In this issue of Netkey News:

• Former Monster.com Executive Joins Netkey as CEO
• Kraft and Starbucks Boost Shopper Visits to the Grocery Shelf by 200% With Netkey
• US Postal Service Delivers HR Access for Employees with Netkey
• BMW and Netkey Recognized for Retail Achievement
• Netkey Customer CityKi Brings Internet Access to The Inner City
• Extend HR Self-Service to Your Unconnected Workforce
• New Netkey Web Site Helps You Get the Most Out of Self-Service
• Sales Support Professionals Join Netkey
• Netkey White Paper Wins Awards Competition
• Visit Netkey at the Kiosk Show, Sept. 17-18
• Self-Service Resources from Netkey

Former Monster Worldwide Executive Joins Netkey as CEO

Netkey is pleased to announce that V. Miller Newton has joined Netkey as chief executive officer. He will also have a seat on the Netkey Board of Directors. Miller will assume the helm of Netkey from founder Alex Richardson, who will remain a Netkey board member. Commenting on the appointment, Jim Perakis, chairman of the board of Netkey said: "Miller's strong technology background and proven ability to lead and build a business will be a tremendous asset to Netkey as we enter our next phase of growth."

Miller comes to Netkey from Boston-based Lavastorm Technologies, a best-in-class provider of revenue assurance software for the telecom industry, where he served as chairman and chief executive officer. Prior to that, Miller was executive vice president of sales & marketing at TMP Worldwide (now Monster Worldwide, a global marketing communications company and operator of the Monster.com web site. He was instrumental in taking TMPW public in 1996. Newton served as CEO of Monster, where he grew the company from $400,000 to $45 million and from 50 to 230 employees in fewer than 24 months. Newton attended the University of South Florida where he majored in marketing and management.

Read the news release

Read the Kiosk Marketplace profile

Kraft and Starbucks Boost Shopper Visits to the Grocery
Shelf by 200% With Netkey
Who says good things don't come in small packages? Netkey is taking self-service to the next level for Kraft Foods and Starbucks Coffee by combining small shelf-mounted touch screen devices together with high impact multi-media, video and audio. Co-located on the main shelf right next to a brand marketer's product these small 7.5 by 10 inch touch screen units educate and inform customers, highlight product facts, and showcase product promotions right at the point of purchase.

Through a licensing agreement, Kraft Foods -- the largest branded food and beverage company headquartered in the United States -- markets and distributes Starbucks whole bean and ground coffee in grocery, mass merchandiser and club stores, and the company was looking for a way to help establish the Starbucks brand in these retail channels.

To help Kraft achieve this goal, Netkey developed a shelf-mounted interactive device powered by Netkey software. The device - branded by Kraft as the Starbucks Interactive Unit (the SIU) - is a unique interactive marketing tool designed to engage and educate consumers about the super premium coffee category, and encourage trial of the Starbucks brand. Mounted directly on the grocery shelf, the self-contained video player employs touch-screen technology, and full-motion video for an engaging and interactive customer experience. Consumers can navigate through a series of screens that educate them on "The Fundamentals of Brewing," "The Starbucks Difference," and other related topics. A "Taste Matcher" provides coffee selection recommendations based on individual tastes.

"The Starbucks Interactive Unit is the perfect vehicle to introduce the Starbucks Experience to our grocery store customers and educate them on our selection of super premium coffees," said Mary Theisen, director, Grocery and Wholesale for Starbucks Coffee Company. "We are very excited about this program as it gives us the opportunity to create a stronger relationship with retailers and our coffee consumers."

During initial in-store tests, the SIU increased shopper visits to the grocery shelf by 200%. Kraft plans to roll out the unit to approximately 1,000 stores per quarter over the next three years.

Read more about the Starbucks Interactive Unit (SIU). Link to press release when complete.

Click here for more

US Postal Service Delivers HR Access for Employees with Netkey

The US Postal Service (USPS) employs 800,000 workers in 38,000 facilities nationwide, and its services touch each and every American household. Now, this mainstay of American commerce and communication - an organization that prides itself on dependability and reliability - is using self-service kiosks to deliver important information to its valued employees.

The kiosk system, called "Personnel Central," are being built by Netkey partner Kiosk Information Systems Inc. and will provide human resources information to postal employees who do not have regular access to computers on the job.

Netkey is providing the comprehensive kiosk management software platform required to put the Postal Service's HR functions online with a secure and reliable network infrastructure and easy-to-understand user interface. With Netkey, HR administrators are able to remotely monitor and manage the entire kiosk network for maximum uptime,  and schedule and update the content on the Personnel Central kiosks, all from a single desktop. Using the powerful reporting functions found in Netkey Manager, Postal Service administrators and generate reports on kiosk usage and employee preferences easily, providing insight about the needs of the workforce.

Read the news release

BMW and Netkey Recognized for Retail Achievement

BMW and Netkey took home the top award for Best in E-Commerce Integration recently as part of the Retail Systems Achievement Awards competition. The contest honor outstanding examples of systems and interactive applications that have resulted in more effective customer service and improved business processes. BMW and Netkey were recognized for the BMW Virtual Sales Center (VSC) interactive. Award winners in other categories included Wal-Mart, Ahold/Stop & Shop, REI and Kroger.

Read more about the Retail Systems Achievement Award winners.

Read more about the BMW Virtual Sales Center.

Netkey Customer CityKi Brings Internet Access to The Inner City

Roxbury - one of the oldest neighborhoods in Boston - is thriving, thanks to its proximity to the downtown and its well-known commercial hub, Dudley Square. This summer, commuters and others passing though the Dudley Square MBTA Bus Station will be able to check their e-mail and surf the Internet thanks to kiosks from CityKi. Created in partnership with the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts, the "Internet Service Centers" use Netkey software to bring Internet access and other needed services to inner city residents free of charge.

The wireless kiosks will connect to nearby Urban League's high-speed Internet service, offering Internet connection and links to MBTA schedules and fares, government agencies, educational opportunities and other local services. "This initiative will engage people by putting cutting-edge technology and information - at no charge to the user - in a convenient community location," said Darnell L. Williams, president and CEO of the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts. "Our goals are to help folks develop technology skills, provide a useful public service and position Dudley Square as an urban technology hub."

Extend HR Self-Service to Your Unconnected Workforce

Are your HR self-service applications reaching every employee? Are your manufacturing, distribution, healthcare, retail and hospitality workers benefiting from your existing investments in human resource technology? Netkey software solutions maximize the ROI of your HR applications, extending them to traditionally unconnected workers through kiosks and employee access workstations. Netkey's solutions for extending HR self-service can help you:

• Leverage your existing investments in HR systems
• Reduce HR costs
• Enhance employee satisfaction
• Extend your training materials, programs and tests to unconnected employees
• Get more time to focus on strategic HR initiatives
• Eliminate the headaches of open enrollment
• Improve recruiting
• Extend your HR self-service applications…quickly and reliably

Visit the Netkey Web site to learn more.

Download the white paper - Extending HR Self-Service to the Unconnected Workforce.

New Netkey Web Site Helps You Get the Most Out of Self-Service

If you haven't checked out the Netkey Web site lately, you might want to drop by for a visit at www.netkey.com. We're presenting a new image to the world with the launch our updated corporate Web site. The site reflects Netkey's leading position in the self-service marketplace and provides useful information on the value of Netkey software solutions for today's retailers, brand marketers, human resources departments, and more. Visit our site for information about:

• Retail Self-Service: Learn how you can attract and serve customers in retail locations.
• Interactive Selling: Learn how to increase revenue with interactive sales and marketing.
• Extended Human Resources Self-Service: Learn how you can address the needs of your unconnected workforce with solutions for extended HR and employee communications.

Sales Support Professionals Join Netkey

In response to an increased demand for self-service solutions, Netkey has added two new employees to its sales team.

Paul Blodgett has joined Netkey as manager of pre-sales, responsible for providing sales support to the Netkey field sales organization. Paul rejoins Netkey after a four-year hiatus as President and Partner of his own technology consulting firm, Iron Boot, Inc. Paul was with Netkey from 1993 to 1999 in a variety of project and product management positions. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Bucknell University and an M.B.A. from Yale University.

Mike Klein also joins the Netkey sales team in the role of Business Development Specialist. Mike has over 20 years of successful sales experience with companies such as Digital Equipment Corporation, Wang Laboratories, Honeywell Information Systems, Sperry Univac, and Pioneer. Mike is a graduate of the University of Hartford (BA, Marketing) and the Valley Forge Military Academy.

Netkey White Paper Wins Awards Competition

One of Netkey's white papers has been recognized as among the world's best in "The Third Annual White Paper Awards." The white paper - "Your Self-Service Solution: Buy or Build? 6 Key Factors to Consider in Your Software Decision" - was recognized in the software category by a distinguished panel of 10 judges with exceptional expertise in the fields of IT writing, reporting and analysis. Judges included representatives from analyst groups Gomez and Aberdeen, and editors from tech publications such as Ziff-Davis, Network Computing, and SoftLetter. Over 600 white papers were submitted to this prestigious international competition, with only 12 being honored with awards. Winning papers were judged on overall editorial quality, format, presentation, and end-user utility.

The winning Netkey white paper has recently been updated with new data, and is now titled "Ensuring Self-Service Success: A Practical Guide for IT Professionals." It is available for download here.

Self-Service Resources from

• Professional Services: Need assistance with a self-service kiosk project? Not sure how to start? Have a question? Get the help you need from Netkey's expert team of project managers, designers and consultants.
• Online Resource Center: Visit Netkey's online resource center for a wealth of information relating to self-service and kiosks, including white papers, software downloads, newsletters and more.
• Customer Case Studies: Read about the leading retailers, banks and other organizations using self-service technology to increase sales and deliver better service to customers and employees.
• Web Seminar Series: Learn how to reduce risk and make your self-service project successful. Register and attend a Netkey Web seminar from the comfort of your desk.