2/21/97
3:16 PM
Major technology companies are focusing on creating systems that allow groups to locate, access, and share more information in less time than ever before, according to the Price Waterhouse Technology Forecast: 1997. Produced by the Price Waterhouse World Technology Center and Technology Industry Group, the annual Forecast provides a comprehensive analysis of the global technology industry.
This year's Forecast highlights the new business opportunities being created by the growth of the Internet and corporate intranets. Three separate chapters are devoted to innovative uses of the Internet and on-line services; electronic commerce; and browsers, servers, and search engines. Subsequent chapters define and discuss information management strategies, including data warehousing, data security, development tools, and network and systems management. The 500-page Forecast also contains exclusive interviews with five senior executives from leading technology companies -- Cisco Systems, Dell Computer, IBM, Microsoft, and Oracle -- offering insights into where technology is going and how people will be using it in the future.
In the 2lst century, the Technology Forecast predicts that information technology industries will drive economic wealth. The innovations developed by the computing, telecommunications, consumer electronics, and electronic media industries will affect every business large and small ñ and dramatically change peoples' home lives as well. Among the predictions offered by the 1997 Forecast are changes in the areas of Groupware, Workflow and Document Management:
Document management will be increasingly integrated with core business applications such as accounts payable and material requirements planning.
Inter-enterprise applications will be possible due to the development of workflow standards.
Document management software will offer cross-platform compatibility between DOS, Macintosh, OS/2, UNIX, and Windows platforms.
In his interview with the editors of the 1997 Technology Forecast, John Chambers, President and CEO of Cisco Systems, Inc. said, "Today, more and more people work and make decisions in groups. As a result, systems that allow workers to share information have become crucial to the success of the business enterprise. In addition, the current global business environment has spawned the need for information access regardless of differences in time, place, or type of computer system."
Michael Dell, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Dell Computer Corp.
agrees. "One of the most important changes is that computers are now
connected and people are not computing by themselves anymore," he
says. "Networks have advanced in a huge way, enabling executives and
consumers to communicate through on-line services, company-wide
networks, wireless communications devices, and the Internet."
The Internet and Internet-enhancing products such as Lotus Notes have
made it simpler to share information both within and across
organizations, according to J. Bruce Harreld, Senior Vice President
of Strategy for 1BM Corp. "Effective knowledge management programs
build on that capability by enabling workers to share experiences as
well as data," he says. "Encouraging workers to share actual
experiences, however, is just the first step. The second step in
effective knowledge management is to ensure that the information can
be quickly accessed and updated so that workers have real-time
information."
Although the Internet is an effective medium for communicating
constantly changing information, Ray Lane, Oracle Corp.'s President
and COO, believes that people will eventually become bored with
browsing. Lane says, "It's clear that both executives and consumers
are looking for more compelling audio, visual, and textual content.
They want easier and less-expensive ways to access the content."
Ease of use is one of the most important technical innovations, says
Steve Ballmer, Executive Vice President of Sales and Support for
Microsoft Corp. "A second important trend will be the increased use
of computers for communications and collaboration. Collaboration will
increase because new computing form factors make it easier for
different groups of people to get together both inside and outside
the company."
"PW's Technology Forecast is a reflection of our expertise in
technology," says John Singel, Partner, Price Waterhouse. "Each year,
the Forecast has successfully captured and reported new industry
trends and has created a vehicle that provides information to PW
clients and to the public about the latest developments."
2/21/97
3:15 PM
BEA Systems will acquire Digital Equipmentís
ObjectBroker and DECmessageQ product lines to complement its BEA
TUXEDO, the company's market-leading transactional middleware
product. This will make BEA the only full-service, cross-platform
provider of open middleware. "BEA TUXEDO is a key technology for our
middleware strategy," said Richard C. Watts, vice president and
general manager of the Computer Systems Organization for
Hewlett-Packard Company. "This strengthens the range of open, robust
middleware solutions which HP and BEA jointly provide to our
customers."
Under the terms of the agreement, pending approval of the U.S.
government , BEA will obtain exclusive worldwide rights and all
associated patents, trademarks, and intellectual property for three
Digital products: ObjectBroker, a production-quality CORBA-compliant
Object Request Broker (ORB); DECmessageQ, one of the industry's
fastest message-oriented middleware (MOM) products; and ObjectBroker
Desktop Connection, which connects ActiveX clients to ObjectBroker.
In addition, BEA will receive an unrestricted worldwide source
license for Digital's SAP R/3 Wrapper. As the leading independent
middleware provider, BEA will make these products available to the
open marketplace. Digital will become a worldwide reseller of BEA
TUXEDO, ObjectBroker, DECmessageQ, and ObjectBroker Desktop
Connection. BEA will make these products available for resale by
other BEA partners.
BEA TUXEDO is the market-leading transaction middleware product and the core of BEA's middleware platform for developing and deploying mission-critical business applications. The addition of ObjectBroker and DECmessageQ strengthens and complements BEA's position as the only company providing a full-range of open middleware solutions. BEA TUXEDO remains a foundation technology, providing the transaction integrity and scalability required for robust distributed applications.
DECmessageQ provides guaranteed message delivery for
mission-critical applications and enables publish-and-subscribe,
queuing, and asynchronous communication between applications. The SAP
R/3 Wrapper allows applications linked through DECmessageQ to
communicate with SAP applications. DECmessageQ also includes
interfaces to legacy applications. ObjectBroker provides the basis
for a CORBA-based distributed object development and communications
environment for mission-critical applications. BEA is committed to
the integration, evolution, and support of these products into a
coherent set of offerings that provide a complete infrastructure for
distributed applications.
BEA is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., with offices around the
globe. Additional information on BEA is available on the Internet at
http://www.beasys.com
2/21/97
2:58 PM
Marcam Corporation, a leader in business solutions for process manufacturers, and EDS, a global leader in the information services industry, announced the creation of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Business Solutions Center for the Chemical and Pharmaceutical industries in Europe. The center will be located in Russelsheim, Germany. It will provide a state of the art technology environment where chemical and pharmaceutical companies can work with EDS and its partners to build a complete solution to address their process industry requirements. The center incorporates products and solutions from the following leading software and hardware vendors: Marcam Corporation, Numetrix, SAP AG, Digital Equipment Corporation and Compaq. Together these companies will provide leading-edge products and services that will deliver complete enterprise solutions, including the ability to integrate new and existing technologies.
A seminar to mark the opening of the center was held on February 18, 1997 during which EDS and its partners showed how best of breed application integration can be achieved. Marcam's advanced object orientated application Protean was shown interfacing with SAP's R/3 Financial and Sales Order Processing system as an example of how production functionality can achieve maximum performance and scalability by respective vendors. The Numetrix products are integrated to both R/3 and Protean using its state of the art Supply Chain Integrator (SCI). For the actual state of the art technology, including object orientation -- protection of investments in existing applications -- rapid implementation for an accelerated return on integration services along with network and systems will continue to evolve towards a `best of breed' approach to applications.
The Centre shows how this can be achieved for process manufacturers, with the promise of enhanced application fit yielding rapid implementations and the potential of substantially improving the return on investment.
Mr. R. Kettenring, EDS' Divisional Vice President in Germany and
Member of the Management Board, added, "EDS and its partners created
an agile solution for the process industry's needs. EDS will tailor
Best Product Solutions in line with the company's applications. Our
Business Solutions Center helps the chemical and pharmaceutical
companies to prepare themselves for the challenges and opportunities
in this dynamic market."
2/21/97
2:57 PM
Computer Management Sciences, a computer consulting and information technology services firm, will open the doors of an 8,500 sq. ft. Systems Outsourcing Center (SOC) in the heart of the Tallahassee, FL business district.
This will be CMSI's third location along with existing facilities in Atlanta and Jacksonville. A SOC is a fully secure facility with advanced hardware, software, and networking technology capabilities. The SOCs provide CMSI customers with the option to outsource responsibility of large scale IT computer integration project management and hardware/software capabilities that, until now, typically resided at the customer's site.
"The burden of providing the space, management, and application development tools are responsibilities that a customer shouldn't have to worry about," Jerry W. Davis, president, CEO, and chairman, said. "This is the reason we started developing the SOCs. Our SOC architecture allows us to simulate, integrate, and maintain systems for our customers on-line so that our clients experience little or no systems downtime."
The development of these SOC locations is an integral part of an enterprise-wide initiative called the Software Factory Process, where SOCs serve as virtual "software factories" to CMSI customers. Similar to the manufacturing factory concept, a SOC's shop floor will have a consistent step-by-step procedure for software development that will comply with the International Standards Organizations (ISO 9001), an industry standard assessment that will qualify the output of CMSI's services.
CMSI provides IT consulting and custom software development services to a diverse client base consisting primarily of Fortune 1000 companies and state governmental agencies. CMSI has headquarters in Jacksonville, with 13 branch locations nationwide providing computer systems support/maintenance, software application development, systems integration, database technology services, client/server solutions, systems outsourcing, and strategic information technology consulting.
For more information, visit their web site at
http://www.cmsx.com
2/21/97
2:55 PM
NEC Corp and Hewlett-Packard Japan Ltd, the Japanese unit of Hewlett-Packard, have agreed to cooperate in system-integration projects.
The major computer makers expect the collaboration to result in sales totalling 150 billion yen over the next three years, an NEC official said.
They have already won an order from Kokusai Denshin Denwa to build its next-generation "mission critical system" based on a large-scale open system. A KDD official said the Japanese international carrier is seeking to upgrade its billing and provisioning systems.
As part of the tie-up, NEC and Hewlett-Packard Japan will set up a
technical support center which is expected to start operating in
February.
2/2/97
12:29 AM
BDM International, and The Baan Company announced the joint development of a new implementation template - or reference model - for automotive suppliers. The announcement was made by BDM Executive Vice President C. Thomas Faulders, III, who manages the Company's commercial business operations. The Automotive Supplier Reference Model will be available as a component of Orgware, Baan's suite of tools, templates, and methodologies for rapid implementation. BDM is working with Baan to drive down the complexity of enterprise client/server implementations and to bring a new capability called Dynamic Enterprise Modeling (DEM) to this industry. DEM extends the traditional Enterprise Resource Planning model by enabling rapid modeling and updating of the business model while ensuring that the information technology environment and the business model are in alignment.
"By combining Baan's successful application functionality and enterprise modeling tools with BDM's strong automotive industry knowledge, we will be able to deliver true supply chain capabilities to any automotive company," explained Eric W. Johnson, Vice President of BDM's Integrated Supply Chain Solutions business unit. "The development of this Automotive Supplier Reference Model will allow current and future Baan clients to speed the implementation of Baan applications and fully integrate them into expanding automotive supply chain industry standards."
The BDM/Baan team is using direct input from key industry groups such as the Automotive Industry Action Group, incorporating many of their common automotive standards such as QS-9000, and the Advanced Product Quality and Control Plan, including the Production Part Approval Process. The model also maps to the Supply Chain Operation Reference Model, which is being developed by the Supply Chain Council.
BDM International, Inc., headquartered in McLean, Va., provides information technology, systems, and services to public and private sector clients in the United States and abroad. The Company has over 8,500 employees and operates in more than 100 locations worldwide. Additional information is available at http://www.bdm.com. The Baan Company is a leading provider of enterprise-wide, client/server business software applications and consulting services. Companies in hybrid manufacturing, as well as automotive, electronics, project, and process industries, use Baan's integrated, open systems solutions to streamline internal and external supply chain processes. Additional information about Baan is available at http://www.baan.com.
2/2/97
12:28 AM
PRAGMATEK Consulting Group, Limited, a leading business systems consulting firm, announces that Steven B. Bloom is promoted to president and chief executive officer. The firm specializes in core operational solutions - such as Year 2000 issues - by blending business and technology expertise. Bloom replaces DeMarquis Walls, who resigned to pursue other opportunities. Bloom is a majority stockholder and chairman of the board of this privately held firm. In his new role, he expects to increase the firm's awareness among executives in the manufacturing, distribution and retail sectors, and expand the firm's consulting business within a seven-state area.
Founded in 1989, PRAGMATEK Consulting Group, Limited is a leading
business systems consulting firm in the Upper Midwest. Core services
include management consulting, software selection and implementation,
and technology deployment services. The Minneapolis-based firm works
with fast-growth companies, such as manufacturers, distributors and
retailers who require enterprise-wide solutions for inventory,
delivery, cost, quality, and growth issues. For more information, see
PRAGMATEK's web site at
http://www.PRAGMATEK.com
2/2/97
12:27 AM
FileNet Corp. and Holosofx Inc. announced a development and marketing alliance that includes integration of Holosofx's business process modeling software, Workflow-BPR, and FileNet Visual WorkFlo software. The combined capabilities enable start-to-finish business process management and work automation, allowing customers to realize continuous improvements from business process reengineering (BPR) and workflow software investments. Visual WorkFlo features an open product architecture that permits easy integration with software applications and tools. Workflow-BPR provides process definition, analysis, and simulation capabilities to model and streamline business processes, such as insurance claims handling, loan origination, and accounts payable and receivable, and customer service.
Through FileNet/Holosofx product integration, Workflow-BPR users can fully leverage business process information and directly feed it to Visual WorkFlo software to provide work automation and continuous process management, enabling dramatic improvements in performance measures such as quality, cost, service, and speed.
Visual WorkFlo can also provide feedback information to Workflow-BPR users for regular refinement of the assumptions made during process analysis. With "real data" coming from Visual WorkFlo, an organization can constantly and dynamically improve processes to adapt to changing market, regulatory, and competitive conditions. Additionally, work processes, developed using Workflow-BPR, can be entered into existing Visual WorkFlo applications. These integrated capabilities are available now and a Process Monitor is under development that will enable the business manager/end user to view a business process real time, analyze and then simulate the business process based on real-time data. This additional enhancement will be available in the fourth quarter 1997.
A component of FileNet's "Foundation for Enterprise Document Management," Visual WorkFlo increases the return on corporate information assets by putting documents to work in support of multiple business processes. Together with FileNet Ensemble(tm), e-mail-based workflow software, Visual WorkFlo enables FileNet to address true enterprise workflow automation with production and ad hoc work processing.
Designed for business end-users, Workflow-BPR has been referred to by numerous customers as an easy-to-use, versatile software tool for process modeling, analysis, and simulation. Visual WorkFlo is an open, flexible workflow software suite of products that automates and manages business processes and the information sources involved in those work processes.
Holosofx information can be found at
http://www.holosofx.com and
information on FileNet Corp. is at
http://www.filenet.com
2/2/97
12:26 AM
With the twentieth century quickly coming to a close, most mid-sized companies will not be adequately prepared to handle the computer headaches that will inevitably occur with the approaching millennium. To address the, Year 2000 issue, Whittman-Hart has developed Compliance 2000, a suite of services - ranging from assessment and estimation to conversion, testing and implementation - designed to help mid-range computer systems run properly when January 1, 2000 rolls around. Said Robert Bernard, president and CEO of Whittman-Hart, "Due to the resource requirements and the limited time frame, it will be difficult for many small- to mid-sized companies to solve the Year 2000 problem on their own. That's where our services come in."
Compliance 2000 is a five-phase process that includes:
1. Assessing the scope and impact of the problem.
2. Developing an implementation strategy and plan once an assessment
has been made.
3. Executing a solution either by replacing or upgrading applications
or fixing existing ones.
4. Creating a test strategy to determine if compliance has been
reached.
5. Establishing a contingency plan to recover from any potential
system failures after January 1, 2000.
In addition, Whittman-Hart's Compliance 2000 services are unique since they follow a standard methodology for Year 2000 projects to provide comprehensive, consistent and high-quality services. The suite of services is intended to be modular in nature so that customers can elect to take all services or only the ones needed. Finally, Whitman-Hart's staff offers a full range of comprehensive services from strategic planning, business consulting and project management to software development, testing and implementation to bring customers into Year 2000 compliance.
Founded in 1984 and headquartered in Chicago, Whittman-Hart
provides strategic information technology consulting and system
integration services designed to improve client productivity. For
more information, call Michael A. Pavia of Whittman-Hart at
312-913-6916.
2/2/97
12:25 AM
EnterpriseLink Technology Corporation announced the SmartTran product family, a powerful integrated development environment which rapidly transforms legacy applications into re-vitalized enterprise-class web applications. SmartTran offers a powerful new generation of tools that quickly transform mainframe applications into highly reusable components. These components become building blocks that are reassembled into web pages, leveraging the full complement of native web capabilities. These components can also be integrated with RDBMS data or Java/ActiveX components to further extend the capabilities of the legacy applications. Unlike the current generation of mainframe-to-web tools which focus on redisplaying the mainframe screens in a new window, SmartTran makes it easy to completely re-engineer an application without changing the legacy code. It brings hyperlink navigation to individual screens and data fields, the mapping of many screens to a single web page, bookmarks, and forward/backward controlto the mainframe environment with minimal development effort.
The SmartTran tools include a powerful authoring environment that supports the rapid integration of components into web pages that combine existing host applications running on 3270 or 5250 platforms, data from any RDBMS database, and Active-X, Java or Visual Basic applets. It also includes a runtime software that transforms a NT web server into a full featured web-to-host front-end processor. The full SmartTran system includes three software products which support each stage of the web development and deployment process: the SmartTran Loader and SmartTran Builder are host-to-web application authoring tools, and the SmartTran Server runtime server software.
Business has changed, but legacy applications haven't mainly because it would have taken thousands of man-hours to redevelop the mainframe code. The SmartTran approach will allow corporations to revitalize host data in a fraction of that time using the web delivery platform. The ability to redesign content, navigation and display of the existing application allows companies to deliver applications to a broader range of users in a secure and manageable way. The current release of the SmartTran development suite is now shipping to ISVs, system integrators and other channel partners priced at $125 per user in volume.
EnterpriseLink Technology was founded in 1993 to address the need
for more flexible access to host applications. EnterpriseLink is
headquartered in Campbell, CA. For information please contact them at
http://www.enterpriselink.com
2/2/97
12:23 AM
A leading worldwide supplier of electronic design automation (EDA) software and services, ViewlogicSystems, Inc. is acquiring Eagle Design Automation of Beaverton, Oregon. Eagle develops and markets hardware/software co-verification solutions for the embedded systems market. Under license agreement with Eagle, Viewlogic currently sells Eaglei and EagleV, solutions for total embedded system verification and ASIC verification, respectively.
Eagle was the first to deliver such co-verification solutions and is the worldwide leader in this newly emerging market segment. Traditionally, a hardware prototype is required to verify the software. Software developers have to wait until the hardware design is complete. With Eagle, developers can begin their system integration and hardware/software verification using a virtual model of the hardware, eliminating the software bottleneck. According to analyst firm Embedded System Research, as much as 70 percent of the development cost for a typical embedded system is attributable to software. There is a growing trend toward core-based systems on silicon using cores from multiple intellectual property vendors. The HW/SW verification becomes even more critical when an embedded system is implemented in silicon through the use of cores. Alternative hardware/software verification methodologies are either unavailable or risky and expensive to use for core-based designs. Eagle technology is a critical piece of producing entire "system-on-a-chip" products.
Eagle Design Automation, Inc. was founded in 1994 and is located in Beaverton, Oregon. For more information on Eagle Design Automation and the company's products call 503/520-2300, or visit the Eagle website at http://www.eagledes.com
Viewlogic Systems is a worldwide supplier of electronic design
automation software. The company's design tools enable electrical
engineers to design state-of-the-art electronic products more
efficiently, while reducing both development costs and time to
market. The company offers software for both UNIX- and Windows-based
computing platforms, along with a broad range of support services.
Viewlogic is the first Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) software
company in the U.S. to achieve ISO 9001, the most comprehensive of
the ISO quality standards. For more company information, see
http://www.viewlogic.com
2/2/97
12:21 AM
GSE Systems, Inc., a leading global provider of integrated enterprise software and information solutions to the energy, process and manufacturing industries, announced today a contract with Ernst and Young LLP of Irving, Texas, in excess of $500K, to develop natural gas pipeline applications for Northwest Pipeline Corp. of Salt Lake City. The contract was awarded to GSE Erudite Software of South Jordan, Utah, which will write the enterprise client/server software application, and collaborate with the GSE Systems Oil & Gas strategic business unit, based in Columbia, MD.
The applications will include natural gas nominations, core data, capacity release, scheduling, and billing, all of which ensure compliance with the new Gas Industry Standards Board (GISB) regulations. "With each new contract, we strengthen our natural gas application experience," said Tom Ordes, Sr. Vice President of the Company's Oil & Gas business unit. "Our experience in building GISB compliant applications and layering them on our Windows NT- based S/3 SCADA and SimSuite Pipeline solutions, will further our strategy to provide enterprise-wide solutions to the natural gas transportation and distribution marketplace."
GSE Systems designs, develops and delivers business and technology solutions by applying process control, data acquisition, simulation, client/server and business software, systems and services to the energy, process and manufacturing industries worldwide. GSE Erudite Software, based in South Jordan, Utah, offers client/server applications, networking solutions, hardware, training and technical support. GSE Erudite recently held the Grand Opening of their new training and development facility in Phoenix, AZ.
To receive additional information on GSE Systems, Inc., via fax at
no charge, dial 1-800-PRO-INFO and enter #178.
2/2/97
12:20 AM
Data Dimensions, Inc. announced an agreement with
Hewlett-Packard Company in which it will provide consulting
and services for solving Year 2000 software problems for
Hewlett-Packard's international base of clients. Larry Martin,
Chairman and CEO of Data Dimensions, said, "Hewlett- Packard's
endorsement is further testimony that corporate America recognizes
the efficiency and effectiveness of our solution to the Year 2000
problem."
The Hewlett Packard framework for solving the Year 2000 problem is laid out in a white paper for its worldwide base of clients. The millennium - or Year 2000 - problem arises from the widespread use of computer programs that rely on two digit date codes to perform computations and decision-making functions. Many of these computer programs may fail due to an inability to properly interpret date codes. For example, programs may misinterpret "00" as the year 1900, rather than 2000. The Gartner Group estimates that the cost to fix the Year 2000 problem worldwide could reach $600 billion. "There is no simple fix or magic bullet to the millennium problem, since dates are encoded in hardware, software and even in computer chips. There is not enough third party consultant manpower in the world to fix the problem by the year 2000," Martin said.
Headquartered in Bellevue, WA, Data Dimensions provides high
quality, knowledge-based and tool assisted millennium consulting
services based on the company's proprietary business processes. Data
Dimensions has provided Year 2000 consulting services for more than
160 organizations worldwide, including more than two dozen of the
U.S. Fortune 500. For more information, contact Villette Nolon of
Data Dimensions at 206-688-1000 or
http://www.data-dimensions.com/
2/2/97
12:19 AM
The professional service companies of Amdahl have joined
forces to create the US Division of DMR Consulting Group Inc. TRECOM
Business Systems of Edison, New Jersey, and the US division of DMR
Consulting Group Inc. will now be united under the name DMR TRECOM,
Inc. DMR TRECOM represents 40% of DMR Consulting Group's revenues and
employs 2,300 professionals. This newly formed US division will be
led by Manny Arturi and headquartered in Edison, New Jersey.
Established in Europe for more than 10 years, DMR Consulting Group Inc. will continue to expand into the European market. The direction of DMR's European Division has been given to Ron McCulloch, DMR has offices in the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Germany and Spain.
DMR Consulting Group Inc., Amdahl's professional services company, is a leading international provider of information technology services to business and public enterprises, employing 5,500 professionals in the United States, Canada, Asia-Pacific and Europe. The Company's services include IT strategy, re-engineering, benefits realization, systems development and integration, as well as outsourcing and Year 2000 conversion services.
For more information, vist their site at
http://www.dmr.com
2/2/97
12:18 AM
Micron Communications, Inc., has signed Logistics Systems Engineering, Inc., as an Authorized Systems Integrator (ASI), authorizing the company to use the developing MicroStamp remote intelligent communications (RIC) family of products to develop integrated systems solutions for their customers. As a Micron Communications ASI, Logistics Systems Engineering, a systems integrator specializing in product transportation automation, intends to offer RIC systems solutions for end users by providing site-specific designs, customized software interface design and development, systems installation, and post-installation service.
Logistics Systems Engineering, Inc., with headquarters in Annapolis, MD, is a systems integrator consisting of three parts: a transportation management consulting company, a core technology company focused on real time dynamic control product transportation management systems, and a series of vertical market subsidiaries. These subsidiaries include Grocery Logistics Engineering, Waste Logistics Engineering, Intermodal Logistics Engineering, Truck Logistics Engineering, Aggregate Logistics Engineering, and Fuel Logistics Engineering.
The MicroStamp is a very small, high-performance, high-frequency
(2.4 GHz), low-cost RIC unit based on the MicroStamp integrated
circuit (IC). Micron believes the MicroStamp IC is the first wireless
communications technology to integrate a direct sequence spread
spectrum (DSSS) microwave radio, a microcontroller, and a low power
static random access memory (SRAM) into a single chip solution. The
MicroStamp is currently in the test market phase. Interested systems
integrators, original equipment manufacturers, or end users should
contact Micron Communications' Customer Service Department,
1-800-MICROSTamp (800-642-7678) or visit their web site at
http://www.mcc.micron.com
2/2/97
12:17 AM
MicroAge, Inc. announced the acquisition of Advanced
Systems Consultants, a leading Scottsdale, AZ-based technology
services company. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. A long-time
member of the MicroAge Infosystems Services network - MicroAge's
systems integration business - Advanced Systems Consultants now
becomes a part of MicroAge's company-owned division. "The addition of
Advanced Systems Consultants to our company-owned division is a nice
fit with our focus of providing best-in-class information technology
services to large accounts," said MicroAge Integration Group
President John Lewis. "They are a fine organization with top-notch
associates and a strong focus on services."
MicroAge Infosystems Services, in partnership with Advanced Systems Consultants, established and serviced a client base generating combined annual revenue in excess of $60 million. Founded in 1991, Advanced Systems Consultants provides superior account management and support services to corporate clients, offering a spectrum of services including product procurement and maintenance, systems design, project management, systems integration and operations management. MicroAge Solutions, Inc. General Manager Steve Brown will have oversight for the branch, while Judy Flynn, previously the owner of Advanced Systems Consultants, will stay on board to assist with associate and customer transitions.
MicroAge, Inc., a Fortune 500 company, is a global technology
services company, providing distributed computing solutions and
ISO-9001-certified multivendor integration services to large
organizations and computer resellers worldwide. The company serves
corporate America and government agencies through its MicroAge
Infosystems Services network of branches and alliance partners
spanning 29 countries. Headquartered in Tempe, AZ, the company's
annual revenues exceed $3.5 billion. Information about MicroAge is
available at
http://www.microage.com
2/2/97
12:16 AM
The Board of Directors of Convergent Group announces that the firm has refocused and increased its financial investment and human resources to more effectively deliver a more than $100 million backlog in GIS systems integration and consulting contracts. As part of this move, Convergent Group is consolidating several facets of its operations to focus on providing large-scale systems integration services. Convergent Group's systems integration and consulting operations have continued to achieve significant growth and profitability. The Graphic Data Systems Corp. (GDS Corp.) product line business, however, has not met the financial objectives of Convergent Group's executive management. As a result, the firm has decided to curtail the investment in new GDS Corp. software research and development, including major enhancements to the company's GDS and MicroGDS product lines.
"The GIS systems integration market presents enormous opportunities for Convergent Group," said Glenn E. Montgomery, chief executive officer. "Our project backlog is the biggest in the company's history. In order to deliver these current projects and to take advantage of the many other systems integration opportunities on the horizon, we have decided to concentrate on systems integration and consulting as our core business and to divest ourselves from operations that dilute this focus." Randall D. Tidd has been named Vice President of Systems Integration Services.
Certain components of the existing GDS product line will be merged into Convergent Group's suite of systems integration tools. These will be incorporated, along with products from other software and applications developers, into the integrated solutions delivered to Convergent Group clients as appropriate. Convergent Group is committed to fulfilling the requirements of all current GDS Corp. contracts. Convergent Group will continue to provide existing users of GDS Corp. software with support, system maintenance, bug fixes and operating system and database upgrades for a minimum of three years. The company said it expects that MicroGDS Version 5.1 and GDS version 5.6 will be released as scheduled.
The markets served by Convergent Group's GIS systems integration
and consulting services include electric and gas utilities, local
government, wireless and wireline communications providers and
transportation agencies worldwide. For more information, contact
Convergent group, David C. Wagman, 303/486-1168.
1/24/97
9:03 PM
Relationships among vehicle manufacturers and between suppliers and manufacturers are more complex than they once were, Southwood J. Morcott, Chairman of Dana Corporation told an audience of industry leaders. Even in the face of that complexity, successful business relationships should be based on trust, respect, and commitment, he added. Suppliers are most likely to offer new ideas and technology to customers who establish a relationship of trust with companies that sell to them.
Morcott was the speaker at the annual Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Executive Breakfast, leading up to the February 24-27 SAE International Congress and Exhibition at Cobo Center in Detroit.
"We're looking for the customer who respects our quality, global capabilities and competitive costs," he said. "A supplier probably wouldn't offer a great new product to a company that only worries about price and is slow to react. And you're certainly not going to offer a proprietary idea to someone who will give it to competitors."
Globalization of the vehicle industry has led to complicated inter-relationships, Morcott explained. "The globe is every manufacturer's territory," he said. "The person who is your competitor in one country may be your partner or your customer in another. Joint ventures and other partnerships are occurring at a rapid pace."
Dana is a good example, Morcott said. It acquired or announced plans to acquire a dozen companies in 1996, 10 of them outside the US. Two of the pending acquisitions, Clark Hurth (purchased from Ingersoll Rand) and Sealed Power (purchased from SPX) have global operations in their own right. Both of those acquisitions are awaiting customary regulatory approval. In recent years, Dana also established a number of international joint ventures and partnerships and acquired equity interests in overseas operations.
"The vehicle industry is changing," he added. "We're a lot more efficient and effective than we used to be. We are more sensitive to the needs of the ultimate customer, and we can bring new products forward more quickly. And the products we are turning out are way ahead of anything we even used to dream of. In today's world, no company in the automobile industry survives and prospers on its own resources -- not even its own engineering. Working in harmony, we are participating in -- and can continue to participate in - one of the greatest industries in the world."
Dana Corporation is a global leader in the engineering,
manufacturing and distribution of products and systems for the
vehicular, industrial and mobile off-highway markets. The internet
address for Dana is
http://www.dana.com
1/24/97
9:02 PM
Building upon past successes and armed with a vision of collaborative information-sharing across the supply chain, Logility, Inc., is planning to grab a large share of the supply chain solutions marketplace, a market that's estimated to grow to $8 billion by 2000.
Logility, a new subsidiary of American Software, is dedicated to transforming commerce by providing the experience, expertise and tools that balance ever-changing goals and constraints between what customers want and what suppliers and other elements of the supply chain can deliver. Additionally, Logility is focused on providing solutions that support collaborative business processes not only within a company but across the supply chain.
Worldwide companies that have adopted Logility's vision of collaborative information-sharing and advanced planning tools include Dow Chemical, Heineken USA, Mercury Marine, Pfizer, Pharmacia & Upjohn, Rayovac, Reynolds Metals, Sara Lee, Sony Electronics, Timex, VF Corporation and more than 200 other leading firms in multiple industries. "Logility is pioneering a direction the industry is sure to follow by providing collaborative planning solutions that balance production and supply constraints with demand opportunities. In fact, their innovative Internet planning product, now live at Heineken USA, is the first available in the market," said Bruce Richardson, vice president, Advanced Manufacturing Research.
Mike Edenfield, chief executive officer of the new Atlanta-based company, says, "American Software's 26 years of success have resulted from helping companies operate more efficiently. But the business world is changing rapidly. It's no longer enough for companies to merely optimize internal operations. They must balance ever-changing demand and supply constraints by enabling collaborative communications across their supply chain to minimize inventories and costs while ensuring production capacity and product availability. To respond to this new business environment and to take advantage of a rapidly expanding marketplace, American Software has formed the subsidiary Logility."
"Eventually," Edenfield added, "a portion of the new company may be sold to the public. The formation of this new company allows American Software to focus on Year 2000-enabled Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) applications; Warehouse P&RO;(TM), a client/server managed warehouse system; and Flow Manufacturing, which provides exceptional production capability by streamlining manufacturing and enabling agile production."
Logility arrives at the market starting gate with an impressive set of credentials. First is a rapidly growing customer base that includes some of the world's best-known - and forward-looking - companies. Logility has also established relationships with some of the leading consulting and implementation organizations, including Andersen Consulting, Deloitte & Touche, Hewlett Packard, IBM, KPMG, Microsoft, Oracle, PeopleSoft, Ross Systems, SAP and others.
Three product groups make up Logility Planning Solutions - Supply Chain Planning, Demand Chain Planning, and Resource Chain Voyager. Together, these solutions enable extended enterprise collaboration that delivers global accessibility, real-time information-sharing and consensus planning. The modules also permit planning at all levels of an organization with information that's easily aggregated and unaggregated. Another critical capability includes providing personalized, exception-oriented views of data and events that are also synchronized to the corporate, "one-number" consensus overview.
For more information, contact: Logility, Inc. 800-762-5207 or
visit their site at
http://www.logility
1/24/97
9:01 PM
Comtex Information Systems, a leading information technology and enterprise services firm, has entered into a partnership with Accelr8 Technology Corporation to help Digital VAX users reset their information systems for the year 2000. Along with the Comtex Delta 2000 Solution, the two companies will employ the NAVIG8-2000, Accelr8's year 2000 impact analysis toolset, to identify millennium date change requirements.
"Just about every large business will be affected when 1999 rolls over to 2000," said Gary Ross, Comtex vice president and director of the company's Year 2000 Practice. "And while there are many solutions available to help mainframe systems with this transition, the Digital VAX user has had few offerings to consider. That's why the Accelr8's tools and VAX conversion experience - coupled with Comtex's consulting expertise and the Delta 2000 conversion methodology - represent such an important entry into this market. We know we can provide the best possible solution for VAX users facing the century date dilemma."
The NAVIG8-2000 system provides an automated and comprehensive means of scanning and identifying millennium date requirements and helps document the conversion requirements and costs associated with the date change. After providing VAX users with initial inventory and impact analyses, the companies will undertake remedial steps and acceptance testing to ensure that all date-related material has been modified.
Delta 2000 is an important Comtex offering that consists of a comprehensive methodology and toolset to provide year 2000 date change conversions for clients with legacy systems. Delta 2000 offers a highly automated solution resulting in year 2000 compliant software portfolios.
Accelr8 Technology Corporation specializes in the design and delivery of software services and tools that assist in the modernization of Digital Equipment Corporation's VAX/VMS systems. Headquartered in Denver, Accelr8 has over 600 licensees worldwide, including such users as Delta Airlines, Kellogg, Proctor & Gamble and Mercedes Benz. Accelr8 is the undisputed world leader in the VMS to Open Systems marketplace.
Comtex, a Norrell Corporation information technology company, is a full service business and systems integration firm offering consulting, planning and implementation services. Comtex is committed to helping companies reach critical business objectives through the effective use of information technology. Comtex employs more than 350 professionals and has dedicated practices in Business Process Reengineering System Development, Year 2000 Conversions and Transition Management.
For more information, contact Edward Kelleher of Comtex Information Systems, 212-480-2600, or [email protected]