Network Computing Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ: NCDI), a world leader in enterprise network computing with an installed base of more than 350,000 NCs, today announced that its customers' experience with network computing corroborates cost-of-ownership predictions made in a recent study by independent market analyst firm Gartner Group.

In the study, Gartner, of Stamford, CT., said that total cost of ownership (TCO) savings of network computers over traditional PC/LAN configurations can range from 33 percent (Windows emulator NCs) to 41 percent (Java-based NCs). Gartner projected a 250-user environment saving between $715,000 and $1.12 million annually by switching from PC/LAN to network computers.

"We've long believed in the savings that the new Gartner study underscores," said Robert Gilbertson, CEO and president of Network Computing Devices. "The good news is that there's no reason for customers considering network computing to choose between the advantages of Java and the advantages of Windows. NCD's Universal Network Computers deliver both. NCD is committed to delivering any application to any desktop from any server. This is the definition of a true network computer."

From A Study to the Real World: A Customer Finds NCD Saves Him Money

Matthew Moran is an independent technology consultant based in Chatsworth, CA. One of his clients, hair care company Sebastian International, recently asked Moran to develop an enterprise-wide Windows NT network to replace the company's character-based terminals.

"Our users were mostly running SAP, the advanced business database application, sending two-paragraph e-mails and working with one- or two-page spreadsheets. I couldn't see plopping down a Pentium Pro PC on each desktop," said Moran. "After early trials that were just fantastic, we're currently installing 60 to 80 NCD Exploras running NCD's WinCenter server software on Compaq Proliant servers."

Moran calculated the cost of equipment at $2,500 per desktop for NCs and $3,800 per desktop for PCs. "But that's not where my true savings come in," he claimed.

"The bulk of NCD's value is in superior manageability. Let's say I have to install an upgrade. I can do one PC in a half-hour or 80 NCs in less than one hour. It would take me 40 hours to upgrade 80 PCs. My experience is that enterprises generate frequent network-wide upgrades. So you can figure the savings for yourself."

About Network Computing Devices, Inc.

Founded in 1988, Network Computing Devices, Inc. is the Universal Network Computer Company, providing network computer hardware and software that access applications and data from desktops throughout corporate intranets.

NCD's products offer users simultaneous, high-performance access to any application from any desktop throughout the networked enterprise, ranging from Windows, UNIX, mainframe, and legacy applications to Java, Internet, intranet, audio and video.

The NCD product line includes PC-Xware and WinCenter software applications, as well as the Explora and HMX families of Universal Network Computers. NCD has installed these products on more than 600,000 desktops worldwide, accumulating more than 2 billion hours of experience and service.

NCD's corporate headquarters is in Mountain View, California, and the company stock is traded on the NASDAQ stock exchange under the symbol NCDI.