ATEN International (6277), the leading international developer of IT sharing technology, announced today that the company has been named the winner of the contribution award at the 2009 National Invention and Creation Award (NCI Award). The award recognizes the outstanding contribution made by ATEN's patented technologies to industry applications over an extended period of time. ATEN has always been committed to the research and development of innovative technologies and has won many important local and overseas awards over the past thirty years. The latest NCI Award provides further proof that ATEN's promotion of various patented technologies over the years has achieved widespread acceptance and acclaim across the industry.

The NCI Award organized by the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) of the Ministry of Economic Affairs is intended to recognize and encourage researchers and inventors for their work. It seeks to promote the development of industry technologies by encouraging people in Taiwan to engage in creative research. There were many business entries this year, so it was no mean feat for ATEN to emerge from the pack after an exacting process of preliminary reviews and final presentations. It was also the only KVM vendor to receive a NCI Award this year, demonstrating the company's sheer strength when it comes to the number of technology patent applications and value of patent-derived products.

Mr. Kevin Chen, President of ATEN International, said, "We are honored to catch the judges' eye this year and receive the special contribution award for the 2009 NCI Awards. Realizing a sustainable enterprise depends on employees who can turn creativity into reality and maintain the company's competitiveness. ATEN has since the beginning made "innovative technology" the root of our business and "brand value" our corporate soul. We constantly encourage our employees to submit all kinds of creative proposals and live up to the core value of "value innovation"."

"ATEN has been promoting our own brand for 30 years," continued Chen. "With the government's support, we now have markets all around the world. Our brand has also achieved international recognition so we are now the second largest KVM vendor in the world. We are also among the top 100 companies thanks to the number of patented technologies we have gradually accumulated over the years. They are not an asset for the company, but the products derived from these technologies have provided the industries' with more innovative and diversified applications. Our winning of the outstanding contribution award represents a tangible recognition by the government of ATEN's efforts in promoting our own brand. In the future, we hope to continue making innovations and breakthroughs in new technologies. By enhancing the value of products derived from patented technologies, we can help the government promote industry R&D and market Taiwanese products around the world. This will create a win-win outcome for both the national brand and the corporate brand."

The contribution award in the NCI Awards is judged according to the number of patents, value of patent products and their application, and measures encouraging employee inventiveness. Here ATEN set the benchmark for each category. Apart from having secured more than 100 invention and type patents around the world so far, as well as dozens of new model patents, the company has been included in the "Top 100 Taiwanese patent application entities" for 2 straight years. Over 85% of its patented technologies in particular have now been commercialized and achieved widespread acceptance. Apart from generating high-value transactions, it has also produced many success stories among customers across the world.

Apart from the above, ATEN also invests heavily in R&D every year. It has also set up a comprehensive proposal management and incentive scheme within the company to encourage employees to focus on the product value derived from patented technologies. The scheme also cultivates employees' ability to think creatively. The outstanding innovative R&D ability and contribution to the industry from ATEN are the reasons why it beat other exceptional enterprises to receive the contribution award.

About KVM Switches-An Essential Server Management Device

A KVM (Keyboard, Video and Mouse) switch is an advanced, hardware-based solution that allows centralized access to multiple computers easily and conveniently from a single keyboard, monitor, and mouse. A KVM switch is useful in an extensive range of environments, suitable for SOHO users, small and medium businesses, and large corporations. Fundamentally, a KVM switch allows server rooms and data centers to optimize rack space in the IT environment, reducing costs and the clutter of keyboards, monitors and mice. Additional benefits include savings in energy consumption, server racks, cabinets, and floor space. Since a KVM switch provides access to a number of computers from a central location, IT professionals are no longer running from one server to the next, thereby streamlining workflow and increasing productivity. To meet the ever-developing needs of the globalized economy and the Internet, KVM solutions now have over-IP functionality for remote management capability that better fulfills the demands of corporations who need to manage multiple server rooms worldwide.

About ATEN


ATEN INTERNATIONAL CO., LTD. is specialized in connectivity solutions in information technology. Established in 1979, ATEN is today considered the leading manufacturer of KVM Switches worldwide. This prominent position was reached by continuously high investment in research and development, resulting in numerous patents and exemplified by the sophisticated ASIC, developed in the ATEN labs and manufactured by ATEN. The product range today covers hundreds of connectivity products, providing complete KVM solutions from entry level to the enterprise market. Among the customers of ATEN are large, companies with global operations, midrange and small businesses, as well as ambitious private users. For further information, please visit http://www.aten.com.