British Airways Takes off with Extended Systems' Enterprise Mobility

    Business Editors/Software Writers

    BRISTOL, United Kingdom--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 20, 2005--Extended Systems (NASDAQ:XTND), a leading provider of mobile software solutions, has announced that UK airline carrier British Airways has completed its project to equip up to 500 of its top managers with mobile data solutions using Extended Systems' OneBridge Mobile Groupware. Supporting a wide range of mobile devices on the network, British Airways selected Extended Systems' solution for its device agnostic, remote management capabilities that enable senior staff to access real-time information without imposing additional burdens on IT departments.
    Tough operating conditions in recent years have required all airlines, including British Airways, to cut costs and control expenditures. A long-time user of Extended Systems' legacy software XTNDConnect Server, the airline decided to re-evaluate its business and mobility strategy. Despite the fact that fewer staff have been provided with laptops and other wireless devices, British Airways wanted to continue to offer staff the opportunity to integrate their own mobile devices and smartphones onto the network. After re-examining its requirements, British Airways chose Extended Systems' OneBridge Mobile Platform as the foundation for future mobile initiatives with an initial purchase of 500 user licences. The deployment enables senior staff to synchronise their e-mail, calendar and contact information from the corporate e-mail server to their mobile devices to stay current with up-to-date information wherever their work takes them.
    "When we re-evaluated our needs, we looked at several vendors and found that OneBridge had evolved to the point that it does all the things we want it to do now and in the future," said Tim LeBlond, manager technology services at British Airways. "For us, the ability to provide an easy user install was important and we wanted to know that we were investing in a mobile solution that would give us the flexibility that would be required for future projects. Having carefully considered all other options, we decided that Extended Systems offered the best solution for us. British Airways has now completed the initial implementation of OneBridge successfully."
    OneBridge Mobile Groupware delivers e-mail and PIM data to mobile workers regardless of the device they use, the connection method, or groupware application. Because British Airways' senior staff were using their own devices it was important that the mobile platform was device agnostic and that it provided easy management of the network.
    "As the devices are not company property, a key selling point for British Airways was the ability to handle the installation on individual devices remotely using the client deployment wizard," said Nigel Doust, vice president of worldwide mobility at Extended Systems. "This significantly reduced the cost of the project and made the OneBridge solution a real and viable option."

    About British Airways

    British Airways is one of the world's longest established airlines and last year, more than 38 million people chose to fly with the airline. British Airways' worldwide route network covers some 216 destinations in 94 countries (including franchises, subsidiaries and oneworld partners). The group employs more than 50,000 people in 100 countries worldwide. Its two main operating bases are London's two main airports, Heathrow and Gatwick.

    About Extended Systems

    Extended Systems provides the expertise, strategy and solutions to help enterprise organizations streamline their business processes through mobile technology. The Company's OneBridge mobile solutions suite enables companies to mobilize critical enterprise applications such as e-mail, field service, sales force automation (SFA), enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer relationship management (CRM). Extended Systems has more than 2,500 enterprise customers worldwide and key alliance relationships. Founded in 1984, Extended Systems has offices and subsidiaries in the United States and worldwide. For more information, call 0117 901 5000 or visit www.extendedsystems.co.uk.

    This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements relating to the success of OneBridge Mobile Groupware and the Company's ongoing relationship with British Airways. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include the success of the Company's customer relationships and other key business relationships, overall economic conditions and the level of information technology spending by existing and potential customers, the timing of purchases by significant customers, the perceived and realized benefits of mobile devices, the timely development and acceptance of new products and technologies, the risks associated with development of new products and product enhancements, the impact of competitive products and pricing, continued growth in the markets for our products, and other risks as detailed from time-to-time in the Company's SEC filings, including its 2004 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on September 29, 2004 and 2005 Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.

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CONTACT: Extended Systems Amy Childress, 208-287-6083 amy.childress@extendedsystems.com or AxiCom for Extended Systems Andi Lustak, +44(0) 20 8392 4067 andi.lustak@axicom.com

KEYWORD: IDAHO UNITED KINGDOM INTERNATIONAL EUROPE INDUSTRY KEYWORD: HARDWARE TRAVEL AIRLINES TRANSPORTATION SOFTWARE PRODUCT MARKETING AGREEMENTS SOURCE: Extended Systems

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