Lockheed Martin IS&T announces alliance to speed adoption of Mobile Computing

Business Wire, Sept 23, 1996

KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 23, 1996--Lockheed Martin Information Systems & Technologies (IS&T) Monday announced the formation of the Mobile Computing Alliance(tm) to promote the use of wireless technology in enterprise mobile computing solutions.

The charter members of the alliance are IS&T, Itronix, Racotek, RAM Mobile Data, and Smith Advanced Technology. IS&T will work with the alliance members to develop best-of-breed wireless solutions for field force automation.

To facilitate this, IS&T is establishing a wireless computing lab in Atlanta where a dedicated team is building mobile computing frameworks with components from alliance members. The alliance will also integrate development approaches and reduce the cycle time and cost of building tailored mobile computing solutions.

"This alliance gives the mobile computing market the benefit of industry-leading products, combined with the world-class systems integration and implementation capabilities of Lockheed Martin," explained Ray Delaney, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin IS&T. "Our expertise with a wide range of LAN/WAN, wireless, and satellite-based network solutions ensures that our clients receive a reliable, robust solution to their business challenges."

According to David Roddy, chief telecommunications economist for Deloitte & Touche Consulting Group, "Organizations, particularly those with many mobile employees, are aware of the benefits of wireless computing.

"There is, however, confusion surrounding the alternatives in putting together a wireless solution. These organizations can benefit from working with consultants who focus specifically on the wireless arena."

"We're delighted that Lockheed Martin is making this significant commitment to mobile computing," said Steve Gevurtz, president of Itronix. "With Lockheed Martin IS&T dedicating resources to the wireless arena, putting the wireless puzzle together has just become easier."

"Customers are looking for data mobility vendors who work together to solve real business issues," said Michael A. Fabiaschi, Racotek president and CEO. "Data mobility puts the front line workers on-line with the rest of the organization and dramatically improves business processes.

"Racotek's KeyWare(tm) enabling technology, solution expertise, and end-to-end support services combined with Lockheed Martin's re-engineering, distributed systems, and project management expertise is a powerful offering for organizations considering implementing mobile data connectivity."

"RAM brings the strength of its wireless expertise to this alliance and we are very pleased to be a charter member of Lockheed Martin's initiative," said William Lenahan, president and CEO of RAM Mobile Data. "RAM's solution approach and its service offer critical features for enterprise solutions that will be valuable assets to this initiative.

"Our Strategic Network Initiative that links complementary networks to our core Mobitex technology offers enterprises 100 percent coverage of their mobile workforce. We look forward to working with alliance members to speed the development and implementation of wireless solutions."

About Information Systems & Technologies

Lockheed Martin Information Systems & Technologies (IS&T) is a premier provider of commercial information technology solutions and an integral element of Lockheed Martin Management & Data Systems (M&DS). M&DS has a 30-year tradition of providing integrated information solutions and services to a growing government and commercial market.

With headquarters in King of Prussia, IS&T draws on M&DS' systems integration expertise in identifying, developing and deploying strategic information systems. To help better align their technology investment with their business strategy, IS&T provides clients with a full range of open-systems information technology, project management and consulting services.

The IS&T web site is http://www.lmco.com/ist

About Itronix

Itronix has been providing commercial wireless mobile computing solutions for over 10 years and has leveraged this expertise to engineer the X-C 6000, a rugged, lightweight notebook computer with integrated high performance wireless communication technology.

Itronix' X-C 6000 was picked by Wireless For The Corporate User as the 1996 top product in the ruggedized systems category. Itronix is headquartered in Spokane, Wash. and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Telxon Corp. of Akron, Ohio.

Additional information on either company is available at their respective web sites www.itronix.com or www.telxon.com.

About Racotek

Racotek builds, enables and supports data mobility. Racotek has developed the KeyWare(tm) family of software products to facilitate mobile workgroup computing. The company provides consulting and professional services to help customers design, develop and implement mobile data solutions.

To ensure maximum system availability, Racotek offers Managed Network Services, a single point of contact for customers using multi-vendor environments. The company is based in Minneapolis with regional offices in Boston, Chicago, Dallas and San Francisco.