MQSoftware Announces First End-to-End Telemetry Integration Solution With Arcom Control Systems, Supporting IBM WebSphere MQ Integrator

Business Wire, April 5, 2002

Business Editors & Technology Writers

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 5, 2002

Integrated Application Solution Streamlines Automatic Collection

and Dissemination of Real-Time Operational Data from Remote Sources

Directly into Enterprise Applications

MQSoftware, Inc., a leading provider of EAI and middleware messaging application solutions for IBM WebSphere(R) MQ-based messaging products, announced today that its flagship Q Pasa! middleware messaging software is now part of an integrated solution with IBM WebSphere MQ Integrator and Arcom Control Systems, a supplier of pervasive device technology. The end-to-end solution offers organizations the ability to manage data from field network-connected devices back into enterprise systems, providing greater flexibility and control over data collected from pervasive devices.

"The combined solution is ideal for a wide variety of communication infrastructure applications that depend on the collection of real-time data points to drive operational business decisions," said Dr. David L. Ching, chief technical officer at MQSoftware, Inc. "Our Q Pasa! integration with IBM WebSphere MQ Integrator and Arcom technology adds significant value by providing users with performance and availability information from pervasive devices to back office systems all from a single administrative point of control."

The telemetry solution streamlines the process of collecting, distributing and utilizing information from centralized and remote operations, thereby vastly improving data availability across the enterprise. For example, data can be optimally delivered from field devices as diverse as flow meters and pressure sensors in the process control environment to batch counters and check weighers in a factory production line, directly into back-office applications.

Arcom and MQSoftware will market the solution together to companies in the manufacturing, utilities and energy industries. In addition, MQSoftware is leading the knowledge transfer effort by rolling out an education program that will help companies understand how the respective technologies can be applied and implemented for their specific projects.

Arcom Control Systems is a leading supplier of embedded operating systems, communications protocols and integrated systems design. Its architecture capitalizes on strength of IBM's WebSphere MQ Integration by providing real-time data collection between front-end and back-end IT systems, including field devices.

According to Arcom's president and chief executive officer, Arlen Nipper, "Our combined solution minimizes the time and costs of real-time data acquisition while maximizing the use of information across multiple applications. Now for the first time, organizations can have a total end-to-end solution to help them realize the full potential of business integration enhanced by the availability of information from field devices. The incorporation of all of these technologies provides a best-of-breed solution that matches the needs of today's global customer."

Joint Development Drives New Protocol

Arcom and IBM's development laboratories in Hursley, England developed a new lightweight TCP/IP-based protocol to deliver data directly from remote devices and data producers into the IBM WebSphere MQ Integrator message broker. The protocol is called MQIsdp, MQ Integrator SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) device protocol. Following extensive industry consultation, the protocol has been carefully designed to meet the demands of a new generation of network connected field devices.

"IBM is pleased to work with MQSoftware and Arcom to provide a robust and reliable mechanism to achieve true end-to-end business integration, including remote telemetry devices with our new protocol, MQIsdp into the WebSphere MQ Integrator message broker " said Jeff Henry, Director, IBM WebSphere Solutions Marketing. "Q Pasa! from MQSoftware provides a real view of performance and availability of the entire application while also providing guaranteed data integrity and control. This integrated solution will enable customers to leverage valuable field data in exactly the same way as other enterprise data by giving them the tools to make it freely available throughout the enterprise."

About Arcom Control Systems (www.arcomcontrols.com)

Arcom Control Systems, a Spectris company (LSE:SXS.L), is a leading supplier of embedded computer and communications technology to industry. Founded in 1982, Arcom Control Systems has developed a broad range of standard embedded hardware and software solutions for control, data acquisition and data delivery systems. From its design centers in Kansas and Cambridge England, Arcom is also able to offer Design Services to meet the needs of high volume OEM and specialized customer requirements.

About IBM and IBM WebSphere MQ (http://www-3.ibm.com/software/ts/mqseries/)

IBM is the world's largest information technology company with 80 years of leadership in helping businesses innovate. IBM WebSphere MQ, part of the WebSphere family and the most widely used message-queuing software on the market, enables users to exchange information between applications across more than 35 different platforms, from mainframes to PCs. This award-winning software enables business integration throughout the enterprise, allowing companies to maximize e-business opportunities by leveraging existing resources to improve speed-to-market and anticipate IT changes as their business changes. IBM's Business Integration with WebSphere MQ family of products, which includes IBM's MQSeries Everyplace and MQSeries Integrator, addresses the critical areas of IT management: messaging, application and information integration and business process automation.