silex Provides Network Connectivity for Bowe Bell + Howell Workgroup and Departmental Scanners.

Compatibility Creates Instant and Affordable Distributed Scanner Networking Solution

SALT LAKE CITY, Nov. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- silex technology america, Inc., a leading provider of wired and wireless network connectivity technology, today announced the compatibility of its SX-2000BB+H USB Hi-Speed device server with Bowe Bell + Howell's Sidekick 1200 US and 1400 US desktop scanners, providing the capability to affordably connect cost-effective workgroup and departmental scanners directly to a network.

Driven by a growing need to increase productivity, and also by a growing amount of government regulation to properly store records and documents such as The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Sarbanes-Oxley rules (SOX), companies are struggling to cost-effectively manage the process of turning hardcopy documents into digitized images for storage. Scanning documents, or document imaging, is one of the best ways to help companies implement processes to meet these compliance requirements. The use of silex technology's device server with Bowe Bell + Howell's desktop scanners allows businesses of all sizes to maximize productivity and eliminate costs by conveniently sharing a scanner over the network instead of requiring a dedicated personal computer.

"We are pleased to extend our ability to provide the added value of networkability for Bowe Bell + Howell's Sidekick scanner users through this initiative," said Keith Sugawara, silex vice president of networking division. "We believe this combination will greatly increase the usability of Sidekick scanners to a large group of users and applications in a variety of network environments."

According to a study of 640 corporate scanner users conducted by InfoTrends/CAP Ventures in 2004, more than half of respondents said that network scanner connectivity is important presently or will be important in the future.

By connecting a scanner to the network with a USB device server, small offices, such as medical practices, financial and legal offices and departments of educational institutions, government organizations and hospitals can benefit from the convenience of sharing a desktop scanner over an existing network. It also increases overall document management productivity while lowering the total cost of ownership.

The SX-2000BB+H is a one-port, 10/100 Base-TX USB 2.0 device server designed to connect Bowe Bell + Howell USB scanners directly to a network. SX-Virtual Link, a USB utility, allows the PC to virtually recognize the peripheral as if it were directly attached. It allows all computer users on the network to share Bowe Bell + Howell USB scanners and is compatible with Windows XP and Windows 2000 operating systems. The SX-2000BB+H has an MSRP of US $149.