IFMX $8 5/16 @5:13:27 p.m.
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Wednesday February 11, 5:45 pm Eastern Time
Company Press Release
Informix Builds Customer Confidence With Significant
Fourth Quarter Business From Around the World
New And Existing Customers Build Company's Progress In Strategic
Enterprise Market Segments
MENLO PARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 11, 1998-- Informix Corporation
(NASDAQ:IFMX - news), the leading provider of innovative database technology, today
announced significant fourth quarter customer sales, signaling renewed customer confidence in the
company's strategic enterprise segment focus in high performance OLTP, data warehousing and
Web/content management.
Fourth quarter customer wins include six leading financial institutions as well as continued
solutions-based business with Informix(R) global partners, Baan, PeopleSoft, and SAP.
''Our fourth quarter results signal the progress of our focused high-end market emphasis, targeting
enterprises which seek competitive advantage through advanced database technology,'' said Bob
Finocchio, chairman and CEO of Informix. ''We are encouraged by the support of our customers
and increased sales seen in our strategic enterprise segments for high-performance OLTP, data
warehousing and Web/content management.''
Informix today also announced customer momentum in the telecommunications industry with a
variety of companies who have purchased Informix technology for their strategic applications.
(Editors: See separate press release issued today.)
Informix targets three high-end market segments for strategic enterprise applications:
high-performance OLTP, data warehousing and Web/content management.
Informix Drives Hi-performance OLTP Database Applications
Significant fourth quarter wins where Informix proved a leader in the high-performance OLTP
market include:
-- Arizona State Compensation Fund -- sells workers compensation insurance to businesses within
the state of Arizona. Arizona State Compensation Fund is a first time customer who purchased
Informix Dynamic Server(tm) and its application development tool, INFORMIX-Data Director(tm)
for Visual Basic, to manage their imaging and workflow-based claims processing application. The
host-based system runs on an HP9000 where nine districts will process claims information to be
managed centrally. The application will manage all documents, forms, claims and information for a
claimant, routed in a workflow environment all the way down to the payment of medical bills.
''In our reference checks for Informix and Oracle, we chose Informix over Oracle for two reasons,''
said Pat O'Keefe, data resources and technology integration manager. ''One, their product was
technically faster, and two, Informix received high marks from other customers for their customer
service and support.''
-- Cavendes Financial Group -- in Venezuela is implementing a centralized ''Universal Bank''
application that aims to increase sales and lower the cost of doing business while improving customer
service. The application allows Cavendes' disparate financial groups to consolidate their products
and services to be sold through one central bank location and to distribute information to eleven
bank branches.
The OLTP application will be running Informix Dynamic Server on Data General hardware with the
financial package, SIF from Grupo PISA, at the central location. Branches will be running Informix
Dynamic Server, Workgroup Edition(tm) running Windows NT.
Companhia Energetica de Minas Gerais -- in Brazil, CEMIG is a public company that
supplies energy to the entire state of Minas Gerais. They are developing a customer service
center application with Informix Dynamic Server for Windows NT and HP UNIX. The
application will allow customers to obtain information on their energy consumption.
Core Pacific Securities Corporation -- in Taiwan is one of the top five securities and finance
companies in the country. After a two year evaluation, Informix was selected as their key
long-term partner for database management systems to Core Pacific's country-wide operation
and business system. Core Pacific replaced Sybase with Informix Dynamic Server for their
future commodity application in December 1997.
Informix, together with partner Systex & ProYoung, provided a total solution, including application,
database, consulting, network management, and technical services to Core Pacific headquarters and
their five remote sites. The application is a full accounting system, general ledger, accounts payable,
receivables, balance checking, tracking, and billing system. The application also administers
commission calculation, sales, and marketing and cost analysis.
Banco Hipotecario Nacional -- located in Argentina, Banco Hipotecario has chosen Informix
for their database to manage their home mortgage loan application. Banco Hipotecario is
replacing their core system running on an IBM host system and moving to Informix Dynamic
Server running Windows NT. The new system will run their central office and 24 branches
over each state in Argentina.
Wielkopolski Bank Kredytowy -- in Poland is an investment, commercial and retail bank who
purchased Informix products in the fourth quarter to manage their central banking system.
Other significant wins in the fourth quarter in the high-performance OLTP market segment include:
Instituto de Seguridat y Servicios Sociales para os Trabajadores del Estado (ISSTE, Government
Workers Social Services Institute in Mexico); Fric Rot Tenneco in Argentina; JC Whitney Company
in Chicago; Point P, and Informatique & Communication in France; and the following companies in
Germany: Bundesfinanzministerium and Deutscher Paket dienst.
Informix Leads The Way In Web and Content Management
Informix continues to drive new and existing business in Web and content management with
customers such as:
-- Egghead -- Informix, along with partner Fort Point Partners Inc., a San Francisco-based
electronic commerce consulting firm, expanded their technology support for Egghead Computer's
high-volume e-commerce Web site.
Fort Point Partners will be adding Informix Dynamic Server with Universal Data Option(tm) and the
next generation of Informix's Web Integration Option(tm) to Egghead's current e-commerce Web
site environment (www.egghead.com) in order to manage its rapid growth and increasing popularity.
The Egghead Web site, designed and built with the support of Fort Point Partners and based on
Informix's database technology, is among the most frequently visited commerce sites on the Internet,
according to Media Metrix, The PC Meter Company.
Radio Televisione Italiana (RAI) -- the Italian national radio-television broadcasting
corporation is using Informix to create a digital archive of its extensive library of programming
and related media. Informix Dynamic Server with Universal Data Option will enable RAI to
reconstruct an extensive catalog of all broadcast material and transfer film, sound,
photographs and text from RAI archives into a large, easily accessible digital media library for
consultation, production and post-production purposes.
National Stock Exchange (NSE) -- in India is the premier stock exchange and has been a
pioneer in the area of information technology deployment. NSE has also been a pioneer in the
implementation of Internet technology. NSE's requirements are to provide the investor
community, its members and the companies being traded on the exchange with a world-class
web site that will provide real-time quotes and other sources of relevant information.
NSE strongly believes that the foundation of their Web site should be in a powerful, scalable and
extensible implementation of Web technology, using an industrial strength RDBMS to enable the
advanced requirements of NSE for servicing the broker and investor community.
NSE chose Informix Dynamic Server with the Web Integration Option and Informix partner, DBS
Internet, to provide a total solution that meets NSE's requirements.
''Informix continued to play offense, rather than defense, in the quarter,'' said Finocchio. ''We
aggressively built on our legacy of technology leadership and innovation in areas such as the Web.
Our new Data Director for Web, a development tool that makes it easier for database and Web
developers to create Web applications and manage Web sites, is an exciting new solution for this
high-growth area of the database market.''
Other customer business wins in the fourth quarter for Web and content management include ANPE
and Mag Info in France.
Informix Makes Strong Gains In Enterprise Data Warehouse Market
Informix continues to make strong gains in the data warehouse market segment and won business in
the fourth quarter with the following companies:
Fidelity Investments -- the leading provider of mutual funds and other financial services,
recently signed an additional agreement for 4,000 licenses of Informix Dynamic Server for a
major call center project in Fidelity's retail organization.
First Union Corporation [NYSE:FTU - news] -- based in Charlotte, N.C., is the sixth-largest
bank in the U.S. First Union signed a substantial contract with Informix in the fourth quarter.
The agreement expands First Union's use of Informix Dynamic Server with Extended Parallel
Option(tm) and will expand the corporate data warehouse to a size of several terabytes of
customer information.
First Union's data warehouse will be used to more precisely target the bank's marketing efforts and
customer relationship-building efforts.
''We are pleased with the flexibility and capabilities that Informix gives us,'' said Al Sale, First
Union's executive vice president of marketing and strategic planning.
First Union's Executive Vice President of Automation and Operations Austin Adams said,
''Informix's software is a key reason we are able to build a data warehouse of this size and scope.''
-- American Medical Association (AMA) -- is a voluntary membership organization of physicians
which sets standards for the profession of medicine in areas such as education, and medical policy
that affect the fabric of American medicine and patient care.
In the fourth quarter AMA purchased Informix Dynamic Server and Informix consulting services to
construct AMA's data warehouse as part of the organization's AIMS Project. The AIMS Project is
a strategic initiative to provide the enabling technology that will allow the AMA to enhance service to
their members and will be considered a strategic asset, helping to shape and support the activities of
the AMA well into the 21st century.
The data warehouse will initially be used for marketing analysis, data extracts, physician profiles, and
mail list processing.
''Informix has been a primary vendor for us and we continue to purchase their technology because
we feel it is state-of-the-art and surpasses the competition,'' said Kevin Lutz, director of data
architecture at AMA.
Hana Bank -- in Korea, selected Informix Dynamic Server with Extended Parallel Option for
their Strategic Information System (SIS). The SIS data warehouse will manage the rapidly
changing financial and credit information about Hana Bank customers worldwide. SIS will
analyze customer data for marketing and sales purposes with the intent to deliver better
service and increase bank profits. SIS is scheduled to be in production in the first half of
1998.
Standard Chartered Bank -- in the U.K. purchased Informix Dynamic Server and SUN
Microsystems hardware for a Global Risk Management System.
Health Care Hawkes Bay -- in New Zealand is a Crown Health Enterprise or government
body that is using Informix products to build a data warehouse to consolidate and report on
disparate information from its different centers. The initial system is for the Emergency
Department and will grow to include other cost centers.
Other significant wins in the fourth quarter in the data warehouse market segment include Whitbread
in the U.K. and France Printemps in France.
Informix Goes After Solutions-based Business With Global Partners
Informix pursued solutions-based business with its Global partners in the fourth quarter which
included such customers as:
-- The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) -- in Australia is a media organization and
national broadcaster. Its broadcast services include radio, television and, more recently, the Internet.
The ABC is a new customer for Informix and was selected to run SAP's R/3 Financial and Human
Resources Modules to help ABC improve the management and cost savings of its business support
functions. The SAP/Informix solution will ultimately support all ABC staff of up to 4500 ad hoc
users at approximately 56 sites.
''We chose Informix for the current SAP project based on the products' price performance and
reputation, but with a long-term view of making use of its audio and video storage capabilities to
meet ABC's multimedia needs,'' said Christine Rogers, general manager, Information Technology
Services at ABC. ''In this area, the architecture of Informix was a deciding factor.''
-- SpeedFam International, Inc. -- in Arizona is a multimillion dollar leader in designing, marketing,
manufacturing and supporting state-of-the-art flat surface processing technologies and related
products. SpeedFam Corporation, a subsidiary of SpeedFam International Inc., purchased Informix
to run SAP's full suite of ERP modules. The SAP/Informix solution will run on HP9000 systems
centrally supported out of SpeedFam's corporate headquarters in Chandler, Ariz.
''We have used Informix in the past and were already familiar with the quality of their technology,''
said Michael J. Revenew, MIS manager at SpeedFam. ''Essentially, we chose Informix over
Oracle8 because we think it is technically a better product.''
Arcor -- in Argentina is a billion dollar worldwide supplier of confections products. They have
chosen Informix for the corporate database running their internal systems including an intranet
and distribution system using PeopleSoft on Windows NT. Arcor also is using Informix for
their data warehousing applications. They replaced Oracle with Informix for managing their
manufacturing data and they also replaced their Microsoft database with Informix.
Votorantim Group -- in Brazil, is the largest national holding company for the mining, steel,
energy, cellulose, and paper industries. This group has nine main companies from which one
of them, Votorantim Mineracao e Metalurgia, recently purchased Informix technology.
Votorantim Mineracao e Metalurgia purchased the Informix Dynamic Server with the Baan
ERP Solution.
''We bought the Informix database due to its superior performance, and also because we believe
they have a strong partnership base with the leading ERP companies,'' said Robson Alves de
Camargo, information technology consultant at Votorantim Mineracao e Metalurgia.
-- Cerveceria y Malteria Quilmes -- in Argentina is a beer producer and distributor. Informix won
new business with this customer in the fourth quarter over Oracle due to Informix pre-sales and
post-sales support. The new system is planned to run SAP and Informix with more than 600
concurrent users on IBM hardware.
Informix and ISV Partner, EXE Leverage Key Deals
Informix also continued to do substantial business with ISV partner, EXE Technologies, Inc., a
world leader in global supply chain execution software. EXE Technologies helped Informix close
several new transactions in the quarter, including PETsMART, a pet supply superstore; Tru-Serv, a
hardware store chain; CompUSA, a nationwide computer retailer; and Provigo, Inc., a retailer
located in Toronto, Canada.
Mike Marvis, vice president of worldwide marketing stated, ''Informix has been an integral partner
in the success of the Exceed.ux platform (EXE's Unix platform).''
About Informix
Informix Corporation, the world's database technology leader based in Menlo Park, Calif., provides
innovative database products that enable the world's major corporations to attain competitive
advantage. Informix is widely recognized as the technology leader for corporate computing
environments ranging from small workgroups to very large parallel processing applications.
Informix's database servers, application development tools, superior customer service, and strong
partnerships enable the company to beat the forefront of major information technology solution areas
including data warehousing, OLTP and Web/content management.
For more information, contact the sales office nearest you or visit Informix's Web site at
informix.com.
Note to Editors: The following are worldwide trademarks of Informix Software, Inc., Informix
Corporation, or their subsidiaries, registered in the United States of America as indicated by ''(R)''
and in numerous countries worldwide: Informix(R),The Informix logo(R), Informix Dynamic
Server(tm), Workgroup Edition(tm), Data Director(tm), Extended Parallel Option(tm). All other
names or marks used herein may be servicemarks or trademarks of their respective owners
Informix news releases are available at no charge through Business Wire's NewsOnDemand fax
service. To immediately receive an index of available releases, call 800/356-0851.
Contact:
Informix Corporation
Jaye Prosser, 650/926-6316 (Editorial)
jprosser@informix.com
informix.com
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