The acquisition includes Pericom Holding’s Pericom Software business, including intellectual property and technology, customer lists, customer contracts and distribution channels and a non-competition agreement. The company said it expects to retain the employees involved in the software business, which will be operated as Neoware’s Host Access business unit.
Pericom Software sells a range of host access products that enable enterprises to provide employees, vendors and customers the ability to access host applications on mainframes, midrange, Unix and Linux systems. The company is essentially a terminal emulation software provider, which competes with the likes of WRQ, NetManage, Hummingbird and IBM.
Neoware said the software will be useful in providing its customers with desktop connectivity software for PC and mobile platforms, as well as for its thin clients. The Pericom software will be positioned under Pericom’s existing teemtalk, teemX and teemworld brand names.
Pericom had also OEMed its software to a number of other thin client vendors – it claims 75% of Windows Based Terminals (WBTs) shipped worldwide OEM Pericom software. Neoware said it will continue to make the software available to those vendors, though there is an obvious disincentive in them licensing software from what is now a direct competitor – Neoware sells its own WBT hardware. The company was unable to comment by press time.
Pericom’s managing director, John Stephenson, has joined Neoware as managing director of its host access business. Combining with Neoware – a profitable, growing technology company – gives us the resources we need to continue our leadership position in the industry and expand our level of commitment and service to our OEM and direct customers, both of whom are central to our strategy moving forward, said Stephenson in a prepared statement.
Neoware said the new operation is expected to be profitable immediately following the transaction.
Source: Computerwire
