Software Business
Executive Report

April 9, 2007

Achieving Business Advantage through the Elusive Balance of Development & Support

Eldad Maniv, VP of Product Management, BMC Software

By Eldad Maniv, VP of Product Management, BMC Software

There’s no debate that software errors, or “bugs,” are costly; we’ve all seen reports about how much money is lost each hour that a critical banking or retail application goes offline. But when software is your business, the impact of application problems can be devastating — any seemingly small issue that is uncovered during testing or is escalated from support that keeps engineering teams from focusing on development can have a costly ripple effect:

• Product release dates slip and new, competitive functionality isn’t being developed
• Rushed testing cycles result in products being released with sub-par quality
• Skyrocketing costs for resolving complex customer support issues
• Increased competition leads to longer sales cycles and higher cost of sales
• Declining maintenance renewal rates from disappointed customers
• Damaged company reputation as support and functionality fail to meet customer expectations

According to industry research, on average, developers spend 39 percent of their time finding and resolving problems in applications that are already live [1] and during testing, that jumps to nearly 100 percent – that may sound like an exaggeration, but think about your QA process: it’s all about finding and fixing problems, and the bulk of that time is root-cause analysis (approx. 80 percent is finding the root cause and only 20 percent is correcting the issue).

Any executive in charge of development should be concerned by these figures. And every executive in a software business should be alarmed. It means that a significant percent of the time, your engineering team is not working on the next release, module, or product that will keep your maintenance revenues flowing, drive new sales, and maintain your competitive lead.

Optimizing Development Organizations

Hundreds of top Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) are successfully addressing these issues and are optimizing their development organizations by using application problem resolution technology to automate the traditionally time-consuming, iterative process of root-cause analysis. The technology has been proven to accelerate problem resolution times by up to 70 percent in both the development/testing and maintenance phases of the product lifecycle.

With problem resolution technology, ISVs gain a best practice approach to root-cause analysis that enables engineering teams to reclaim up to 40 percent of development bandwidth that is currently diverted from developing new products to supporting existing ones, which in turn, helps software vendors accelerate the launch of new releases, improve product quality, reduce support costs, improve customer satisfaction ratings, and meet service level agreements (SLAs) .

Increased Complexity Means Increased Time to Resolution

In its 2006 Benchmark Study, the Service and Support Professionals Association (SSPA) reported that the percent of support cases closed at first contact continues to decline, while the length of time a case is open continues to increase (see Figure 1). [2] This too, is an alarming finding. Escalation to a broader resolution team leads to skyrocketing costs and takes engineers away from their primary development tasks. Longer problem resolution times also leads to unhappy customers and possibly delayed or lost revenues.

The characteristics that make software development and deployment methodologies, such as SOA and Web Services, so powerful and productive when all goes well, make problems extremely difficult to diagnose when things go wrong. Complex issues involving a number of component vendors and no obvious root cause can lead to unproductive finger-pointing, while customers wait impatiently for a resolution.

SSPA benchmarking research has also found that these difficult multi-vendor issues typically take four times longer to resolve [3], which only multiplies the potential negative impact on your business. A few years ago, the answer to longer support cycles and higher costs was a move to offshoring, Web self-service, and better knowledge bases for service desk staff. However, as figure 2 shows, these quick fixes have not been able to keep up with the rate of technology change and the increasing complexity of the software environment. This has led to an overall increase in the time development engineers spend on product support instead of development

While the software development process has undergone multiple paradigm shifts in the past few decades, the problem resolution process continues to rely basically on the same manual, labor-intensive, iterative approach, which robs the engineering team of precious development cycles and contributes to those major productivity losses mentioned above.

Clearly, a change is long overdue.

Application Problem Resolution technology

 A growing number of innovative software vendors are leveraging low-impact application recording technologies as a mechanism to capture the information needed for problem resolution – both during the testing process and for remote customer support. These software technologies look inside a running application to collect the technical information needed by engineers and support staff to determine the root cause of a problem. The more sophisticated technologies can capture not only the user’s actions preceding a failure, but also the system configuration, performance parameters, and even the related code execution. They can also synchronize this information on a single timeline for further analysis. The most advanced systems provide users with powerful automated analysis capabilities to dramatically accelerate root-cause determination and problem resolution.

As any software veteran knows, the challenge is that the symptoms of a software problem rarely reflect the root cause. A single business transaction may kick off a sequence of complex processes, each of which may involve events that happen on up to a dozen potential servers. The root-cause of the problem could be a coding error, a hardware fault, a configuration issue, or even an end-user’s mistake.

A recent survey, conducted by Dynamic Markets Ltd., found that 75 percent of application problem resolution cycle time is attributed to determining the root-cause of the problem.[4] Pinpointing the root-cause of application problems can be difficult when problems surface outside the development environment, and especially when they occur at remote customer sites. Development and Support team members typically go through a lengthy and costly process that includes endless conference calls, iterative attempts to gather information, costly trips to the customer site, and multiple attempts to recreate the problem scenario. And in many cases, it turns out that the root-cause was actually related to another vendor’s product. Application problem resolution technology alleviates this painful process and eliminates time-wasting finger-pointing among vendors.

Conclusion

No company faces a greater business risk from software problems than a software vendor. To mitigate that risk and increase efficiency, ISVs should consider using application problem resolution technology to optimize the use of engineering resources and achieve that critical balance between delivering new products and supporting current ones.

As V.P. of Product Management at BMC Software, Eldad Maniv is responsible for BMC products that are sold into development organizations, including the BMC AppSight Application Problem Resolution System, as well as the business unit’s professional services and marketing functions. Maniv joined BMC after two years in a similar role at Identify Software (creators of AppSight), which BMC acquired in May 2006.

[1] “How Visible are IT Problems, Really?” Dynamic Markets Ltd., Sept. 2004, p. 5.

[2]   The Service and Support Professionals Assoc. (SSPA) 2006 Benchmark Study Report, John Ragsdale, VP, SSPA Research

[3] Ibid

[4] “How Visible are IT Problems, Really?” Dynamic Markets Ltd., Sept. 2004, p. 6.

Enterprise Applications Market Has 550 Mergers and Acquisitions Between 2004 and 2006

The enterprise applications market experienced continuous consolidation as merger and acquisition activities reached a new milestone of 550 deals with an aggregated value of at least $74 billion between 2004 and 2006, according to a new study published by IDC. The consolidation ushered in a new set of mega-ERP vendors as well as vertical-industry powerhouses, redrawing the competitive landscape by transforming relatively unknown entities into permanent fixtures with billions of dollars in recurring revenues as well as hundreds of thousands of customers.

"Like a wild fire, the consolidation engulfed the core of the U.S. market with deals like Oracle's purchases of PeopleSoft and Siebel and quickly spread worldwide by redistributing vendor shares, forcing customers to remap their software strategies, and finally throwing investor expectations into a feeding frenzy," said Albert Pang, research director of Enterprise Applications at IDC. "And the best is yet to come as the deal value could soar over the next three years because of favorable economic conditions and increased optimism of professional investors, as well as the underlying strengths of vendor fundamentals from rising recurring revenue streams to irreplaceable vertical-industry expertise and dominance.''

Key results presented in IDC's study include:

• Deal volumes and valuations are likely to increase over the next three years as enterprise applications vendors and investors are waiting to capture the perfect window of opportunity to either dominate a particular market segment or cash out to yield outsized returns.
• The number of merger and acquisition transactions in North America has been holding steady since 2004, suggesting that there will still be plenty of deal opportunities in the world's largest applications market given its fragmented nature, abundance of private equity capital as well as a growing desire among the established players to leapfrog competition through strategic acquisitions.
• As deal activities continue unabated in Asia/Pacific, Europe, and Latin America, the future makeup of the enterprise applications vendors will be dominated by truly global players capable of addressing the needs of their customers in multiple geographies and the consequences for the procrastinators - or those that choose to sit on the sidelines - could render many of them without any chance to recover lost ground.

This study, Acquisitive Vendors, Investors Profit from the Latest 36-Month Period of Enterprise Applications Market Consolidation (IDC #206021) offers an in-depth analysis of 550 mergers and acquisitions that have shaken the core of the enterprise applications market between 2004 and 2006 resulting in an aggregated deal value that exceeded $74 billion and affected every corner of the world. This study provides detailed information on the 550 deals including strategies of the acquirers, the vendors acquired, and the types of applications and technology assets purchased. Other data points include announced dollar amounts of the transactions, characteristics of top deals and the most acquisitive players, number of customers being affected, and regional and vertical industry dimensions of the deals.

Contact www.idc.com

Enterprises are bullish on the concept of service-oriented architecture (SOA), and adoption is expected to double over the next two years, according to Evans Data Corporation’s recently released Corporate Development Issues Survey. In this survey, close to a quarter of enterprise-level developers indicated that they already have service-oriented architecture in place, and another 28% plan to do so within the next 24 months. Adoption of enterprise service buses (currently at 15%) will more than double during this same time, respondents said.

"The SOA software market is poised for healthy growth as large enterprises across all verticals are adopting SOA-based solutions for their business related issues," notes John F. Andrews, President of Evans Data Corporation. " Enterprise integration and the need for flexible business processes continues to drive the demand for SOA as a viable  and popular  option to achieving competent IT infrastructure.

Other findings from over three hundred in-house corporate developer responses in the Corporate Development Issues Survey:

• Sixty percent of the in-house corporate developers said they will likely increase budget spending on web security allotments over the course of next year, web services came in second in the list of budgeting priorities, followed by integration projects.
• Ten percent of the respondents said they currently have grid computing, respondents indicated that this number will triple, to 30%, within 24 months
• The top reasons for corporations to outsource, to save money (22%), in-house skill shortages (20%), and access to special expertise (17%)

Contact www.evansdata.com

Workbrain Corporation to be Acquired by Infor for $12.50 in Cash Per Share

Workbrain has reached a definitive agreement with Infor Global Solutions European Finance, S.A.R.L. under which Infor will acquire all of Workbrain's outstanding common shares at a price of CDN$12.50 per share in cash pursuant to a statutory plan of arrangement.  The transaction values Workbrain, on a fully diluted basis, at approximately $227 million dollars.

This all-cash transaction for 100% of the Company's common shares represents a 25.6% premium over Workbrain's volume weighted average share price on the Toronto Stock Exchange on Friday, March 30, 2007, and a 40% premium over the volume weighted average price for the most recent 30 trading days on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

The transaction has been unanimously approved by Workbrain's Board of Directors, which recommends that shareholders vote in favour of the transaction.

"In just over seven years, Workbrain has built the leading workforce management software company based on innovation and attention to the customer. Joining Infor will accelerate our current momentum by providing us access to Infor's 70,000 customers and extensive global distribution network. We believe that all of our stakeholders will benefit from this combination," said David Ossip, CEO of Workbrain.

Infor is the world's largest private software company and third largest enterprise software provider. It provides applications that run virtually every aspect of a business, from enterprise resource planning to the supply chain, customer relationship management and financial systems. Infor focuses on business-specific solutions, which require less customization, provide more functionality and result in lower cost of ownership.

"Infor's successful business model combines the built-in business experience of focused software providers like Workbrain with the scale, stability and breadth of solutions of one of the largest software providers," said Jim Schaper, Chairman and CEO of Infor. "We will continue to invest and build upon Workbrain's solutions.  Workbrain expands our current human capital management offering with unmatched domain expertise in the areas of time and attendance, scheduling, absence management and workforce planning."

Workbrain's Board of Directors was advised by Merrill Lynch and Genuity Capital Markets, each of whom provided Workbrain's Board of Directors with an opinion that the consideration to be received by securityholders under the transaction is fair from a financial point of view.   Stikeman Elliott LLP provided legal advice to Workbrain.

Workbrain's CEO, David Ossip, and Alon Ossip, a Director of Workbrain, have agreed to vote the 3,994,200 common shares that they control in Workbrain, which represents approximately 22% of Workbrain's issued and outstanding common shares, in favour of the transaction.

Contact www.workbrain.com

Contact www.infor.com

Shea Development Corp. has entered into an agreement to acquire Riptide Software in a cash and stock transaction. Riptide is an enterprise grade custom software and systems development company with a strong track record of delivering mission-critical, zero-defect engagements on custom, mid-to-large-scale software systems for government and commercial customers using the latest technologies. The combined entity will result in the world's newest company in this high-growth market offering a standards-based, real-time, thin-client scalable solution that provides large corporate and government customers with robust and secure Business Process Management and Content Management solutions.

"SDC’s success is driven by the fact that we listen to our customers," said Frank Wilde, Chairman and CEO of Shea Development Corp. "Our combined customers rely on us to deliver enterprise class solutions that enable them to make better decisions faster by improving their ability to manage critical business processes, reduce expenditures, improve efficiency and provide world-class customer service. They frequently ask us to implement the latest technologies in their large, complex organizations which requires that we have the most advanced design, development, and support capabilities available in-house. This acquisition will allow us to reliably expand our ability to deliver advanced functionality tailor-made to our customer’s requirements and integrate their legacy systems with our own state-of-the-art BPM and CM solutions."

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals and the approval of SDC's shareholders. The transaction is expected to close in the second calendar quarter of 2007.

Contact www.riptide.com

Contact www.infointellect.com

Embarcadero Technologies, Inc. and Thoma Cressey Bravo, a leading private equity investment firm, have entered into a definitive agreement under which Embarcadero will be acquired by an affiliate of Thoma Cressey Bravo in a transaction valued at approximately $200 million.

Under the terms of the agreement, Embarcadero Technologies stockholders will receive $7.20 in cash in exchange for each share of stock. A majority of the board of directors of Embarcadero Technologies has approved the merger agreement and has recommended to Embarcadero Technologies’ stockholders that they vote in favor of the transaction.

Michael J. Roberts, Lead Director of Embarcadero Technologies, said, “Today’s announcement is a positive outcome for Embarcadero and its stockholders. After a review of our strategic alternatives by our board, we concluded that entering into an agreement with Thoma Cressey Bravo represents the best alternative available to our stockholders at this time.”

Orlando Bravo, Managing Partner of Thoma Cressey Bravo, said, “Embarcadero Technologies has a tremendous franchise in the data management market with best-in-class technology, a world-class customer base and an experienced management team. We look forward to working with the Embarcadero team to enhance and extend their successful track record as a leading strategic data management vendor and deliver increased value for their customers.”

The transaction is expected to close during Embarcadero Technologies’ second quarter, subject to customary conditions, including regulatory approvals and approval by Embarcadero stockholders. The completion of the transaction is not subject to any financing contingency. Upon closing, Embarcadero Technologies will no longer be publicly traded and the new company will be privately held by an affiliate of Thoma Cressey Bravo.

Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated acted as financial advisor to the board of directors of Embarcadero Technologies and provided a fairness opinion to it in connection with the transaction.

Contact www.embarcadero.com

Contact www.tcb.com

ANTs software, a leader in compatible, high-performance SQL database management systems, has raised $13 million through a private offering of units of common stock and convertible notes to accredited investors. The funds, from a combination of new and existing investors, will be used for general working capital purposes including: research and development, customer support and marketing and sales.

Each $50,000 unit is comprised of 14,285 shares of common stock at a price of $1.75 per share, and a convertible, ten percent promissory note with an initial face value of $25,000 and convertible into 12,500 shares of common stock at a conversion price of $2.00 per share. As a result, the company will issue an aggregate 3,714,100 shares of common stock and $6.5 million in promissory notes.

“This financing should enable us to build on the Oracle, SQL Server and Sybase compatibility already in the ANTs Data Server, while maintaining our focus on high-performance database management,” said Joseph Kozak, president and chief executive officer. “We are building relationships with large partners who can sell and support our technologies, and believe that together, we can have a big impact in the database market.”

Contact www.ants.com

ExtendMedia has received $12 million in venture capital funding in a Series B round led by TVM Capital.   Previous investors Atlas Venture and Venrock Associates also participated in the current round. This financing follows a previous $11 million Series A round, bringing funding to a total of $23 million. The additional funds will be used to accelerate sales, marketing and product development efforts to meet strong market demand for both direct-to-consumer and ad-supported digital content businesses. ExtendMedia’s OpenCASE solutions help power digital media commerce for Hewlett-Packard, SHOWTIME, ClickStar, Cablevision, Bell Canada, Manitoba Telecom Services, and major third-party integrators.

"TVM Capital's investment in ExtendMedia reflects our commitment to funding outstanding U.S.-based technology companies that can potentially benefit from our expertise and industry relationships in both Europe and the U.S.," says TVM Capital General Partner Ed Braginsky.

Contact www.extend.com

Invoice Insight, the leader in Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) Telecom Expense Management (TEM) solutions, has acquired Oreon, a SaaS providing wireless asset management.

“Aberdeen Group found, in our latest survey, that 70% of survey respondents now see the benefits of consolidating wireless and wire-line expense management with one provider to address the full lifecycle of cost management. This acquisition brings new capabilities to the market on a Software-as-a Service (SaaS) platform,” stated Joe Basili, Research Director with Aberdeen.

Invoice Insight has over 100,000 devices on its current BillPort platform and these new capabilities will enhance their experience. Invoice Insight processes invoices in more than 20 foreign languages and numerous currencies and has large, multi-national TEM engagements. Software-as-a-Service is the easiest technology model to deploy and has the fastest speed-to-value solution for global and domestic customers.

“This is an exciting step for us,” said Mark Pownell, CEO and co-founder of Oreon Inc. “Adding our capabilities to the Invoice Insight solution enables us to leverage existing expertise, while providing even greater value to an extensive network of customers and partners.”

Contact www.invoiceinsight.com

Company News

EMC Corp. and Microsoft Corp. have entered a network management technology licensing agreement and a broader technology collaboration — combining the market’s leading solutions for network and systems management for delivery of network-aware, end-to-end service management. Key to the announcement, Microsoft is licensing EMC Smarts network discovery and health monitoring technology to be included in a future version of Microsoft System Center Operations Manager. Additionally, EMC is also developing value-added network management and root-cause analysis management packs to be used in conjunction with both current and future versions of System Center Operations Manager.

Taking the agreement one step further, EMC and Microsoft are collaborating on the
co-development of a cross-domain behavioral model in the context of Operations Manager to improve IT operations management across disparate devices and systems.

The EMC and Microsoft collaboration consists of the leading solutions for network and systems management and combines the advanced correlation and root cause capabilities of EMC with the ease-of-use, partner ecosystem, and market reach of Microsoft.

Contact www.emc.com

Contact www.microsoft.com

BEA Systems, Inc. has entered into a strategic reseller agreement with AmberPoint, a provider of SOA runtime governance solutions. As part of this partnership, BEA will resell AmberPoint’s SOA Management System under the company’s AquaLogic product family.

The BEA branded product is being released as AquaLogic SOA Management (ALSM), and will play a key role in the expansion of BEA’s AquaLogic product family. The inclusion of ALSM can provide BEA customers with a complete SOA governance solution, designed to allow the company to address governance issues at every phase of the SOA lifecycle.

BEA ALSM can provide visibility into and control of the services network using a policy-based approach to manage loosely coupled systems. With ALSM, organizations can better understand the behavior of their systems in their SOA and implement policies that automate performance management and remedy exceptional conditions.

“Governance is a critical factor at every stage of the SOA lifecycle,” said John Hubinger, chief executive officer, AmberPoint. “By partnering with BEA, we’re delivering tight integrations that are designed to enable customers to more fully leverage the advantages of the AquaLogic platform. This will result in more robust services-based applications and help to speed the return organizations gain on their investments in SOA.”

Contact www.amberpoint.com

Contact www.bea.com

PowerSteering, a provider of On-Demand Performance Improvement software, has achieved sales growth exceeding 250% for the first quarter of 2007 compared to the same period last year. Led by strong new customer acquisition, significant account expansion and a new software release featuring an unprecedented level of financial reporting precision, PowerSteering achieved record sales and continued profitability.

“I’m delighted with our sales performance and our ability to consistently attract prestigious customers such as, Ingersoll Rand, MasterCard, Alliance Boots and DFAS (Defense Finance and Accounting Service). I’m confident that our impressive sales momentum, relentless focus on customer success, and track record of delivering innovative software products that meet our customers’ needs will translate into another remarkable year for PowerSteering,” commented Stephen Sharp, PowerSteering’s Chief Executive Officer.

PowerSteering added eight new customers in Q1, including:

• Ingersoll Rand : Enterprise Portfolio Management for a global innovation and solutions provider employing over 40,000 people and operating in over 80 manufacturing facilities.
• MasterCard : Six Sigma Deployment Management for the leading provider of payment solutions, processing over 16 billion payments each year and serving customers and businesses in more than 210 countries.
• Alliance Boots : IT Project and Portfolio Management for Europe’s leading pharmacy-led health and beauty group comprising more than 3,000 retail outlets.
• DFAS : Lean Six Sigma Project and Portfolio Management for the world's largest finance and accounting operation, providing services for the Military and Defense Agencies.

Contact www.powersteeringsoftware.com

Progress Software Corporation, a provider of leading application infrastructure software to develop, deploy, integrate and manage business applications, has revealed that its industry-leading Software as a Service (SaaS) empowerment programs have successfully transformed Progress Application Partners (APs) to deliver over 400 on-demand applications based on Progress technology.

In addition, in the first quarter of this year, more than 70 additional APs participated in the Empowerment Programs where. Progress not only helps them in meeting the technical requirements of best-in-class on-demand applications, but also helps with the whole business transformation required to enable this new delivery model. The growing popularity of on-demand applications has been driven by the flexibility they provide to budget and resource constrained IT departments, allowing them to utilize technologies their organizations need, but could not afford to deploy in the past.

Unlike other SaaS programs that focus on just hosting, Progress offers a comprehensive approach to ensure that APs not only adopt SaaS, but also deploy SaaS profitably. The program includes Assessment, Business Planning and Technical Planning to help guide APs through every step of the process. Using a proven application transformation approach in conjunction with consulting services, Progress provides the knowledge, support and resources needed for transforming business applications using SOA and multi-tenancy reference models.

According to Brad Shimmin, principal analyst, application infrastructure, at Current Analysis, “Leveraging its strong partner ecosystem and suite of complementary best-in-class solutions, Progress has started to take advantage of the emerging Software as a Service (SaaS) space, targeting vertical-specific solutions with key partners.”

With over 2,000 application partners delivering 5,000 vertically focused systems that cover everything from processing insurance claims to renting cars, Progress understands that SaaS is not suited for every market and works with its APs to determine whether SaaS is a fit for their business. The company helps partners determine (1) whether they should offer their applications as an on-demand service, (2) how to target a new market opportunity for their services; and (3) whether their application is architected properly to support this service-oriented approach to business. Progress is the only infrastructure software company that places a priority on the added step of understanding their partner’s business model, in order to help evaluate the impact of this new delivery type on their business.

Contact www.progress.com

Axentis has been named winner of the “IGS Teaming Award for Independent Software Vendors (ISVs)” award in the annual IBM PartnerWorld Beacon Awards competition, recognizing IBM Business Partners for their ingenuity, innovation, customer satisfaction and outstanding achievements in providing on demand business solutions.

Leading customers look to Axentis to address key areas of concern including Sarbanes-Oxley, Information Privacy, Ethics & Integrity, Legal & Regulatory and Enterprise Risk Management with its IBM-hosted, Axentis Enterprise governance, risk and compliance solution. Axentis Enterprise helps clients stay ahead of the impending government mandates and prepare for future compliance needs.

Axentis saw the benefit to delivering its management software non-traditionally, using a Software as a Service (SaaS) business model. Teaming with IBM was advantageous to Axentis Enterprise users, as IBM could deploy the Axentis audit-ready software using e-business Hosting services in SAS 70 Type II facilities.

Today, over 740,000 worldwide users of Axentis Enterprise software access the product via IBM hosting and enjoy an estimated 60 percent reduction in total cost of ownership.

Contact www.axentis.com

April

April 12 -- Translation Technology and Web Globalization Workshops, Portland, Ore. Contact www.commonsenseadvisory.com

April 15-17 – SIIA Software Strategy Summit, San Francisco, Calif. Contact www.siia.net

April 16-19 – AIIMexpo, Boston, Mass. Contact www.aiimexpo.com

April 17-18 – SaaScon, Santa Clara, Calif. Contact www.saascon.com

April 22-25 – SAPPHIRE 07, Atlanta, Ga. Contact www.sap.com

April 22-26 – Gartner Symposium ITxpo, San Francisco, Calif. Contact www.gartner.com

April 24-26 -- BPM Business Process Management, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Contact ww.sharedinsights.com Software Business is a Media Sponsor

April 30 -- The New Software Industry:  Forces at Play, Business in Motion, Mountain View, Calif. Contact http://west.cmu.edu/sofcon/5404216.html

May

May 1-3 -- Red Herring Spring, Monterey, Calif. Contact www.redherring.com

May 8-9 – Software 2007, Santa Clara, Calif. Contact www.sandhill.com Software Business Will Have an Editor At This Show

Interop Las Vegas
May 20 – 25, 2007
Mandalay Bay Convention Center
Las Vegas , NV

Attend Interop Las Vegas to get the big picture. As the leading global technology event, Interop brings together IT professionals and business leaders to see all of the latest technologies in action. Visit more than 400 exhibitors, attend 200+ sessions, and check out live demos of tomorrow’s business solutions. Learn how different technologies work together to connect your infrastructure, your business, your people and your customers. Come to Interop this May. It's the only place you'll get the big picture. www.interop.com

The third annual conference focuses successful business development models, sales methodologies, licensing technologies, partnering, customer relationship management, growth opportunities, and marketing issues facing software companies. Attendees are vice presidents, directors, product managers and personnel at independent software vendors.

SLAM 2007 will offer visionary keynotes from executives at the software companies shaping the industry and in-depth breakout session will offer insight from the top sales consultants who work for software companies. The program is unmatched in delivering the tools and processes to reach quarterly and annual targets. This year's conference will have added emphasis on New Market Opportunities, Partnership Programs, Software as a Service Evolution, and Future Industry Trends.  

CommunicAsia2007

CommunicAsia2007 (The 18th International Communications and Information Technology Exhibition & Conference) is where the business of technology comes to life. The global event showcases a convergence of the latest digital technologies across mobile networks and applications, network infrastructure and satellite communications. Addressing the future of technology, the exhibition and conference provide opportunities for industry networking, a platform for business deals and a meeting of minds for thought leaders.

EnterpriseIT2007

Where IT means business, EnterpriseIT2007 addresses the technology needs of the smart enterprise. Showcasing the latest applications for vertical industries such as financial services, government, healthcare, education, transportation and logistics, the event provides a meeting point between solution providers and buyers from the region.

China International Software Information Services Forum 2007 will take place on June 20 th-21 st, 2007 in Dalian China. This forum will bring together top-level government policy-makers and senior business executives from domestic and foreign software/ICT industries. It is intended to encourage an open dialogue on topics critical and interesting to the Chinese and global software/ICT industries, including trends in domestic and international software industry as well as opportunities in China’s rapid growing market.

The CISIS Summit will provide delegates with everything they need to know, from everyone they need to know. Distinguished speakers will include:

• The Ministers or Vice Ministers from the Ministry of commerce (MOFCOM), Ministryof Information Industry (MII), Ministry of Science and Technology and the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC)
• The President of the most important players in the indigenous Chinese software and ICT industries
• Senior executives of top international companies in software and ICT
• …and many more

For more detailed information, please contact Shuzheng Tian at +44 (0)207 878 6878 or email t.shuzheng@c5-online.com or visit www.C5-China.com/CISIS.

World Financial Symposiums (WFS) is an international organization dedicated to educating technology leaders. It organizes and promotes forums for CEOs, CFOs, corporate investors and other deal participants for the software and IT industries, with the intent to educate and encourage deal flow among industry participants. A true symposium, WFS brings together elements of the financial and partnering community, allowing for the exchange of innovative and effective approaches and methods being used in successful corporate growth plans today. The 5th Annual Growth & Exit Strategies for Software & IT Companies will be held in San Jose, CA, June 21, 2007. Featuring a topical agenda and world-class presenters, the conference provides an outstanding opportunity to learn about creating wealth and accelerating growth.

Software Business 2007 will be held October 2-3 at the Hyatt Regency in Santa Clara , Calif.   The annual conference focuses on current strategic business, financial and technology issues and growth opportunities facing top executives of software companies. It is a two-day conference serving owners, chief executives, presidents, vice presidents and division or department directors of leading and fast-growing software companies located throughout North America who are conducting business domestically and worldwide.

The sixth annual conference returns to Silicon Valley for the first time in four years. It will offer speakers from leading software companies and deliver the industry's most informative sessions through four tracks of sessions. Additionally, the conference will offer full- and half-day workshops on Monday, October 1

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