• The Four Hundred
  • Subscribe
  • Media Kit
  • Contributors
  • About Us
  • Contact
Menu
  • The Four Hundred
  • Subscribe
  • Media Kit
  • Contributors
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • IBS Sales Decline in Q4, Windows ERP Suite Ramps Up

    February 16, 2009 Timothy Prickett Morgan

    Like many application software sellers, IBS, the Swedish ERP software maker that sells RPG and Java variants on the i platform and that is working to port its Java-based ERP suite to Microsoft‘s Windows server stack, is struggling in this tough economic environment. But the company is also hanging in there despite the challenging environment.

    In the fourth quarter ended in December, IBS reported sales of SEK 612.4 million, a decline of 14 percent from the year-ago period. (That’s Swedish krona, which at current exchange rates trades at 8.6 to the U.S. dollar.) Software license sales fell by 25 percent to SEK 136.3 million, and professional services sales were down 1 percent to SEK 305.2. Hardware sales at IBS, which includes Power System i and related storage and features at this point, fell by 22 percent to SEK 170.9 million. The company was able to pull out SEK 207.2 million in gross profits, down 23 percent, and after booking SEK 169.6 million in restructuring costs had an operating loss of SEK 109.7 million. The company posted a loss in the quarter of SEK 92.7 million, compared to an SEK 20 million gain in 2007’s fourth quarter.

    For the full 2008 year, IBS had SEK 2.03 billion in sales, with SEK 420 million in software license sales (down 14 percent), SEK 1.15 billion in services sales (down 3 percent), and SEK 464.1 million in hardware and other revenue (down 20 percent). The convergence of the System i into the Power Systems platform and the consequent price/performance increases on hardware have compressed IBS’ sales of IBM iron. That’s one of the reasons why IBS wants to move to Wintel iron with its IBS Enterprise 6.0 ERP software. If it isn’t going to make cash on hardware, it might as well make it up in volume on software. (That’s not my thinking, but my interpretation of the IBS strategy, which I went into at length last year in a story entitled IBS Picks Windows Instead of i as Strategic ERP Platform.)

    IBS said in its report that the first live installation of the Windows version of IBS Enterprise 6.0 “continues to run well,” and added that its second test site is being installed. The first phase of the Enterprise 6.0 testing is done, and the company will be doing some pilot installations to make sure the full system works well. The company said it was putting together a plan to launch the software on Wintel iron on a global basis. The Enterprise 6.0 suite was fully converted to Java in 2008 from RPG, and started its pilots late in the year. In the meantime, the bulk of IBS’ customers are still using the older RPG versions. It seems likely that no matter what IBS does to try to move these shops to Java, so long as they can run RPG on an i box, many of them will do just that. New customers, however, may want to do the Windows-Java combo for the Enterprise 6.0 suite, which is why IBS is doing the port. It needs to add customers, even if that means de-emphasizing the i box and pitching Wintel iron.

    RELATED STORIES

    IBS Awards Offshore Programming Contract to HCL

    IBS Wants to Build Up Its Global Channel

    IBS Under Pressure in Q3, Divests Brasilian Unit

    IBS Picks Windows Instead of i as Strategic ERP Platform

    Volvo IT Partners to Operate ERP Apps for IBS Customers

    IBS Issues New Shares to Raise Capital, Reorganizes Operations

    IBS Has Strong Software License and System i Sales in Q4

    Utah Distributor Picks IBS for Supply Chain Management

    IBS to Port OS/400 Apps to Unix, Windows, and Linux

    IBS Spins Off English Unit, Buys Australian Developer of ERP for Publishers

    IBS Partners to Move into the Russian Market



                         Post this story to del.icio.us
                   Post this story to Digg
        Post this story to Slashdot

    Share this:

    • Reddit
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Email

    Tags: Tags: mtfh_rc, Volume 18, Number 7 -- February 16, 2009

    Sponsored by
    Krengeltech

    When it comes to consuming web APIs on your IBM i, your options often boil down to one of two things:

    First, you end up having to rely on a variety of open source and non-RPG solutions. This adds developer complexity, taking away time that could have been better spent invested in other projects. Of course, open source software is free, but generally comes at the cost of no professional support, which adds an element of risk in your production environment. RXS is completely professionally supported, and is complemented by a staff of trained IBM i developers who can address your nuanced development challenges, head on.

    Second, if you choose not to pursue an open-source solution, you’re often left having to shake up your current program architecture with proprietary software, external dependencies, and partial RPG implementations – many of which are sub-par compared to RPG-XML Suite’s wide range of features. RXS aims to simplify the efforts of developers with tools like code generators, useful commands, and subprocedures written in 100% RPG – no Java. Because they are entirely RPG, the RXS subprocedures are easy to add to new or existing ILE programs and architecture, helping to cut your development time. RPG-XML Suite offers powerful capabilities in an accessible, easy-to-implement format.

    With RPG-XML Suite, you can accomplish a variety of complex tasks, such as:

    • Calling REST and SOAP web services from your IBM i
    • Offering APIs from your IBM i
    • Creating JSON & XML
    • Parsing JSON & XML
    • Text manipulation, Base64 encoding/decoding, CCSID handling, hashing and encryption functions, and more.

    To try RXS for yourself, we recommend a free proof of concept, which not only gives you access to all of RPG-XML Suite’s subprocedures and utilities but also includes a tailor-made software demonstration that can be used as a starting point for your future API implementations.

    For a free proof of concept, contact us at sales@krengeltech.com, or visit our website for more information.

    Share this:

    • Reddit
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Email

    Payback Is Not Sweet for RFID, ABI Research Says Safestone Cracks Down on Excessive Authority with PUP

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

TFH Volume: 18 Issue: 7

This Issue Sponsored By

    Table of Contents

    • The AS/400 Made Off with the Money
    • IBM’s Dynamic Infrastructure Announcement Blitz
    • Sugar in the YiPs Sandbox
    • Mad Dog 21/21: Biting The Handout
    • Soltis Tapped for Vision Solutions Advisory Group and Road Shows
    • Reader Feedback on The X Factor: Head in the Clouds
    • Arrow Hit by X64 Downturn, Proprietary Servers Do OK
    • IBS Sales Decline in Q4, Windows ERP Suite Ramps Up
    • IBM Creates a Cloud Computing Division
    • SaaS to Get a Bump Up from the Down Economy?

    Content archive

    • The Four Hundred
    • Four Hundred Stuff
    • Four Hundred Guru

    Recent Posts

    • Guild Mortgage Takes The 20-Year Option For Modernization
    • IBM i Licensing, Part 3: Can The Hardware Bundle Be Cheaper Than A Smartphone?
    • Guru: The Finer Points of Exit Points
    • Big Blue Tweaks IBM i Pricing Ahead Of Subscription Model
    • We Still Want IBM i On The Impending Power E1050
    • DRV Brings More Automation to IBM i Message Monitoring
    • Managed Cloud Saves Money By Cutting System And People Overprovisioning
    • Multiple Security Vulnerabilities Patched on IBM i
    • Four Hundred Monitor, June 22
    • IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 24, Number 25

    Subscribe

    To get news from IT Jungle sent to your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.

    Pages

    • About Us
    • Contact
    • Contributors
    • Four Hundred Monitor
    • IBM i PTF Guide
    • Media Kit
    • Subscribe

    Search

    Copyright © 2022 IT Jungle

    loading Cancel
    Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
    Email check failed, please try again
    Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.