SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.—A range of enterprise solutions aimed at everything from increasing end user productivity to helping IT managers justify expenditures were brought to the stage here at the Demo conference on Tuesday.
Traditionally a conference that showcases a broad range of technologies, Demo this year is packed with enterprise software and hardware demonstrations. With almost 60 percent of the companies in the enterprise computing space, its a sign that growth has returned to the business market, said Chris Shipley, executive producer of the Demo conference.
Real Software Inc., of Austin, Texas, launched REALbasic 2005, a technology that allows Visual Studio programmers to build, or migrate, existing applications onto the Windows, Macintosh and Linux environments. Using REALbasic 2005, demonstrators were able to build an Amazon.com Web service search on Windows and then port that application to Mac OS X.
Infommersion Inc., of San Diego, introduced Xcelsius X4, which gives users the capability to create interactive and automated presentations that can be updated in real time with information via a Web service. The point-and-click software has the ability to convert spreadsheets and SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) Web service data into Flash charts and graphs.
Despite signs of business growth, enterprises are still watching their budgets carefully. Helping IT managers justify their expenditures is Blazent Inc.s Blazent 3, a tool that gives managers a 360-degree view of their assets. The product, a “virtual MRI for IT,” integrates data from multiple sources and aggregates it to help IT managers build business intelligence reports that prove return on investment. Blazent is based in San Mateo, Calif.
A few companies introduced products targeted at helping small and medium-sized businesses take on enterprises. Nsite Inc., of Pleasanton, Calif., demonstrated the SmartForm Builder, which allows organizations to easily build intelligent forms.
“Now small and medium-sized business can compete with bigger competitors and win,” said Paul Tabet, chief product officer at Nsite.
Smart Online Inc., of Durham, N.C., showcased OneBiz Conductor, a Web-based software service for small businesses that provides Web-based business applications such as financial management, human resources, CRM (customer relationship management) and supply chain management into one console. The company announced Web-based conferencing and collaboration services earlier this month with Demo demonstrator Convoq Inc. and plans to add sales force automation and accounting modules to its platform this year.