Ultimate Technology Corporation Receives Best-In-Store Systems Award

Integrated Solutions For Retailers announces winners of its Small To Midsize Retail Solution Provider Awards

Rochester, NY –May 12, 2005 - Ultimate Technology Corporation was named a winner in Integrated Solutions For Retailers magazine’s Small To Midsize Retail Solutions Awards. Ultimate Technology will be presented with the award for best-in-store systems at an awards reception on Tuesday, May 24 at the Retail Systems 2005 trade conference in Chicago.

Ultimate Technology was selected to win the award after a panel of distinguished retailers reviewed numerous competitive nominations. An independent panel of retail technology executives from Books-A-Million, Brookstone, Family Christian Stores, Things Remembered, and Wawa Convenience Stores conducted judging the week of April 18.

Ultimate Technology nominated their customer, Chase-Pitkin Home and Garden, to showcase the benefits of their full solution offerings for small to midsize retailers. The judging panel studied the installation, and considered Ultimate Technology’s unique solution to replace aging AS/400 POS hardware.

Ultimate Technology’s product solution leverages Chase-Pitkin’s existing POS application code while allowing the option to upgrade or replace the application code in the future without sacrificing their hardware investment. An emulator and drivers were developed for Chase-Pitkin to integrate Ultimate’s contemporary hardware with their legacy POS application. The solution also allows Chase-Pitkin to preserve their hardware investment by having the capability to incorporate additional modules and migrate to new software applications in the future. The UltimaNet 810, a high-performance network appliance, was chosen to solve Chase-Pitkin’s retail technology hardware needs.

Because Chase-Pitkin’s legacy system is AS400-based and runs an RPG IV application, Ultimate Technology selected the RedHat Linux OS and tailored it for remote loading from the host server to the UltimaNet 810 client. The network booting capability of the UltimaNet allows the operating system and application to be remotely loaded into internal RAM. This functionality gives Chase-Pitkin all the advantages of a pared-down, custom-tailored thin client system.

Since implementing the new platform, Chase-Pitkin has been able to interface and preserve application code while recognizing all the benefits of the new hardware. This solution saved Chase-Pitkin over two million dollars in replacement costs. In addition, on-going maintenance costs have dropped by over 80% and cashier throughput has increased by over 35%.

“The fact that an independent panel of retailers hand-picked these winners is a testament to the quality of the installations nominated,” said Integrated Solutions For Retailers’ Editor In Chief, Matt Pillar. “The vendors and retailers receiving these awards are true trend setters in this industry and are completely deserving of this recognition.”

About Integrated Solutions For Retailers magazine:
Integrated Solutions For Retailers magazine helps retail executives make informed decisions about technology and operations solutions for all of their sales channels. The magazine provides insight on how retailers can achieve critical business objectives by integrating leading-edge solutions across the retail enterprise. The magazine reaches nearly 26,000 retail executives throughout North America. www.ismretail.com

About Ultimate Technology Corporation:
Ultimate Technology's POS hardware solutions (www.ultimatetechnology.com) are distinguished by their proven performance. Since 1988, Ultimate has been dedicated to providing the retail sector with open architecture systems and services that yield superior value, optimal integration and seamless migration. With more than 285,000 installations and locations in Victor, NY and Cleveland, OH, Ultimate Technology is one of the fastest growing POS hardware solutions providers.

For more information, contact Kathy Manners, Marketing Communications Specialist, at 585-742-5245 or by e-mail at mannersk@ultimatetechnology.com


# # #