Host Access Solutions: Terminal Emulation Software and Host Integration

About Zephyr

Introduction

Zephyr Development Corporation is a highly respected developer of advanced terminal emulation and host integration solutions for Microsoft Windows.

Founded in 1985, the full service, web-based company offers desktop terminal emulation, browser-based terminal emulation and host integration software, allowing organizations to access IBM mainframe (3270), AS/400 (5250) and DEC UNIX (VT, SCO ANSI and Wyse) applications from a Microsoft Windows platform.

Zephyr has an impressive client list that includes many notable U.S. and international firms and organizations, including Banco BPI, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Canon, Cessna, Daimler Bank AG, Hormel, Huntington Banks, LBBW, Nationwide Insurance, Otis Elevator, Progressive Insurance, Saks, State of California, Wachovia and many others.

Headquartered in Houston, Texas with offices and distributors in the UK, Germany, Spain and South Africa, Zephyr is a Microsoft Certified Solution Partner, a member of the Microsoft Developer Network, an IBM Partner in Development, a Cisco Enterprise Associate, a Citrix Premier Partner and a developer in good standing with many third party software companies.  

Business Model

Zephyr was the first host access company to begin offering its products on a 'software as a service' basis. As such, a large majority of the company's new and recurring revenue is based on a subscription sale. Annual renewal rates are close to 100% each year, evidence of very high customer satisfaction with our products and services. Though we license our PASSPORT software at a fraction of the cost of traditional providers, Zephyr is the most successful host access company in the market in terms of net profit and revenue per employee.

Organizations consider Zephyr's products and services on the occasion when their existing host connectivity software needs upgrading, when they want to reduce maintenance costs, or both.

For example, a company with tens of thousands of mainframe users can save several million dollars by migrating to the Zephyr software and not lose any functionality in making the transition. As an example, most Attachmate customers currently run older versions of EXTRA! and are forced to upgrade their terminal emulation as they migrate to newer versions of Microsoft Windows. When they do, Zephyr is the leading company they turn to for comparable, but less expensive, terminal emulation or host integration.

Company History

Zephyr was originally organized as a consulting firm and counted companies such as Shell Oil, Boeing, The Upjohn Company, Warner-Lambert, Phillips Petroleum, Martin Marietta and Exxon as early clients. Zephyr also licensed various object code to networking suppliers such as Memorex Telex, Olivetti, ICOT and Ericom.

OEM relationships fostered greater demand for end user support and service, which led to the strategic decision to implement a program of direct sales to major corporate accounts. Using an enterprise licensing program, Zephyr supplied DOS and Windows 3270 terminal emulation software for traditional SNA-based protocols, including IBM DFT (coax), 802.2 DLC (Token Ring) and IPX/SPX (Novell NetWare), as well as developing PASSPORT, a 16-bit TN3270E Windows 3.1 application.

Envisioning TCP/IP as the networking standard of the future, Zephyr began to focus exclusively on IP-based host access products and was the first to market with advanced extensions to the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) TN3270E and TN5250E standards.

As an active participant in the IETF TN3270E/TN5250E work group, Zephyr co-authored the TN3270E Service Location Protocol (SLP) standard with IBM and was among the first to support the TN3270E Secure Socket Layer (SSL) standard. When IBM introduced TN3270E as a communications standard, Zephyr was invited to tour the U.S. and Canada with IBM and Novell to educate users about the emerging host protocol. Shortly after the extensive IBM tour, Cisco named Zephyr as an Enterprise Associate and worked closely with Zephyr to promote its own TN3270E server offering.

Summary

In summary, the experience of Zephyr is an enviable asset in the host access market. All of the cumulative knowledge on issues ranging from handling the host data stream, session establishment and management, legacy data structure and more are evident in its next generation products.

If your organization seeks top-notch host access solutions for Microsoft Windows, Zephyr and its PASSPORT family of products and services is the company and product of choice.

We look forward to providing exceptional solutions and service to legacy application users for many years to come.

Zephyr