PRESS - INFORMIX AND SIEBEL SYSTEMS ANNOUNCE STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP IN SALES AUTOMATION MARKET
INFORMIX AND SIEBEL SYSTEMS ANNOUNCE STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP IN SALES AUTOMATION MARKET MENLO PARK, Calif. (Nov. 1, 1995) -- Informix Software, Inc., (NASDAQ: IFMX) the leading provider of parallel processing database technology, today announced a new strategic partnership agreement with Siebel Systems, Inc., a leader in the rapidly growing sales force automation market. The joint development and marketing agreement will integrate INFORMIX(R)-OnLine Dynamic Server(TM) with the Siebel Sales Enterprise(TM) application system, providing large end-user organizations with sales force automation software running on a powerful, scalable database server. In addition, Informix will use the Siebel Sales Enterprise internally to maximize sales and marketing opportunities, and Siebel will use OnLine Dynamic Server to run its business. The sales force automation market is expected to grow at over 50 percent annually and to exceed $2.8 billion by the end of 1998, according to the Aberdeen Group. Sales force automation is considered one of the fastest growing segments of the high-growth client/server market. Market studies indicate organizations that who automate sales and marketing typically enjoy revenue increases of 10-30%, dramatically improving their competitive positions. In fact, automating the sales and marketing function will be undertaken by organizations not only to remain competitive, but will be fundamental to their survival, according to Siebel Systems. The Siebel Sales Enterprise solution enables users to access product and competitive information faster, and manage sales opportunities throughout the sales cycle more effectively by storing information on-line. "Siebel's customers are large companies with information-intensive selling processes and complex sales cycles," said Tom Siebel, president and chairman of Siebel Systems. "As those companies grow and automate the sales and marketing function, they require a scalable database solution to store large amounts of data. OnLine Dynamic Servers proven performance makes it an ideal choice for enterprise clients." "This is another example of Informix's commitment to providing best-of-class solutions to customers without competing with our partners," said Steve Sommer, vice president of marketing at Informix. "Siebel delivers products to market that will greatly increase sales productivity and profits. Informix is so impressed with the applications, we will be using Siebel systems internally." The Siebel Sales Enterprise running on Informixs OnLine Dynamic Server will be commercially available in November 1995. The Siebel Sales Enterprise System The Siebel solution includes a comprehensive opportunity and account management system, product information system, competitive information system, decision support system, market information system, product and revenue forecasting, quote management system, integrated correspondence and fulfillment systems, as well as comprehensive sales reporting and an executive information system. Siebel software provides full support for networked or disconnected nomadic field sales professionals using desktop or laptop computers. Groupware enabled for team selling, the Siebel Software allows sales teams to collaborate. About Siebel Systems Siebel Systems develops sales force automation software for field sales, telesales, telemarketing and third-party distribution in large sales organizations that are focused on increasing sales productivity. The company delivers Windows-based client/server sales automation software which scales to support very large data stores and a very large number of concurrent users, both stationary and mobile. Siebel Systems products employ an open architecture based on standards which take advantage of new and emerging technologies, to enable unprecedented configurability, functionality and performance. Siebel Systems, Inc., is based in Menlo Park, CA. About Informix Informix Software is the leading supplier of high performance, parallel processing database technology for open systems. The company's database servers are the number one choice of computer hardware manufacturers for publishing Transaction Processing Council (TPC) benchmarks for UNIX-based systems. Informix products also include application development tools for creating client/server production applications, decision support systems, and ad-hoc query interfaces, and connectivity software that allows information to be shared transparently from PCs to mainframes within the corporate computing environment. Informix's corporate headquarters is based in Menlo Park, California. INFORMIX is a registered trademark, and OnLine Dynamic Server is a trademark of Informix Software, Inc. All other companies mentioned or other names indicated by (R) or (TM) are registered trademarks of their respective manufacturers. -- %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% William Daul Advanced Support INFORMIX SOFTWARE INC. 4100 Bohannon Dr. (415) 926-6488 - wk Menlo Park, CA. 94025 uunet!infmx!billd or billd@informix.com