PATENT OWNER
`PATENT OWNER
`
`EXHIBIT 2027
`EXHIBIT 2027
`
`
`
`

`
`8th Annual Microsoft
`8th Annual Microsoft
`
`RAD Awards
`RAD Awards
`
`Reaching for excellence in
`Reaching for excellence in
`retail & hospitality solutions
`retail & hospitality solutions
`that enhance Business Agility
`that enhance Business Agility
`
`Sponsored by
`
`A Supplement to Fairchild’s Executive Technology
`
`

`
`Winners Optimize Business
`Winners Optimize Business
`Agility for Retail and Hospitality
`Agility for Retail and Hospitality
`
`Winners
`
`Retail Store Automation
`AccessVia
`
`page 4
`
`Hospitality Property Automation
`Palm Hospitality
`
`page 5
`
`Hospitality Point of Service
`Ameranth Wireless
`
`Merchandising
`Compris Technologies
`
`Marketing
`Daylight Software
`
`Hospitality Back Office
`Eatec
`
`Supply Chain
`Edifice Information
`
`Supply Chain
`Vista Software
`
`Retail POS
`Innovax
`
`Hospitality POS
`MICROS Systems
`
`Business Intelligence
`Radiant Systems
`
`Retail Back Office
`Radiant Systems
`
`page 6
`
`page 7
`
`page 8
`
`page 9
`
`page 10
`
`page 11
`
`page 12
`
`page 13
`
`page 14
`
`page 15
`
`Special Recognition
`
`Greatest Business Impact
`ProClarity
`
`page 16
`
`Best Use of .NET Technologies
`Newmarket International
`
`page 17
`
`Honorable Mentions
`
`Judges
`
`page 18
`
`page 19
`
`As the landscape grows increasingly competitive in the retail and hospitality
`industries, the most successful companies will be those that can adjust to an
`environment where change is a constant. The ability to discern what cus-
`tomers want, and to be able to provide it to them not only how and when they
`want it but at a price that maintains a company’s margins, has become a chal-
`lenging proposition in today’s rapidly shifting marketplace. It requires a high
`degree of Business Agility throughout the enterprise, from the point of sale in
`each store or property to the most complex headquarters-level systems.
`Technology has always played a crucial role in creating, and maintaining, high levels of Business
`Agility. The most successful retail and hospitality companies choose solutions that give them a maxi-
`mum of flexibility today, as well as the capability to grow and change with tomorrow’s business
`needs—whatever they may be.
`This year’s Retail Application Developer (R.A.D.) Award winners, profiled in the following pages of
`this special report, exemplify the idea of leveraging IT to maximize a company’s Business Agility within
`the complex, fast-moving worlds of retail and hospitality.
`One of the key technology enablers facilitating these solutions is Microsoft® .NET. The .NET vision—
`information technology architectures and platforms that bring the right information to the right people,
`any time, any place and on any device—takes practical form with the solutions offered by the R.A.D.
`Award winners. They, along with a wide range of other solution providers, are using the .NET frame-
`work, Microsoft Windows® operating systems and the .NET Enterprise Server family to bring scalability,
`flexibility and manageability to their retail and hospitality customers.
`The winning solutions are not just technologically sophisticated. They also bring a host of actual,
`provable business benefits to their retail and hospitality users. In choosing the winning companies,
`the R.A.D. Award judges took careful note of the business impact of each application. In part because
`Microsoft’s platforms, systems and services provide such a strong base to work from, the application
`developers were able to focus their energies on creating solutions that produced quick returns on
`investment while lowering total cost of ownership.
`Microsoft thanks the R.A.D. Award judges, and congratulates the winning companies for creating
`solutions that make Business Agility a business basic.
`
`Tom Litchford
`Director of Marketing and Channel
`ISG Retail & Hospitality
`Microsoft Corp.
`
`8th Annual Microsoft RAD Awards
`
`June 2003
`
`Fairchild’s Executive Technology
`7 West 34th Street,
`New York, New York 10001-8191
`
`Publisher
`Tia Potter
`(212) 630-4844
`
`Special Projects Manager
`Adam Blair
`blaira@fairchildpub.com
`
`Director of Design
`Virginia Dickens
`vdickens@visad.com
`
`ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT
`
`

`
`Sponsors Salute Microsoft R.A.D. Winners
`
`Investments Appreciating for Customers, Partners and Industry
`
`Hewlett-Packard’s commitment to serving the retail and hospitality industries can be measured in numerous
`ways, but perhaps the most persuasive is the significant research and development dollars that HP has been
`investing. Retailers will see a range of products designed to help them take costs out of their supply chains
`coming into the market in the next 18 months.
`One of the strongest examples of HP’s investment in the retail and hospitality marketplace is the rp5000
`point of sale system, which combines the best elements of proprietary POS solutions—reliability and a long
`product life—with the flexibility and low costs of open systems. In addition to providing retail users with the
`best of both worlds in the mission-critical POS area, innovative products like the rp5000, developed in con-
`junction with HP’s technology partners Microsoft and Intel, give a wide range of companies a terrific platform
`for their software solutions.
`Another important way HP supports the retail and hospitality industries is with its ongoing support of the
`Microsoft R.A.D. Awards. We are proud to sponsor these awards, which recognize excellence and reflect the
`investment in innovation that the market needs. I congratulate all of this year’s R.A.D. winners.
`
`Robert Corbett
`Director
`Retail Industry Solutions Marketing
`Hewlett-Packard Company
`
`Real-Time Answers for a Fast-Moving Industry
`
`Retailers are in a constant state of change, with new store openings, consolidations, expanded sales channels
`and quickly changing consumer trends. To deal with this ever-shifting environment, the information technology
`that retail and hospitality companies use must be flexible and adaptable, to meet business and operations
`needs as well as provide customers with the optimum shopping experience.
`One of the strongest ways retail and hospitality companies can stay competitive is with wireless infrastruc-
`tures that can deliver information in real-time and enhance customer service, strengthen customer loyalty and
`eliminate inefficiencies. Along with its technology partners, Intel is delivering the new technology to enable cut-
`ting-edge wireless solutions.
`Powerful yet affordable technology, built on standards, allows retailers to integrate and scale their business
`solutions. In addition, the breakthrough mobile performance that Intel® Centrino™ mobile technology provides
`enables a company’s employees to respond quickly to changing market conditions.
`New wireless solutions will continue to emerge as retailers address the basic problems of operating econo-
`my and customer behavior with strategically applied information. Intel is dedicated to providing the underlying
`technology that will make these solutions reliable and cost-effective.
`Intel salutes this year’s R.A.D. Award winners for their dedication to keeping retail and hospitality companies
`competitive with a wide range of innovative IT solutions.
`
`Jon Stine
`Worldwide Retail and Consumer Goods Industry Manager
`Intel Corporation
`
`

`
`Web-Based Content
`Management Expands Stores’
`Signage Capabilities
`
`Microsoft
`Microsoft
`RAD Awards
`RAD Awards
`2003
`2003
`
`A Web-based solution that centralizes
`numerous types of customer-facing com-
`munications, from printed shelf-edge
`signs to in-store electronic displays, has
`been honored with a R.A.D. Award.
`Web dSignShop from AccessVia pro-
`vides retailers with the centralization
`benefits of Web-based deployment to
`manage complex, fast-changing cus-
`tomer-facing communications, according
`to AccessVia CEO Dean Sleeper. The
`application allows retailers to centralize
`content as well as templates for in-store
`signage of all kinds, maintaining head-
`quarters-level control while giving stores
`the material they need to merchandise
`and market products effectively.
`Centralization relieves individual
`stores of the burden of maintaining ever-
`larger content “libraries” at the store
`level. “The need to populate those con-
`tent libraries in the stores is a night-
`mare,” said Sleeper. A patent-pending
`data compression technology allows
`retailers to create content centrally—even
`data-rich content like color pictures of the
`product—and send it to the stores without
`overburdening communication systems.
`The ability to make use of significant
`amounts of data provides retailers with
`a host of new competitive tools for the
`store environment. “Effectively, the item
`file in retail today grew up in a point of
`sale-centric fashion—it didn’t deal with
`the other attributes of a product,” said
`Sleeper. With the Web dSignShop solu-
`tion, retailers can more easily create sig-
`nage that includes key reasons to pur-
`chase a product, such as comparison
`data for a consumer electronics item,
`nutrition information or suggested
`recipes for food items, as well as promo-
`tional information.
`
`Because these information files are
`created and previewed with Web-based
`technology, they can also be easily used
`for other customer-facing technologies
`in the store, such as handheld devices,
`kiosks and POS display screens.
`AccessVia simplified the tool sets that
`retailers use, creating a WYSIWIG
`authoring tool that allows its merchan-
`disers to create a consistent look and
`feel throughout the store environment.
`Another new element of Web
`dSignShop is its in-aisle execution,
`allowing store associates to request
`signs on handheld devices while they
`are in the store aisles. In addition,
`AccessVia has added “Mission IS
`Possible,” a “try before you buy” pro-
`gram that lets a retailer launch a live
`pilot in a store after visiting AccessVia
`online or at a trade show. “This lets
`retailers test the waters and identify the
`key issues that would happen in a roll-
`out scenario,” said Sleeper.
`AccessVia makes extensive use of
`Microsoft technology, from its Windows®
`2000 Server and Windows Server 2003
`for rendering, to its use of Microsoft SQL
`Server and the .NET ASP page architecture.
`“We’re in the business of helping retail-
`ers communicate with their customers
`across all channels,” said Sleeper. “We
`work very hard to get them to understand
`that their shelf-edge signs and labels
`aren’t a special, separate thing, but are
`just one place to speak to customers
`about their items and promotions.”
`
`For more information about AccessVia
`call 206-285-4994 or visit
`www.AccessVia.com.
`
`AccessVia
`Seattle, WA
`
`R.A.D. Award Category:
`Retail Store Automation
`
`“We’re in the
`business of
`helping retailers
`communicate
`with their
`customers
`across all
`channels.”
`
`4 Microsoft RAD Awards 2003
`
`

`
`Wireless Handheld Solution
`Manages Hotel Workforce
`More Efficiently
`
`Microsoft
`Microsoft
`RAD Awards
`RAD Awards
`2003
`2003
`
`A property management solution that
`uses wireless and handheld technolo-
`gies to bring the “just-in-time” concept
`to hotels has been honored with a
`R.A.D. Award.
`Just in Time Housekeeping
`Integrated from Palm Hospitality
`Technologies allows hotel properties to
`more efficiently schedule guest room
`cleaning schedules. It makes use of a
`WiFi wireless backbone at the hotel
`property to transmit information immedi-
`ately among managers, housekeepers,
`bell captains, valets and maintenance
`people, all of whom can receive informa-
`tion via Microsoft Pocket PC handheld
`devices.
`Palm’s application addresses the
`problem experienced by many travelers
`who arrive prior to 3 p.m. (standard
`check-in time) and need a guest room.
`“The hospitality market is one of the last
`industries that doesn’t cater to the cus-
`tomer’s schedule,” said Michel Picard,
`founder of Palm Hospitality. “You can
`rent a car any time of the day or night,
`and you can track a package anywhere
`in the world 24/7. But hotels force you
`to leave your room at noon, and won’t
`let you check in until 3 p.m., even
`though it only takes 30 minutes to clean
`each individual room.
`“What does a hotel need to prepare
`a room for a guest? They need to clean
`it, do an inventory and fix any outstand-
`ing maintenance problems,” he added.
`“Hotels need to synchronize those tasks,
`and have them done in the smallest
`time frame possible.”
`By making use of this solution, hotels
`can immediately alert a housekeeper
`when a guest checks out, or has left the
`
`hotel for a day-long meeting. “As soon
`as the guest leaves, that information is
`transmitted directly to the maid,” said
`Picard. “That automatically modifies the
`schedule, and bumps that task up on
`the list of rooms to do.”
`Hotel guests can also request a spe-
`cific time for their room to be made up,
`avoiding multiple interruptions from
`housekeeping while they are in their
`rooms. And if a large convention or
`meeting is ending, with a significant
`block of people checking out at the
`same time, the hotel can more easily
`adjust its schedules to prepare the
`rooms for incoming guests.
`The solution allows hotels to use
`their labor resources more efficiently.
`Hotels typically use specific employees
`to check each room for guest usage of
`minibar items, even though a minority of
`guests use the minibars. “Now, if the
`maid sees that someone has drunk a
`bottle of champagne from the minibar,
`she can click on that icon on her hand-
`held device, which alerts the handheld
`for the person responsible for refilling
`the minibars,” said Picard.
`Just in Time Housekeeping
`Integrated also addresses the multicul-
`tural nature of the typical hospitality
`workforce. “The solution works in 250
`languages simultaneously,” said Picard.
`“If you sign on with your employee ID
`and you speak Creole, for example, the
`system recognizes you and ‘speaks’ to
`you in that language.”
`
`For more information about Palm
`Hospitality, call 877-677-7256 or visit
`www.palm-ht.com.
`
`Palm Hospitality
`Technologies
`Quebec, Canada
`
`R.A.D. Award Category:
`Hospitality Property Automation
`
`“As soon as the
`guest leaves,
`that information
`is transmitted
`directly to the
`maid. That
`automatically
`modifies the
`schedule, and
`bumps that task
`up on the list of
`rooms to do.”
`
`Microsoft RAD Awards 2003 5
`
`

`
`Wireless Solution Speeds
`Table Turnover, Boosts
`Customer Satisfaction
`
`Microsoft
`Microsoft
`RAD Awards
`RAD Awards
`2003
`2003
`
`A table and guest management solution
`that makes use of wireless technology to
`improve restaurant seating utilization, cut
`table turnover times and improve guest
`satisfaction has been honored with a
`R.A.D. Award.
`HostAlert from Ameranth Wireless,
`working in conjunction with JTech
`Communications, is designed to update
`the status of tables throughout a restau-
`rant for the host who deals with waiting
`customers in the lobby area. A touch
`screen computer at the host stand
`serves as the information hub, with vari-
`ous associates throughout the restau-
`rant using Microsoft Pocket PCs to feed
`information into the system.
`As each table becomes available, it’s
`matched to the party in the database
`that is the correct size and has been wait-
`ing the longest. According to Ameranth
`CEO Keith McNally, one restaurant testing
`the system said “a table doesn’t stay
`open for more than 30 seconds, and it
`had been up to four minutes previously.
`You can see how that would yield more
`business with faster table turns.”
`Cary Gruer, Ameranth’s Vice
`President of Business Development,
`noted that the HostAlert solution will
`help restaurants increase the number of
`covers—the amount of meals they
`serve—by an average of 10%. “It also
`contributes to greater accuracy in quot-
`ing waiting times for a table,” said Gruer.
`“It computes the wait times based on
`historical information, and it also ‘learns’
`what the turn times are, which helps
`make the quote change dynamically
`based on the actual wait times for that
`restaurant.”
`Increased accuracy in wait times has
`helped boost overall customer satisfac-
`
`tion with the “lobby” experience, accord-
`ing to Randy Babitt, Director of
`Operations Development at Red Lobster,
`where the HostAlert solution is being
`tested in one restaurant. “We’re also
`maximizing seats in the restaurants dur-
`ing peak hours—it’s running at about
`85% in the test restaurant, where the
`average is 65%.”
`The solution also helps improve cus-
`tomer service by passing guest informa-
`tion to the servers, allowing them to be
`more prepared when they approach the
`guests for the first time. The system also
`sends text pages to various associates
`throughout the restaurant, allowing
`amenities such as high chairs or booster
`seats for children to be delivered more
`quickly.
`HostAlert makes significant use of
`Microsoft technology. In addition to its
`use of Pocket PC, the application itself
`was created with Microsoft development
`tools. The wireless backbone for the
`technology is based on the Microsoft
`Windows XP operating system, and is
`centered around a Microsoft SQL Server.
`The solution also allows restaurant
`owners with multiple locations and multi-
`ple banners to more effectively keep cus-
`tomers. If a guest comes to a restaurant
`with a long wait, they can be put on the
`waiting list for a sister restaurant located
`10 or 20 minutes away, and be seated
`immediately when they reach the other
`restaurant. “One of the tenets of this
`ability is having an accurate wait quote
`time, and HostAlert is fundamental to
`making that possible,” said McNally.
`
`For more information about
`Ameranth call 858-362-0150 or visit
`www.ameranth.com.
`
`Ameranth Wireless
`San Diego, CA
`
`R.A.D. Award Category:
`Hospitality Point of Service
`
`“One restaurant
`testing the
`system said a
`table doesn’t
`stay open for
`more than 30
`seconds, and it
`had been up to
`four minutes
`previously. You
`can see how
`that would yield
`more business
`with faster
`table turns.”
`
`6 Microsoft RAD Awards 2003
`
`

`
`Centralized Solution
`Allows Sophisticated
`Store-Level Pricing
`
`A solution that allows corporate-level
`control of pricing and promotional
`changes throughout a restaurant chain
`has been honored with a R.A.D. Award.
`The Multi-Site Maintenance System
`from Compris Technologies allows a cor-
`porate food service operator to maintain
`any number of point of sale and menu
`databases remotely. Store-level changes,
`including pricing, menus, coupons, taxes
`and discounts, are distributed from a
`central location to multiple restaurants,
`concepts and sites, enabling updates to
`be registered easily, reliably and cost-
`effectively.
`“Previously, the corporate level was
`relying on the store managers to make
`these types of changes themselves,”
`said Alaa Pasha, Vice President of Sales
`and Marketing for Compris. “But with
`increased competition there was a need
`for more sophistication, with functions
`such as dynamic pricing and upselling
`suggestions. Older, proprietary front end
`systems didn’t have the flexibility to han-
`dle these types of things.”
`Corporate-level control means the
`hospitality company is assured of a con-
`sistent execution across the entire enter-
`prise. The solution also means a more
`productive use of the store-level manag-
`er’s time. “Even if you could train each
`manager to handle these types of func-
`tions, do you want your managers in the
`back office creating a promotion rather
`than out front dealing with customers?”
`asked Pasha.
`The Multi Site Maintenance System is
`also sophisticated enough to handle dif-
`ferent pricing in different store and
`restaurant environments. “If a chain has
`1,000 restaurants, there might be 50 dif-
`ferent prices for one item,” said Pasha.
`
`Microsoft
`Microsoft
`RAD Awards
`RAD Awards
`2003
`2003
`
`“This is where Compris comes in; we
`built this product to support every aspect
`of data and configuration in the store.
`This ‘mass maintenance’ capability easi-
`ly manages all the differences across the
`enterprise.
`“For example, to change the price of
`a soft drink by 20 cents across the board
`could involve 5,000 records, but with our
`tool it’s just a few mouse clicks and the
`change is populated across the enter-
`prise,” he added.
`In addition, the Multi Site
`Maintenance System can create special
`promotions for a pre-set amount of time,
`for example over the Fourth of July holi-
`day, with parameters automatically
`returning to normal after the specified
`date has passed.
`Compris makes significant use of
`Microsoft technology, including Microsoft
`SQL Server. “This holds the data for all
`the stores, so we needed to be sure it’s
`a reliable database platform,” said
`Pasha. “We also use XML for data
`exchange, and are making use of the
`.NET framework as well.”
`Future developments for Compris
`could include expanding to control other
`technology within the restaurant envi-
`ronment. “There’s a lot of interest in dig-
`ital or electronic menu boards. I see this
`product managing those types of menu
`boards,” said Pasha. “We’re also looking
`at the area of customer-activated kiosks.
`We have our own kiosk application, but
`as an open systems provider we could
`see ourselves supporting other kiosk
`applications as well.”
`
`For more information about
`Compris call 770-795-3300 or visit
`www.compristech.com.
`
`Compris Technologies
`Kennesaw, GA
`
`R.A.D. Award Category:
`Merchandising
`
`“To change the
`price of a soft
`drink by 20 cents
`across the board
`could involve
`5,000 records,
`but with our tool
`it’s just a few
`mouse clicks and
`the change is
`populated
`across the
`enterprise.”
`
`Microsoft RAD Awards 2003 7
`
`

`
`ASP Business Model
`Makes Hospitality Marketing
`Solution Affordable
`
`Microsoft
`Microsoft
`RAD Awards
`RAD Awards
`2003
`2003
`
`Hotels and other hospitality companies
`are dealing with a tough competitive
`environment—including less leisure and
`business travel and lower occupancy
`rates—by seeking to maximize sales
`throughout their organizations while
`simultaneously lowering technology
`costs. The Daylight ASP solution, a host-
`ed version of the company’s client/serv-
`er solution for hospitality marketing,
`allows them to accomplish this, and has
`been honored with a R.A.D. Award.
`The ASP (application service provider)
`business model significantly lowers a
`hotel’s upfront costs to use the Daylight
`solution, which is designed for compa-
`nies marketing multiple hospitality
`properties. Daylight ASP is also helping
`Daylight reach the limited-service portion
`of the hospitality market, according to
`Debbie Johnson, Vice President of
`Product Management.
`“A cost of $2,500 per user wasn’t
`realistic for a Fairfield Inn-type company,”
`said Johnson. “But with the ASP model
`it’s $150 per month, per user, all-inclu-
`sive. This not only eliminates the initial
`capital expenditure, it moves it over to a
`monthly operating cost. And by outsourc-
`ing all the technical aspects of an imple-
`mentation, customers who hadn’t even
`considered using a sales and catering
`management system are now able to
`take advantage of it.”
`She added that some of Daylight’s
`existing customers have moved onto the
`ASP model rather than host and main-
`tain the software themselves. “We’re
`seeing big acceptance from the market-
`place as people strategize about how to
`get more sales,” said Johnson. “One way
`to combat low occupancy rates is to pro-
`
`vide tools for a sales force to be more
`effective. But companies want to avoid a
`large upfront cost, so the ASP model is a
`perfect alternative.”
`One of the key elements of Daylight’s
`software is its centralized database,
`which allows a multi-property company to
`sell more effectively throughout its enter-
`prise. “For example, a hotel company
`might have eight properties in its data-
`base, but each user only sees the infor-
`mation about his own particular proper-
`ty,” said Johnson. “But having all that
`data in the same database allows a com-
`pany to analyze and share information in
`ways they hadn’t been able to previously.
`“The solution is more efficient in the
`areas of leads and inquiries,” she added.
`“If there’s a piece of business that does-
`n’t fit your particular property, it might
`make sense for a sister property.”
`Daylight also brings its understanding
`of the hospitality marketplace to bear in
`its ASP offering. “A lot of hosted compa-
`nies allow a user to configure their pack-
`age, but they don’t have the hospitality
`vertical aspects,” said Johnson. “These
`systems don’t know what a guest room
`or a meeting room is.”
`Daylight uses a wide range of
`Microsoft technologies, including
`Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Internet
`Information Server and an XML API. The
`result is that “a user only needs a brows-
`er to gain a window into the hosted net-
`work,” said Johnson. “From the cus-
`tomer’s perspective, the database and
`the application is all Daylight.”
`
`For more information about Daylight
`Software call 603-743-6677 or visit
`www.daylightsoftware.com.
`
`Daylight Software
`Dover, NH
`
`R.A.D. Award Category:
`Headquarters Marketing
`
`“One way to
`combat low
`occupancy rates
`is to provide
`tools for a sales
`force to be more
`effective. But
`companies want
`to avoid a large
`upfront cost, so
`the ASP model
`is a perfect
`alternative.”
`
`8 Microsoft RAD Awards 2003
`
`

`
`Back-Office Hospitality
`Solution Creates
`Enterprise-Wide Efficiencies
`
`Microsoft
`Microsoft
`RAD Awards
`RAD Awards
`2003
`2003
`
`A complete back-office solution
`designed for a wide range of hospitality
`environments has been honored with a
`R.A.D. Award.
`EatecNetX offers users a single, cen-
`tralized database, as well as all the
`functionality needed to run any type of
`food service operation, including
`recipes, menu control, purchasing and
`receiving. The solution also offers spe-
`cialty function modules, such as for run-
`ning commissaries and production facili-
`ties. EatecNetX’s flexibility is reflected in
`Eatec’s wide range of customer types,
`which include restaurants; hotel/casino
`resorts; stadiums and arenas; grocery
`stores; universities; K-12 school dis-
`tricts; and transportation companies
`such as Amtrak.
`“We offer special applications for sta-
`diums and arenas, such as catering for
`owner suites and online ordering by
`suite holders, as well as for concession
`areas selling team gloves and hats,”
`said Eatec President Peter Marguglio.
`He added that the EatecNetX interface
`is extremely customizable, not only for
`each kind of company but for the multi-
`ple users within a company that will typi-
`cally use the solution.
`“The usage varies by market, and it
`could include financial analysts, invento-
`ry control people, or chefs, as well as
`store associates who are counting inven-
`tory and requisitioning items,” said
`Marguglio. The solution is also designed
`to support multiple languages and multi-
`ple currencies, and can support input
`not only via browser-based access but
`also from handheld devices, wireless
`LANs and scanners.
`One of the key business benefits of
`the EatecNetX solution is its ability to
`
`control food costs. Customers have seen
`food cost reductions in the 4% to 6%
`range, along with revenue increases of
`0.5% to 1.5%. Customers also report
`improved productivity thanks to
`EatecNetX’s ability to automate a variety
`of manual tasks, and better, faster infor-
`mation with its immediate enterprise-
`level reporting for decision-making.
`“People have seen food cost control
`as the traditional reason to purchase a
`back-office system,” said Marguglio. “We
`can do that by analyzing the profitability
`of a company’s menu mix—not only
`what’s selling but whether it’s priced
`correctly. A restaurant may be moving a
`lot of cheesecake, but if it’s priced at
`only $3.50 per slice it’s not good busi-
`ness for them.”
`Marguglio added that Eatec’s
`strength is in all areas of the back office.
`“EatecNetX has the robustness and
`breadth of functionality to run an entire
`business—it’s not just for building a
`recipe,” he said.
`Eatec makes use of a wide range of
`Microsoft technologies, including the
`Microsoft SQL Server and Microsoft
`Internet Explorer browser. With its next
`planned product release, Eatec.NET,
`Eatec will be moving to Microsoft
`Windows Server 2003 and to greater use
`of the Microsoft .NET framework.
`“Our strength is in the back office
`area—we know it’s our core competen-
`cy,” said Marguglio. “We believe
`EatecNetX and the upcoming Eatec.NET
`will be our products for a long time to
`come in this area.”
`
`For more information about Eatec call
`510-594-9011 or visit www.eatec.com.
`
`Eatec
`Emeryville, CA
`
`R.A.D. Award Category:
`Hospitality Back Office
`
`“EatecNetX has
`the robustness
`and breadth of
`functionality to
`run an entire
`business—it’s
`not just for
`building a
`recipe.”
`
`Microsoft RAD Awards 2003 9
`
`

`
`Solution Delivers
`Sell-Through Data Quickly
`and Cost-Effectively
`
`Microsoft
`Microsoft
`RAD Awards
`RAD Awards
`2003
`2003
`
`A solution that provides suppliers with
`fast, detailed sell-through information
`gathered directly from retailers’ point of
`sale systems has been honored with a
`R.A.D. Award.
`Edifice Information’s i.glass collects
`and analyzes POS information from retail-
`ers and provides it to its supplier clients,
`giving them solid information about what
`products are moving through which retail
`venues. “i.glass is an enabling tool for
`collaboration,” said John Cornwell,
`Edifice’s CEO. “The retailer and the sup-
`plier have a common database to work
`from, and can find opportunities to work
`together for their mutual benefit.”
`The i.glass solution collects data at
`the end of the retail week, typically
`Sunday, and provides reports to its sup-
`plier clients by Tuesday. “We’re collecting
`information specifically about a suppli-
`er’s products, and it’s provided only to
`the supplier and to the retailer,” said
`Cornwell. “The suppliers get multiple
`retailers rolled up into their reports.”
`Reports are delivered using Microsoft
`Excel, and are e-mailed to a wide range
`of executives within the supplier organi-
`zation, including account managers, pro-
`duction planners, as well as those
`responsible for scheduling and forecast-
`ing. Retailing functions that can be fed
`with such analysis include product
`assortments, markdown analysis, adver-
`tising effectiveness, planning and fore-
`casting. i.glass is used by some of the
`country’s largest retailers, including
`Sears, JC Penney, Wal-Mart and Lowe’s,
`according to Cornwell.
`One of the key benefits of i.glass is its
`pricing model, which is based on each
`supplier’s volume—the number of prod-
`
`ucts to be tracked multiplied by the num-
`ber of retail locations. “The cost can be as
`low as hundreds, or thousands, of dollars
`per month for the data,” said Cornwell.
`“Our product fills a real need, and
`addresses suppliers’ difficulty in collabo-
`rating with retailers. They often couldn’t
`find an affordable system to convert POS
`information into usable sell-through and
`retail analysis. We bring this information
`within the technological and economic
`reach of all companies, large and small.”
`Edifice has standardized its software
`using Microsoft technology, and its use
`of the Microsoft .NET framework has
`made a “tremendous difference” in
`keeping its cost of operations low,
`according to Cornwell.
`In addition, Edifice continues to devel-
`op context for its analytical reports, with
`the addition of third-party information on
`areas including demographics, geograph-
`ics and climate. “Manufacturers are get-
`ting a better sense of why things are
`moving; they’re seeing which consumers
`are buying their products, not just what’s
`going out the door,” said Dane Adcock,
`Edifice’s President.
`i.glass results have been impressive,
`according to Cornwell, with supplier cus-
`tomers reporting sales increases in the
`$30-$50 million range; seven-figure cost
`decreases, and margin increases of sever-
`al full percentage points. “The greatest evi-
`dence that we deliver value is that suppli-
`ers will start with only a few retailers, but
`they will always scale up their usage to 20
`or 30 retailers.”
`
`For more information about Edifice
`Information call 973-616-2929 or visit
`www.edificeinfo.com.
`
`Edifice Information
`Riverdale, NJ
`
`R.A.D. Award Category:
`Supply Chain
`
`“Suppliers often
`couldn’t find
`an affordable
`system to convert
`POS information
`into usable sell-
`through and
`retail analysis.
`We bring this
`information
`within the
`technological
`and economic
`reach of all
`companies,
`large and small.”
`
`10 Microsoft RAD Awards 2003
`
`

`
`Retailer-Supplier Collaboration
`Solution Reduces Error,
`Speeds Products to Shelf
`
`Microsoft
`Microsoft
`RAD Awards
`RAD Awards
`2003
`2003
`
`A solution that gives retailers a simple way
`to collaborate with their suppliers via Web-
`based global information exchanges, and
`allows them to easily move forward as
`new standards are set by these bodies,
`has been honored with a R.A.D. Award.
`“Our Vista Software product assists
`retailers in collaborating electronically
`with UCCnet, Transora and WWRE,” said
`Charity Rumery, Vista’s Director of
`Product Management. She added that
`Vista serves as a certified collaboration
`tool for the product standards that are
`already out. In addition, retailers will be
`able to use Vista’s solution for the pricing
`and promotion standards that will be set
`and dist