Informix Announces Key Customer Wins in Third Quarter
MENLO PARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 21, 1998--
Leading Companies and Government Entities in Key Markets Around the
World Respond To Informix's Technology Strategy
Informix(R) Corporation (Nasdaq: IFMX), the technology leader in enterprise database-powered solutions, today announced continued progress in the marketplace during the third quarter of 1998 by signing contracts with major customers worldwide.
Among Informix's third quarter wins are significant contracts with leading domestic and international corporations, including, Kinko's (document copying and business services retailer), GTE (one of the world's largest telecommunications providers), Security First Technologies (developer of Internet software for the financial services industry), WAM!NET, (high-speed data network provider), Express Scripts/Value RX (leader in medication and healthcare management) Ageis (second largest telemarketing company in North America), State of Alaska Department of Corrections, Fortis (Belgian banking group), CNAMTS (France's Department of Social Security), Lafarge Redland (major UK construction company), Yasar Bank (large retail bank based in Turkey), Yodobashi Camera, Inc., (one of the largest retailers in Japan), Mainfreight (logistics leader in New Zealand), Coles Myer (Australia's leading retailer), TELEMIG (cellular telecommunications company in Brazil), Argentina's Ministry of Education and Culture and Grupo ICA (one of Mexico's largest construction companies).
"This partial list of customers around the world, many of them recognized as leaders in their respective fields, are solid evidence that Informix continues to attract the business of customers that demand the best technology for their database solutions," said Bob Finocchio, chairman and CEO of Informix. "Our strategy of providing best-of-breed solutions in the key areas of data warehousing, Web and e-commerce, and high-performance OLTP, coupled with expert consulting and integration services, continues to resonate with the market. We thank existing customers for their continued support and welcome our new customers to the high-performance world of Informix." NORTH AMERICA
CCI/Triad, Austin, TX CCI/Triad, headquartered in Austin, TX, and the leading provider of management information systems, data, and services to the automotive after-market and hardlines and lumber industries, extended its business relationship with Informix by placing a significant order for both Informix Dynamic Server(R) licenses and consulting services. CCI/Triad is migrating from its legacy internal Customer Service Support application to an Informix-based, client-server, three-tier architecture. Through collaboration with Informix partner UniKix, Informix was able to offer CCI/Triad the ability to both maintain and modernize the legacy application, and to run it in a new, open systems environment. Ed Frandle CIO/VP of MIS at CCI/Triad, commented, "The Informix/UniKix solution enables CCI/Triad to both expand on and add substantial new functionality to the existing internal Customer Service application."
Kinko's(R), Ventura, CA
Kinko's, the leading global retail provider of document copying and business services with more than 900 retail locations worldwide, recently extended and upgraded its Informix enterprise agreement. Committed to technology advancement, Kinko's has added the Advanced Decision Support Option(TM) to Informix Dynamic Server for its corporate data warehouse in support of financial operations, point-of-sale, and product analysis.
Maricopa County Attorney's Office, Phoenix, AZ
Maricopa County is the nation's fifth largest county. The Maricopa County Attorney's Office is in the process of completely overhauling the system used to track adult criminal offenders as they move through the county's various law enforcement and corrections agencies. The Office is replacing its legacy proprietary system with an Informix Dynamic Server-based system that will ensure Year 2000 compliance. The new system will provide instant access to case notes and other relevant documents for over 800 attorneys, paralegals and support staff, and will provide the ability for the department to integrate rich media such as photographs, video and audio data as required.
WAM!NET Inc., Minneapolis, MN
WAM!NET Inc. is the "Industry Smart"(TM) digital network company that specializes in high-speed data transportation, storage, and digital workflow applications for the graphic arts, entertainment and medical imaging industries. This quarter the company made a significant additional investment in Informix Dynamic Server with Universal Data Option to meet some of the core database requirements of the WAM!NET products. These products include the WAM!BASE media asset management service and Customer Information System (CIS), an on-line reporting tool that allows users to get up-to-the-minute information about their WAM!NET transactions, billing, and trading partners. "Informix remains the clear leader in scalability and replication capabilities," said Allen Witters, chief technology officer at WAM!NET. "With Informix as the database for our flagship products we are well-positioned to address future market opportunities." Security First Technologies, Atlanta, GA
Informix value-added reseller, Security First Technologies (S1), the leading developer and marketer of Internet software for the financial services industry, recently purchased additional licenses of Informix Dynamic Server for deployment by one of its global financial services customers. S1's integrated suite of financial management applications, Virtual Financial Manager(TM)(VFM), runs exclusively on Informix database technology, and is designed to help financial institutions offer products and services online in a secure environment. More than 100 financial entities, including 14 of the top 100 institutions, utilize VFM as their Internet application for e-customers.
EUROPE, MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA
Fortis, Belgium
Fortis is an international group of more than 100 companies employing over 35,000 employees and operating in the fields of banking, insurance and investments. ASLK-CGER, a Belgian bank member of the Fortis group, purchased a significant number of Informix Dynamic Server Workgroup Edition(TM) (NT and Unix) licenses. Faced with ensuring Year 2000 compliance, the company plans to deploy Informix-based IT solutions for approximately 3,000 users as it executes its in-house "Project Admin 2000", a comprehensive project to replace all existing PC hardware/software with Y2K-compatible systems.
Bo frost Italia S.p.A., Italy
Bo frost Italia S.p.A., the Italian branch of Bo frost International, the European leader in direct sales of frozen food, purchased Informix Dynamic Server as the database platform to manage its outbound call center, and to manage sales and marketing information and related activities for more than one million Italian customers. The call center database is fully integrated with a Graphical Information Systems (GIS) application system that features INFORMIX-4GL and MapInfo for order processing, order delivering and logistics. It currently serves 100 telesales operators but, by the end of 1999, will be the largest outbound call center in Europe with more than 400 users. "Informix, through its strong partnerships with other strategic IT vendors, is simply the best database technology partner for innovative enterprise applications," said Marco Zanuttini, chief information officer of Bo frost Italia. "Informix has enabled us to optimally leverage our business information and to plan marketing, sales and distribution strategies that meet our customers' requirements."
Caisse Nationale d'Assurances Maladie des Travailleurs Salaries (CNAMTS), France
CNAMTS, the French department of social security, renewed its investment in Informix technology by selecting Informix Dynamic Server as the foundation for all future IT applications to be developed for managing state-administered health and unemployment benefits. Over the next few years, several CNAMTS legacy production applications will be migrated from proprietary systems to client/server open systems running under UNIX and Windows NT. Ultimately, 50,000 users will be able to carry out all their on-line transaction processing (OLTP) projects using Informix Dynamic Server and Tuxedo from BEA Systems, with a projected 35,000 users online by the end of 1999. Informix partner Bull is a key contractor for this project.
Lafarge Redland, United Kingdom
Lafarge Redland, a major UK construction company, has purchased Informix InfoMover for a data warehousing solution. Informix InfoMover is a component of Informix's new Decision Frontier Solution suite -- a combination of best-of-breed products and technologies that enables users to quickly and cost-effectively build and manage the industry's most scalable data warehouses and data marts. InfoMover will extract sales information from across all Lafarge Redland businesses, consolidating these into Informix Dynamic Server to provide a single view of the revenue position of the company. In a subsequent phase, the system will be extended to incorporate cost information together with the revenue information to provide a consolidated view of the overall financial position.
ASIA-PACIFIC
Yodobashi Camera, Inc., Japan
Yodobashi Camera, Inc., one of the largest retailers in Japan with annual revenues of $2 billion, significantly increased its investment in Informix technology to keep pace with the company's rapid growth. Yodobashi uses Informix Dynamic Server with Universal Data Option to power their E-Commerce Web site, "Yodobashi Camera Personal Store." Yodobashi now offers over 8,000 different products via their Web site -- yodobashi.co.jp -- including electronic appliances, computers, and cameras, and has plans to increase the array of products it offers through Informix-based E-Commerce. Fast access to complex data for a large number of simultaneous users coupled with easy and fast maintenance of rich media database objects were key determinants in the company's decision to expand its use of Informix technology. (Note: "Yodobashi Camera Personal Store" is a Japanese language site that sells and ships products to customers within Japan.)
Land Information New Zealand (LINZ)
LINZ is the government entity responsible for the issue of land titles, making available government-held land information, and approval of survey plans for all of New Zealand. Informix was awarded the contract to supply its Informix Dynamic Server with Universal Data Option (IDS/UDO) as the database platform for the Land Online project because of its unique ability to integrate spatial information directly within the database environment. This is achieved using Environmental Systems Research Institute's (ESRI) Spatial Database Engine DataBlade(R) module, which extends IDS/UDO to provide Geographic Information System capability to the Land Online project. In addition, by using Universal Data Option the Land Online project has been able to develop a number of custom DataBlade modules to provide core application functionality within the database engine. The Land Online project is planned to begin rollout to each of LINZ's regional centers in 1999.
Mainfreight Limited, New Zealand
Mainfreight is a leading player in the logistics business in Australia and the leader in logistics in New Zealand. It was recently selected by Federal Express to operate Express Distribution Centers on behalf of FedEx in Mainfreight logistic facilities in Auckland, Sydney and Melbourne. After a rigorous competitive benchmark, Mainfreight selected Informix Dynamic Server as the foundation for a complete overhaul of the company's critical logistics systems, and the database for both its Baan CODA financial package and upon which new, custom applications will be based. Longer term, Mainfreight envisions developing an Informix-based data warehouse. "The raw performance data for Informix was very convincing proof that the company offers superior database technology," said Garry Collings, IT manager at Mainfreight. "We also concluded that in selecting Informix we were selecting a hands-on business partner as well as a leading technology vendor."
Coles Myer, Australia
Coles Myer, Australia's leading retailer with approximately 18 percent share of all retail business in the country, has signed an agreement with Informix Software Pty Ltd. for database licenses, support and consulting required to support a major new E-Commerce initiative at Coles Myer. Under the agreement, Informix will license to Coles Myer Informix Dynamic Server, SQL, ESQL/C and INFORMIX-4GL to support Peapod, an online grocery shopping and delivery service to be introduced in Australia in 1999. Informix software will be used in conjunction with Peapod's software for a server-based shopping application including certain business systems such as fulfillment management, product database administration, customer support and Peapod's one-to-one content targeting engine.
LATIN AMERICA
Telecomunicacoes de Minas Gerais Celular S.A -- TELEMIG CELULAR, Brazil
TELEMIG CELULAR is the primary telco responsible for cellular services covering all of the state of Minas Gerais, one of the largest Brazilian states. TELEMIG CELULAR has purchased Informix Dynamic Server with Universal Data Option and MapInfo's SpatialWare DataBlade Module to create a large video wall that offers technicians a geographical representation of cellular traffic and fault information statistics. The company will also use Informix technology to build a data warehouse that will enable TELEMIG CELULAR to analyze operational data. "The reliability and extensibility of the Informix database technology were critical factors in our decision but its superior performance was the primary reason to go with Informix as the mission-critical center of our system," said Nilo Correia Lima Filho, CGR Cellular Project Manager at TELEMIG CELULAR.
Grupo ICA, Mexico
Grupo ICA, one of Mexico's largest construction companies, purchased Informix Dynamic Server to run a human resources application developed by an Informix partner. ICA will use Informix Dynamic Server to manage its extensive payroll which is extremely complex due to the nature of the group's many and varied construction projects. "We chose to work with Informix because of their technology and its capacity to support mission-critical applications. Informix Dynamic Server gives us the scalability and reliability we require. This, together with extremely competitive price/performance makes Informix the most suitable solution for ICA," said Jaime Murrow Franklin, general manager and CIO at Grupo ICA.
Ministry of Education and Culture, Argentina
The Ministry of Education and Culture bought Informix technology for its "Information System for Universities" -- an integrated administrative system for all the country's national universities -- with the goal of creating a centralized data warehouse and distributed data marts for planning and decision-making purposes. After thorough evaluation of competitive products, the Ministry selected Informix Dynamic Server with MetaCube(TM) ROLAP Option. "In addition to excellent technology, Informix demonstrated teamwork and a can-do attitude that provided critical direction to the project," said Ricardo Williams, project leader of the IT Department.
Grupo Autotodo, Mexico
Grupo Autotodo a large automotive suppliers that was faced with the challenge of implementing an enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution. After evaluating several turnkey systems, Autotodo selected Informix Dynamic Server as the foundation for a specialized ERP solution developed by Informix partner GCG. "Our requirements were for a database that would provide us with real-time access to the key business indicators of our daily operations," said Alfredo Miranda, executive vice president of finance and Administration. "We evaluated several DBMS options and decided on Informix. Informix Dynamic Server provides us with the technological excellence on which Autotodo will depend as we strive to meet our future goals."
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