I found this post on RB interesting. Did anyone here go to the NYC show?By: RagtimeDav
Reply To: 4382 by RagtimeDav Wednesday, 12 Apr 2000 at 1:12 AM EDT
Post # of 4392
I talked to a lot of people . . . at the Interlink booth (they use signature verification software from Penop, CIC and Silanis interlinkelectronics.com, people at the Adobe booth and some of the CIC people. New VP Sandler is also at the convention, but I and he were never at the same place at the same time. I can't say anything specific, and no one I spoke to told me anything specific. That, of course, would be ILLEGAL. BUT, from talking with so many, respectfully asking a lot of questions and putting all the pieces together, this is some of what I came up with . . .
New VP of Marketing Sandler was actually no longer with Penop when he joined CICI. However, it seems that CIC and Sandler KNEW of each other before Sandler left Penop. Enough on that . . .
Before two weeks ago, before Sandler came to CIC, CIC had NO marketing department, per se. That Penop web site that Ditt and I judiciously went over and were both impressed with? Sandler was the one responsible for that. CIC now has a VP of marketing, who has great experience with the products, the industry and the competition . . .
Like I said, I didn't speak to Sandler, but other companies' reps I spoke with seemed to infer that Penop is not in a great financial position . . .
There are four companies who "directly" compete in the signature verification arena with "similar" products: CIC, Penop, Cybersign and Silanis. Of the four, I spoke with no one who thought there was a company with a better product and better positioned than CIC in this specific niche. A lot of what will determine who succeeds here will be determined by who can survive until the market growth explosion occurs. CIC is best situated because of it's diversity of product offerings . . .
Did you know that CIC is number one in sales for aftermarket add-on software for the Palm? Yep. I learned that today. And these aftermarket sales give CIC a nice financial cushion while they focus on OEM contracts . . .
I tried the Signit and Jot products today. Very swift and precise . . .
There is definitely a convergence of the cell phone and handheld computer coming. We seem to be calling it the smart phone. But whatever, it will require pen-based software, and because of the smaller amount of code, smaller footprint, for Jot and their other products, CIC seems to be the best situated to benefit from the upcoming explosion in this next growth area. Just as in the signature verification area, these markets are just now forming. The next two years will tell the story . . .
While no one gave me any specific info, I put this next comment together based on what I gathered from my conversations with several company reps., Adobe, Interlink, etc... There seems to be some activity brewing in the financial sector regarding digital signatures, specifically, signature verification. It's very possible we may see a very nice news item in the next 2 or 3 weeks regarding a major financial institution incorporating CIC products . . . that's the best I could do on that one, and it's merely a speculative prediction based on many conversations with many people, but, let's see.
Some of the takes on the Sassower stock selling by the CIC people I spoke with, was that he's not really an insider. A major investor, sure, but not an insider. I was also asked by one CIC person, when I finally revealed that I owned stock in the company, if I had sold at 12. We sadly shared a laugh as I told him no. When I returned the question, he said he only knew of one person that had, but wouldn't that have been nice. The point is, the CIC people are just like us. They have bills to pay, families to feed. When the stock quickly ran up to 12, some of them wanted to take a profit on some of their shares just like some investors do, and did.
The impression of the CIC people of their engineers seems to be top notch. I spoke with one CIC person who actually left his position with Adobe to come work for CIC. I also learned that the relationship between Adobe and CIC is built on more than just business. It's origins apparently go back to high-up people from both companies getting to know each other while dealing with severe health conditions shared by some family members.
I'm sure I'm forgetting some things, but my final point is this. While CIC's booth was not large, their outreach is. They are better positioned each passing month with their products, OEM contracts, and personnel. I will probably be posting less and less here, because as I have done more and more DD on CIC, I have become more and more aware that to focus on the day to day trading of this company at this stage is missing the big picture. The opportunities for this company are not right now, but in front of them. They are laying the groundwork with their products, marketing and staff. I believe in this company and I, too, bought shares as high as 10 3/8. Haven't sold a share. I was sucked into the updraft as many were. But this is no white elephant, IMO. Give it time. Add to your position at these prices, don't sell. It will pay off. Maybe not today, not tomorrow, but by the end of the year, I expect we will have seen 12 again. All of this, my friends, is just my humble opinion. Do what you need to do and good luck. I'm long. Peace. EOM.
(Voluntary Disclosure: Position- Long; ST Rating- Strong Buy; LT Rating- Strong Buy)
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