THALES COMPUTERS AWARDED GOLD STATUS IN INDEPENDENT 2003 INDUSTRY ANALYST SURVEY

THALES COMPUTERS AWARDED GOLD STATUS IN INDEPENDENT 2003 INDUSTRY ANALYST SURVEY

Raleigh, NC (PRWEB) August 10, 2003 -- Thales Computers, a leader in providing integrated PowerPCä and Pentium-based VME computing systems and solutions to OEMs and system integrators, has been awarded Gold vendor status in Venture Development Corporations (VDC) 2003 Single Board Computers (SBCs) and Embedded Motherboards Industry Survey. VDC is an independent market research and consulting firm.

Tom Hall, President and CEO of Thales Computers, Inc., said, Achieving this designation in both the SBC and embedded motherboard categories is an excellent illustration of our commitment to our customers. Because it considers both hard data and user perception, VDCs survey represents the voice of the industry. Were proud to have been named to the top 15% of vendors who are meeting customer expectations."

Ratings were derived through VDCs proprietary, impartial survey model, which included factors such as breadth of product line, on-line resources, trade association membership, ISO certification and user perceptions. Through an online survey, respondents first identified important non-product criteria considered when reviewing vendors, such as availability, delivery, price, and a variety of service and support factors. Then, using a four-point scale, they rated up to five vendors from whom they had purchased SBCs or embedded motherboards on the same criteria. The data was aggregated and weighted appropriately to reflect the relative importance of the various criteria, and then combined with other data indicated above.

VDC awarded Platinum status to the 5% of VDC-identified vendors in each category achieving the highest numerical value from the execution of the model. Gold status was awarded to the next 10% of these vendors. The model was adjusted and executed separately for each category.

This survey, part of a multifaceted, yearlong planning service from VDC entitled "Year 2002-2003 Planning Service on Computers in Embedded and Real-Time Applications," complements VDCs extensive research in the embedded and real-time computing markets.

For more information, please visit Thales Computers website at www.thalescomputers.com, or contact Thales Computers at 1-800-848-2330, fax 919-231-8001.

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READER SERVICE INQUIRIES: Please forward all reader service inquiries to lkirby@thalescomputers.com.

About VDC: Founded in 1971, VDC is a technology market research and consulting firm that specializes in industrial and commercial electronics, computing, communications, software and power systems markets.

About Thales Computers: Thales is a world leader in professional electronics in three key markets: Aerospace, Defense and Information Technology & Services (IT&S). The Group employs 60,000 people in nearly 50 countries worldwide, and generated revenues of over €11 billion in 2002.

Thales Computers is the leading developer of commercial and ruggedized VMEbus hardware and software solutions based on PowerPC and Pentium microprocessors. The companys products are optimized for a wide variety of applications in military, aerospace, communications and industrial markets and are in active use by customers worldwide, including Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Boeing, Toshiba, EADS, British Aerospace, Ericsson, Alcatel and the Thales Group.