CHANNEL NEWS
P SCO Rolls Our Internet Initiative The Santa Cruz Operation Inc., a Santa Cruz, Calif.-based UNIX vendor, has assigned Jeffrey Ait, vice president of channel sales, to spearhead the company's Internet strategies. As SCO's first vice president for Internet, Ait wants to allow SCO developers and channel partners to access and publish information on the Internet; share internal information via Intranets, the close
P> SCO Rolls Our Internet Initiative
The Santa Cruz Operation Inc., a Santa Cruz, Calif.-based UNIX vendor, has assigned Jeffrey Ait, vice president of channel sales, to spearhead the company's Internet strategies.
Windows NT Imaging Software Vendor Grows
Optical Technology Group Inc., a software vendor of imaging and mass storage solutions for Microsoft's Windows NT network operating system, reported $8 million in revenue for 1995, according to Richard Kay, president. The privately held Bethesda, Md.-based company reported $3.5 million in sales for 1994. It anticipates doubling its revenue in 1996 to $16 million.
Kay plans to use the distribution channels more in 1996. "We want 90 to 95 percent of our business to go through the channels," remarked Kay, who founded the 50-employee company in 1992. Specifically, OTG wants to achieve deeper penetration by recruiting distributors and resellers in the agriculture, banking and credit union, CAD-CAM, education, government and legal vertical markets. Law Cypress Distributing Co., San Jose, Calif., holds OTG's exclusive distribution rights. Kay wants to spur strong sales through the channels by offering 30 percent to 50 percent discounts on his products and by embarking on a $500,000 advertising campaign in 1996.
S.T. Research Introduces Palmtop PC
S.T. Research Corp., a $16 million defense contractor based in Newington, Va., will introduce a palmtop PC in the spring to sell to commercial and government customers. The Ultimax 2000 ruggedized palmtop PC was developed under a Department of Defense fixed-price contract.
The computer features two PCMCIA slots that give it "almost limitless memory capabilities and great flexibility," according to Sandy Perrino, president and CEO of S.T. Research. Because the Ultimax runs on DOS 6.22 -- not Windows, it preserves memory. Perrino wants to target the agriculture, gambling, medical, military and seafood vertical markets, but he knows he will need software developers, so he has invested heavily in marketing by exhibiting at industry shows such as COMDEX in Las Vegas and the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association show in San Diego.
"Anyone who has a need for a ruggedized data input device could use this product," said Nelson Pontillo, products division director. But at a price of $3,000, users should be willing to pay.
Betty Wells, product sales manager, said the Ultimax is in prototype development and will ship in April or May. The company anticipates receiving an order for 250 palmtop PCs in the coming weeks.
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