the IT department located at corporate headquarters, perhaps many time zones away.

"Retail CIOs who want to modernize their in-store IT systems are discovering that thin appliances support their modernization initiative because it lets them reduce their total cost of ownership, lowers operating costs and eliminates the problems associated when servicing remotely-located PCs," said Jeff Knight, manager of channel marketing for Wyse Technology. "Wyse Winterm thin appliances are an ideal choice for use in all in-store areas as well as at corporate headquarters. They are providing retailers around the world with a flexible and standard platform, which fully supports their existing environments while at the same time meeting current and future demands for integration of Windows-, Internet- or Java-based applications into their in-store systems. These 'install once, visit never' devices can be rolled out rapidly to a geographically dispersed multi-location retail operation, like Empire Vision Centers, in a matter of months."

Wyse Teams with Pioneer Standard to Serve Empire Vision Centers

To better serve EVC, Wyse Technology partnered with Cleveland, Ohio, based Pioneer Standard, a Wyse Authorized partner. Pioneer Standard helped assist the integration of EVC's thin appliance initiative.

About Empire Vision Centers

Empire Vision Centers Inc., headquartered in Syracuse, New York, is a POS business unit of Davis Vision Inc. and provides vision care services and products through more than 50 wholly-owned retail centers throughout the United States. Plainview, New York-based Davis Vision provides vision care services to over 16 million people in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and Guam, partnering with a network of over 14,000 optometrists, ophthalmologists and retail locations. Covered clients include major corporations, municipalities, managed care organizations and Taft-Hartley Funds.

About Wyse Technology

Wyse is the #1 vendor the world's largest businesses and institutions trust for scalable thin-client computing solutions. Wyse provides the hardware, software, and services that shift computing complexity to the network, reducing cost, liberating IT departments from unnecessary support and maintenance functions, empowering users to be more productive in their jobs, and protecting and improving access to critical information and business applications. Headquartered in San Jose, California with offices worldwide, Wyse has been #1 in thin-client market share for the last eight years, enjoys a close partnership with Citrix Systems, and has been named Microsoft "Embedded Partner of the Year" for three years. Wyse customers include FedEx, Best Buy (Canada), Quaker Foods, and Gold's Gym.

For more information, visit the Wyse website at http://www.wyse.com or call 1-800-GET-WYSE