NCR buys Netkey to provide end-to-end kiosk and digital signage solution

Acquisition advances NCR ’s self-service growth and leadership across multiple industries.

DULUTH, Ga. – NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR ) announced today that it has purchased the assets of Netkey, Inc., a market-leading provider of kiosk and digital signage software applications used by leading companies to deliver a growing range of multi-industry self-service applications such as gift registry, guided selling, endless aisle and human resources functions. Terms were not disclosed.

ABI Research predicts that companies will spend more than $1 billion globally on digital signage solutions next year, growing at an average of 20 percent per year for the next five years, while kiosk deployments will grow an average of 19 percent per year during the same period.

Netkey’s enterprise software platform uses a proven scalable architecture that enables fast and flexible development of applications for kiosk and digital signage-based solutions. NCR will combine Netkey’s software platform with its own technologies to provide a best-in-class enterprise solution, which includes software applications, one of the broadest hardware portfolios in the industry, and a suite of services. NCR will continue to provide multivendor hardware support with the Netkey solution.

Headquartered in East Haven, Conn., Netkey has over 75,000 kiosks and digital signs installed by more than 400 clients in the retail, finance, transportation, and government sectors. Many of these customers also use NCR ’s kiosk, self-checkout or point-of-sale solutions.

“This acquisition makes perfect sense from a customer perspective,” said Jenny Hinsman, vice president of kiosk solutions for Pitney Bowes. “We use Netkey’s application on NCR ’s hardware for our Mail & Go Shipping kiosk. We now have one point of contact and, more importantly, are dealing with one company that is now even better positioned to lead the advance and growth of the self-service industry.”

Netkey will provide NCR with a robust digital signage application that is built on the same platform as Netkey’s kiosk applications, making NCR’s solutions faster to deploy and easier to support.

“Consumers increasingly expect to interact with companies when and how they wish, and businesses are responding by offering their customers a seamless experience across the channel of their choice,” said Mike Webster, vice president and general manager for NCR ’s retail line of business. “This acquisition will enable NCR to help its customers across multiple industries with kiosk and digital signage solutions that deliver more effective transactions, promotions and information as part of a merged channel strategy.

“In doing so, NCR will take a best-in-class solution, combine it with best-in-class hardware and services, and deliver compelling competitive advantage, ultimately on a global basis. Our approach is an example of NCR executing its software-driven, hardware-enabled and services-led corporate strategy.”