A welcome news for many Retailers, IBM will now offer Windows Embedded for Point of Service as a pre-installed operating system option for its IBM AnyPlace kiosk, SelfCheckout and SurePOS 700, 500 and 300 point-of-sale products. The following analyst view sums it up well.

While unusual, Garf said the deal makes sense for both parties. “For IBM, it gives their hardware prospects and clients more choice for their operating system,” he said. “For Microsoft, given the leadership role IBM plays in hardware, it provides a great channel. Their go-to-market strategy is mostly through channel partners. It’s a win-win.”

Retailers can also benefit from the deal, Garf said. “From a retail perspective, especially when dealing with hundreds or thousands of stores multiplied by the amount of devices in each store, you want simplicity and a hardened technology that won’t break,” he said. “[Windows Embedded-based POS offers] resiliency and simplicity, and being a standards-based technology makes it easier to deploy. From a total cost of ownership standpoint, it makes sense for retailers as well.”

Garf said the partnership demonstrates the open nature of both technologies. “It underlines what both companies have been talking about for a while – standards-based open technology,” he said.