PRESS: Informix in the News

List of Informix related articles. Format: PUBLICATION "Article Name" Summary of Article [Date, Location in Publication, Author] Informix in the News --------------------------------- (04/24/98) GOVERNMENT COMPUTER NEWS "The 50 States" The Business and Professional Regulation Department is building a network to let the public easily access state information. The Customer Information Inquiry System will run under UNIX on an HP 9000 Series 800 Interactive Server, a 9000 Series 700 PC for network administration and a relational database management system from Informix. The new system will cut mainframe development and testing costs by 50 percent, state officials said. (Michelle McCann & Trudy Walsh, 4/98) THE DOMINION "Informix Sees Spatial Information Systems Meeting Rising Demand" Banks, insurance and retail companies are thirsting after customer information. Not only do they want names and dates, but they also are interested in all-encompassing spatial information. A number of spatial information systems which examine the relationships between demographic information and geography have been launched in various parts of the world. The trend towards spatial information systems is creating a big and increasing demand for data storage. Informix's core technology is Informix Dynamic Server, a multi-threaded database with an extension known as Universal Data Option, which is designed to enable businesses to handle new data types, such as spatial information. (Dave King, 4/14/98) THE KANSAS CITY STAR "Informix: Back on Track?" The new Informix, armed with stricter accounting standards, has its sights set on regaining momentum in the large market for database products. Robert Finocchio, Informix's CEO, said he confronted problems head-on. Since he started, Informix has trimmed expenses, streamlined its product line and focuses on long-term strategy. Long term, Finocchio is high on Informix's future. There will never be enough product to satisfy demand, he says. Informix will focus on serving corporate needs. (Martin Rosenberg, 4/22/98) THE KANSAS CITY STAR "Informix to Hire 30 Lenexa Operations" Informix is adding 30 employees to its Lenexa operations. According to Robert Finocchio, Informix's CEO, the company needs workers in software development, telephone sales, product support engineers and software technicians. (Martin Rosenberg, 4/22/98) PCWEEK "Informix Back to Basics: Finocchio Focuses the Company on Making the Best Databases Around" Since Robert Finocchio left 3Com to join Informix, the company has reduced its work force, shut down its bloated and ill-conceived service stores and defined a course for the future. Informix closed their fourth quarter of 1997 with a profit of $17.8 million. According to Finocchio, the main goal is to make Informix the best database company in the world and to maximize the value of the firm. (Mark Hammond, 4/20/98) DBMS "Consulting the Database Crystal Ball; Database Server Development at IBM, Informix, Microsoft and Other Vendors" The question is, what will database servers look like beyond the next major upgrade? This article peers into future database technology. It's based on the author's interpretation and summarization of research and conversations with senior staff at IBM, Informix, Microsoft, Oracle and Sybase. Informix users should expect improved functionality and performance in the next year. The company is focusing on database research including data warehousing, remote server operation such as headquarters-to-branch automation in the retail industry, web and content management and performance improvements. Informix also plans to enable customers to use Windows NT to host multi-terabyte data warehouses. Another research priority for them is obtaining transparent database replication and coordination between centralized and remote servers. (Peter L. Brooks, 4/98) DBMS "Case Vendors Are Beginning to Support Universal Servers, But The Tools are Still Immature" Object-relational database management systems add new object storage capabilities to the relational systems at the core of modern information systems. The leading vendors are, IBM, Informix and Oracle. But what about design tools? Do they speak SQL3 and understand the nuances of the IBM DB2 Universal Database, Informix Dynamic Server and Oracle8 system catalogs? Informix products mentioned are Informix Dynamic Server, Informix Web DataBlade and Informix Universal Server. Informix's products were mentioned in conjunction with tests that were being performed on object-relational database modeling tools, Logic Works' OR-Compass, InfoModelers' InfoModeler and Silverrun Technology's Universal Modeler. (Seth Grimes, 4/98) BYTE "Betting on ORDBMS" Michael Stonebraker analyzes the capabilities of object-relational databases in line-of-business applications. He believes that it is inevitable that applications will eventually use the same set of services for both distributed data access and distributed application interconnection. These services will be provided by a single code line and a major component of that code line will be object-relational DBMS (ORDBMS). It will be a major component of all object middleware frameworks that support BTR applications. A well engineered ORDBMS manages the following tasks: queuing of requests, execution of business logic, thread management, security, session management, recovery from failure and control of transactions. (Byline by Michael Stonebraker, 4/98) SEYBOLD REPORT ON PUBLISHING SYSTEMS "Asset Manager for Catalogs From Informix" Informix has developed an asset management tools for catalog companies. The emphasis is on integration with other business systems including those serving sales, marketing, human resources, inventory management and order-taking functions. This product is one example of the consulting and integration services Informix offers in addition to its core database product. (Staff Writer, 4/13/98) ASIA COMPUTER WEEKLY "Informix Shows Off Single Architecture" Informix Dynamic Server comes with a menu of integrated configuration options addressing the needs of customers creating OLTP, data warehousing, distributed enterprise and web/content management applications. Dynamic Scalable Architecture will remain the core of the product. According to Wilson Tan, managing director, Southeast Asia, Informix, the company suffered from misconception in the market that it's various database servers all had different source codes. Informix Dynamic Server will show that all its products have one single, underlying architecture. (Staff Writer, 4/6/98) E-BUSINESS ADVISOR "Informix Java Strategy" Informix announced a new Java strategy that focuses on the integration of Enterprise JavaBeans and Informix Dynamic Server. According to Steve Lambright, senior manager of server product marketing, it will run Java natively on the database. It will result in easier, faster development, improved performance and easier administration. However, developers aren't locked