Thanx for the frequent briefing.com stuff, tekboy. I do hope he comes over here. Maybe I'll request, also.
I've taken a breather from Qualcomm, which created a state in me somewhere between euphoria and hysteria, to pull a few articles from the last few months on some of the companies mentioned in briefing.com. Here's one that mentions vignette and silknet among others:
Internet Revolution Creating an Important New Medium for Commerce
Tuesday, October 5, 1999 05:01 PM Mail this article to a friend
E-Commerce-Enabling Software Accelerating as Businesses Begin to Develop Comprehensive Strategies
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- The following is being issued by Banc of America Securities, a member of the National Association of Securities Dealers, CRD number 26091:
As demand moves beyond the early adopters, the market for e-commerce- enabling application software is accelerating, providing investors with significant opportunity in this space, Banc of America Securities' senior Internet software analyst, Greg Vogel, told investors.
(Photo: newscom.com )
Consumer and business use of the Internet as a medium for commerce continues to expand rapidly; Web-based spending should total $140 million this year, and that's just the beginning, Vogel says. Mainstream off-line businesses are now beginning to develop comprehensive e-commerce strategies in an effort to increase revenue, reduce costs and improve customer service.
"The Internet is totally different from the computer platforms we have had in the past such as mainframes and client servers; interactivity and scalability make the Web unique," said Vogel.
Scalability is particularly important, Vogel noted, as previously, businesses were required to disseminate diskettes, maintain customer support desks and were limited as to how many client-server connections they could have. With the Internet, connectivity has become what Vogel calls the "killer application," because as businesses get more people on their network, the value increases dramatically.
This major shift in platforms requires a whole new cycle of software which is driving growth in three Internet software categories, according to Vogel: 1) tools and multimedia (to address increased demand for custom applications; 2) e-commerce enablers (as businesses discover that it is easier to buy applications than to build them from scratch); and 3) information management (which will allow clients to access and view content).
Vogel stressed that an e-commerce capability for these off-line businesses is becoming increasingly important; businesses no longer can afford to ignore the Internet. However, they must also be able to differentiate themselves on line. "With competition so fierce, branding does matter," said Vogel. "On-line merchants must have personalized content, targeted marketing and customer support," he said.
Consolidation should occur in this space, according to Vogel, as businesses seek integrated applications. Businesses will need some level of tools, Web site management, transaction processing, content management, e-marketing, and customer support. Vendors that can extend beyond their narrow focus and offer as many of these things as possible, will emerge the leaders. Vogel predicts that Vignette* ((Nasdaq: VIGN), $97-1/2, Buy) and Silknet* ((Nasdaq: SILK,) $50-1/2, Buy) will fare well.
Finally, Vogel noted that Y2K fears have not impacted this space. Many businesses are worried that they will be disadvantaged if they are not Internet-capable, making this sector largely immune to these Y2K concerns, he said.
Vogel's top picks in this space are: Allaire* ((Nasdaq: ALLR), $57-3/4, Strong Buy) (tools) and Macromedia, Inc.* ((Nasdaq: MACR), $46-5/16, Strong Buy) (multimedia space). He also believes that Verity* ((Nasdaq: VRTY), $68-7/8, Buy), and Documentum* ((Nasdaq: DCTM), $21-1/4, Buy) will be successful in making collaboration a reality.
Vogel made his comments at the 29th Annual Banc of America Securities' Investment Conference, which ran through October 1 at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in San Francisco. This former Montgomery Securities' conference had a new name but boasted a program that lived up to its impressive reputation. The five-day conference featured 250 presentations from companies that are driving the Business Services, Consumer & Retail, Energy, Entertainment, Media & Telecom, Financial Services, Health Care, Industrial Growth, Real Estate & Lodging and Technology industries.
Banc of America Securities LLC (BAS), a subsidiary of Bank of America Corporation (NYSE: BAC), is a full-service investment bank and brokerage firm. With principal offices in San Francisco, New York City and Charlotte, BAS employs more than 4,000 associates in offices around the country, and with affiliates, offers capabilities worldwide.
Bank of America Corporation, with $614 billion in total assets, is the holding company for one of the largest banks in the U.S., with operations in 21 states and the District of Columbia. * Banc of America Securities LLC currently maintains a market in VIGN, SILK, ALLR, MACR, VRTY, DCTM. Banc of America Securities LLC was co-manager of a public offering for SILK, ALLR, VRTY in the last three years. Banc of America Securities LLC has performed investment banking or other services for SILK in the last three years
url for above:
quicken.excite.com
Here was Silknets quarterly reported mid Oct:
Silknet Software Announces First Quarter Results for Fiscal Year 2000
Revenues Up 166% From First Quarter Fiscal Year 1999
MANCHESTER, N.H.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 14, 1999--Silknet Software, Inc. (Nasdaq:SILK - news), today announced first quarter results for the quarter ended September 30, 1999.
Revenues for the quarter were $6,029,000, a 166% increase over revenues of $2,269,000 for the first quarter of fiscal year 1999. Net loss for the quarter was $2,887,000, or $0.19 per share, as compared to a net loss of $2,271,000, or $0.86 per share, for the first quarter of fiscal year 1999.
``We are very pleased with these results, particularly with continued strong momentum in our top line,' said Jay Wood, president and chief executive officer. ``These results reflect acceptance in a marketplace that is very quickly moving beyond traditional customer relationship management products to complete e-business solutions that integrate every aspect of customer interaction. Both brick and mortar companies and dot.com businesses are embracing our solutions for business critical environments. And some of our early deployments have grown to service millions of customers, demonstrating the scalability and reliability of Silknet's e-business products.'
During the first quarter, Silknet won contracts with a number of dot.com companies including toysmart.com, ZDNet and e-STEEL, building on previous quarter dot.com sales to Priceline.com, ChannelPoint, Wineshopper.com and AltusMortgage.com. Several traditional brick and mortar companies were also won. This quarter also included Silknet's first international sales from its UK operations. In addition, the Silknet eBusiness System(tm) product, a Web-based platform for deploying and creating e-business applications, won a prestigious Crossroads 2000 A-List award. Four new sales offices located in Colorado, New Jersey, North Carolina and Pennsylvania were opened during the first quarter |
