2002
The Challenge
Industrial Application Software (IAS) wanted to provide
current and future customers with a speedy, reliable, backend
support to run their 100% Java Application Service Provider
(ASP)/Enterprise Resources Planning (ERP) product, JAVIAS
The Solution
IBM xSP Prime program with IBM e-servers pSeries servers,
using the IBM AIX® operating system and the IBM DB2 Universal
Database
The Benefit
Confidence in the technology, extended capabilities, expanded
network of partners and customers, increased marketing power
and significant cost savings
The road toward automated profitability
While many developers and consultants throughout the world
were retrofitting their applications to be run in an xSP environment,
IAS literally came from the other direction. In the process
of designing a platform-independent tool for a software package,
they discovered that they had actually designed a flexible,
100% Java tool for ASP.
From there, it became quickly apparent that their newly packaged
solution, now called
JAVIAS,-was a powerful, unique product
capable of providing large-scale ERP functionality to small
and medium size businesses.
The missing element: a technical provider capable of benchmarking
their solution for real-world use. IAS knew that they had
to prove JAVIAS was ready for a business-size load. Their
choice: IBM xSP Prime program, and the brand-new xSP Prime
Center in Stuttgart, Germany.
Certifiably ready for business
IAS customers are small to medium size manufacturing and service
related businesses throughout the world, but most are located
across Europe.
These are companies that don-t have a great
deal of experience with ERP or Supply Chain Management (SCM).
They-re nervous about their data, and want to have a verified
solution,-said Gregor Goller, Vice President of Strategic
Marketing, IAS.
The German-based company, in turn, put JAVIAS to the test.
Actually, many of them. Our product runs directly on the
IBM DB2 database, and we knew it was fast and powerful. What
we didn-t know was how fast or how powerful, or which IBM
server would be right for us,-Goller states.
After the 4-week xSP Prime program, JAVIAS was tested on three
separate platforms, but the company chose to initially run
it on the IBM e-server pSeries server using the IBM AIX operating
system for its reliability and scalability.
The pSeries was the platform for us to grow with. It-s brilliant,-he
says.
Tests showed in detail that JAVIAS 100% pure Java-programming
provided easy and variable database customizing possibilities,
as well as above-standard numbers of users and functionalities
for their customers.
Manufacturing cost savings
While ERP evolves into
e-ERP-and more aspects of enterprises
begin utilizing xSP-related services, smaller manufacturers
and Service Providers are not being left out of the loop. In
fact, the very use of the Internet as a medium to run ERP-type
solutions has made deployment much less of a challenge.
Many of the large ASP solutions were simply not reasonable
for a small or medium-size manufacturing company. The reliability
was there, but the cost-per-unit put it out of reach,-says Goller.
Through JAVIAS, IAS is filling a gap in the marketplace,
helping these companies link their supply chains, inventory,
sales, marketing and accounting together — ultimately realizing
significant cost savings for JAVIAS clients.
Turning worldwide alliances into
worldwide expansion
Beyond the clear benefits to JAVIAS customers, the collaboration
with IBM has lead to increased activity in marketing and business
development for IAS.
The IBM organization has opened the door to a variety of interesting
people and organizations that are now interested in what JAVIAS
has to offer. It's already been a tremendous asset in our marketing
efforts, and has saved us thousands of Euros in marketing and
advertising,-explains Goller.
It's also helped them sign-up new accounts. At the moment
they have over 80 installations worldwide, and five new businesses
are switching over a month, on average.
IBM gives us a better chance in the market, and has propelled
our business plan forward,-says Goller.
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