Squirrel Systems Ltd.
TypePrivate
IndustryHospitality Systems, Computer hardware
Founded1984
HeadquartersBurnaby, British Columbia
ProductsSquirrel Professional, Squirrel in a Box, Squirrel in a Box for Hotels
Websitewww.squirrelsystems.com

Squirrel Systems is a Burnaby-based point of sale vendor specializing in hospitality management systems. Squirrel is based in Burnaby, Canada.[1]

History

Squirrel Systems was founded in 1984, and released the first restaurant point of sale system to use an integrated diskless touchscreen terminal for order management. Originally a wholly owned subsidiary of Sulcus Hospitality Technologies Corporation, in 1998 Sulcus merged with Eltrax Systems, Incorporated (Nasdaq SmallCap: ELTX).[2] Squirrel is currently a wholly owned subsidiary of Marin Investments Ltd.[3]

Squirrel Workstation

One of the unique characteristics of Squirrel's original product was the use of hardened LCD touchscreen terminals. Unlike other systems that used keyboards and CRT monitors, Squirrel terminals had no moving parts and were easily adapted to any operating environment. The original Squirrel terminals reached over 35,000 installed units worldwide, and was the first to integrate an LCD panel, credit card reader, employee ID reader, and CPU inside a single unit. Later units would incorporate IP connectivity, remote booting of a customized Linux operating system, and a Java virtual machine.[4]

Squirrel Embedded Linux

In 1998 Squirrel Systems released Squirrel Embedded Linux (SEL), a customized distribution of Linux for "thin client" terminal architecture.[5] SEL has several characteristics that were unique at the time of development, including primary support for diskless workstations, customized high-volume touchscreen drivers, integrated Java virtual machine with hardware control, and two-stage booting from a Windows server.[6] [7]

Industry awards

  • In 2010, O'Charley's named Squirrel as its Enterprise Support Partner of the Year at the annual Inukshuk Business Partner Awards.[8]
  • Squirrel Systems was awarded the 2009 Epson Envision Award for Innovation for its Squirrel in a Box product.[9][10]
  • Squirrel Systems was awarded the 1999 Independent Cash Register Dealers Association Silver Award for Outstanding Sponsor in Systems/Software.[11]
  • In 1998, Squirrel was the third recipient of the Microsoft Retail Application Developer award at the HITEC Show in Los Angeles. Microsoft recognized SquirrelONE as the first application to integrate Java, Microsoft SQL Server, and Windows NT in the retail market.[12]

References

  1. ↑ "Squirrel Systems Accommodates Expansion with New Head Office Location" (Press release). Squirrel Systems. 2005-11-22. Archived from the original on 2010-11-29. Retrieved 2010-11-03.
  2. ↑ "Sulcus announces planned merger with Eltrax Systems, Inc" (Press release). Eltrax Systems. 1998-11-12. Archived from the original on 2010-11-29. Retrieved 2010-11-03.
  3. ↑ "Squirrel Systems Appoints New President" (Press release). Squirrel Systems & Marin Investments Limited. May 2008. Archived from the original on 2010-11-29. Retrieved 2010-11-03.
  4. ↑ "Squirrel Announces New Network-Ready Touch Terminal" (Press release). Squirrel Systems. 1999-06-21. Archived from the original on 2010-11-29. Retrieved 2010-11-03.
  5. ↑ "Squirrel POS". Linux Journal. 2001-09-01. Retrieved 2009-07-17.
  6. ↑ "Embedded Linux advantages – and challenges – in a retail POS system". Archived from the original on 2013-01-27. Retrieved 2007-03-30.
  7. ↑ "Eltrax Announces Release Of Linux Version Of Restaurant Application Solution" (Press release). Eltrax Systems. 1999-12-20. Archived from the original on 2010-11-29. Retrieved 2010-11-03.
  8. ↑ "O'Charley's honors partners". Nation's Restaurant News. Retrieved 2010-11-03.
  9. ↑ Micael, Miclan. "POS System".
  10. ↑ "Squirrel in a Box Solution Receives Top Honors at Epson Annual Partner Conference" (Press release). Squirrel Systems & Epson. March 2009. Archived from the original on 2010-11-29. Retrieved 2010-11-03.
  11. ↑ "Squirrel Wins Silver at I.C.R.D.A. Convention" (Press release). Squirrel Systems. 1999-07-29. Archived from the original on 2010-11-29. Retrieved 2010-11-03.
  12. ↑ "Squirrel WINS MICROSOFT 1998 R.A.D. AWARD" (Press release). Squirrel Systems & Microsoft. 1998-06-16. Archived from the original on 2010-11-29. Retrieved 2010-11-03.

Further reading

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