Sybase Extends Its Lead in Mobility with $25 Million Enterprise Wi-Fi Initiative
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SYNOPSIS:
Sybase will commit $25 million to accelerate Wi-Fi enterprise application
development, helping businesses to capitalize on the opportunities of
mobile computing.
ATLANTA, SUPERCOMM 2003, June 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sybase, Inc.
(NYSE: SY), extending its lead in the mobile database and middleware markets,
today unveiled a $25 million strategic initiative to bring reliable and
cost-effective Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) applications to the enterprise.
Sybase will collaborate with leading research universities and industry
partners to overcome current barriers to the development of "always available"
applications for the unwired enterprise, helping companies extend the desktop
computing experience to mobile and remote workers.
The first stage of the Sybase Wi-Fi initiative will include the launch of
a network of Wi-Fi competency centers, one of which will be hosted at the
Research and Technology Park at the University of Waterloo, one of the world's
foremost technology research institutions. In addition, Sybase will
collaborate with its customers and its network of over one thousand partners
to accelerate mobile application development and deliver database-powered
enterprise solutions to mobile devices. Sybase will also initiate a global
marketing campaign in conjunction with its partners to raise awareness of how
Wi-Fi technology enables the unwired enterprise -- delivering the right
information to the right people at the right time.
"Sybase, through our iAnywhere Solutions subsidiary, is already helping
over 10,000 corporate customers benefit from mobile and wireless information
access," said John Chen, Sybase chairman, president and CEO. "We also offer
the largest mobile content service in the world, with over 8 million
registered users of My AvantGo. Our new initiative will leverage that
expertise to meet the enormous pent-up demand for reliable enterprise Wi-Fi
applications that deliver measurable ROI."
"Pervasive computing and Wi-Fi technologies together are a significant
area of research for the University," said Vic Diciccio, Director, Institute
for Computer Research, University of Waterloo. "The University of Waterloo
and Sybase have had a long history of collaboration and we're extremely
excited to have this opportunity to advance unwired enterprise computing."
Sybase today is solving many of the technology challenges that are
blocking wider Wi-Fi deployment, including:
-- Roaming -- Sybase(R) mobile technologies overcome connectivity and
roaming barriers through industry-leading data management, enterprise
synchronization and messaging technologies that give mobile workers the
unique ability to be "always available" and work either on or offline
for consistent access to their data and corporate applications.
-- Security -- End-to-end security features reduce the security threat of
mobile devices operating outside the firewall. Protection includes
both on-device encryption and communications stream encryption to
ensure the confidentiality of business-critical information. Mobile
systems management further strengthens security by providing a reliable
mechanism to distribute security patches and enforce the use of secure
configuration for Wi-Fi users. Sybase also plans to adopt Wi-Fi
Protected Access (WPA) standards when they are ratified.
-- Device Battery Life -- Sybase's "always available" architecture
leverages local data storage, allowing workers to avoid the extreme
battery drain of online connections by accessing important information
offline, and then synchronizing when convenient.
"Although enterprises see great potential in applying Wi-Fi technologies
to their business, many are still confused about employing Wi-Fi, with
security, application persistence, and ease of deployment/use as primary
concerns," said Jack Gold, vice president of META Group. "There are
significant opportunities for vendors to take a leadership position by
enabling one-stop, complete solutions, thus easing the way for enterprises to
apply these technologies to their business."
Wi-Fi, also known as 802.11, solves many of the cost and performance
problems associated with wide area wireless. Some analysts project the Wi-Fi
industry will expand at a compounded annual growth rate of approximately
30 percent, and estimate that over 40 percent of United States companies
already support Wi-Fi networks, with an additional 25 percent planning to
implement and support the technology in the next 18 months. Yet, an estimated
30 percent of executives cite significant barriers to deployment of Wi-Fi
including inconsistent connectivity, low network security, short device
battery life, a lack of reliable "unwired" applications and technology
infrastructure that is not wireless-enabled.
< back
SYNOPSIS:
Sybase will commit $25 million to accelerate Wi-Fi enterprise application
development, helping businesses to capitalize on the opportunities of
mobile computing.
ATLANTA, SUPERCOMM 2003, June 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sybase, Inc.
(NYSE: SY), extending its lead in the mobile database and middleware markets,
today unveiled a $25 million strategic initiative to bring reliable and
cost-effective Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) applications to the enterprise.
Sybase will collaborate with leading research universities and industry
partners to overcome current barriers to the development of "always available"
applications for the unwired enterprise, helping companies extend the desktop
computing experience to mobile and remote workers.
The first stage of the Sybase Wi-Fi initiative will include the launch of
a network of Wi-Fi competency centers, one of which will be hosted at the
Research and Technology Park at the University of Waterloo, one of the world's
foremost technology research institutions. In addition, Sybase will
collaborate with its customers and its network of over one thousand partners
to accelerate mobile application development and deliver database-powered
enterprise solutions to mobile devices. Sybase will also initiate a global
marketing campaign in conjunction with its partners to raise awareness of how
Wi-Fi technology enables the unwired enterprise -- delivering the right
information to the right people at the right time.
"Sybase, through our iAnywhere Solutions subsidiary, is already helping
over 10,000 corporate customers benefit from mobile and wireless information
access," said John Chen, Sybase chairman, president and CEO. "We also offer
the largest mobile content service in the world, with over 8 million
registered users of My AvantGo. Our new initiative will leverage that
expertise to meet the enormous pent-up demand for reliable enterprise Wi-Fi
applications that deliver measurable ROI."
"Pervasive computing and Wi-Fi technologies together are a significant
area of research for the University," said Vic Diciccio, Director, Institute
for Computer Research, University of Waterloo. "The University of Waterloo
and Sybase have had a long history of collaboration and we're extremely
excited to have this opportunity to advance unwired enterprise computing."
Sybase today is solving many of the technology challenges that are
blocking wider Wi-Fi deployment, including:
-- Roaming -- Sybase(R) mobile technologies overcome connectivity and
roaming barriers through industry-leading data management, enterprise
synchronization and messaging technologies that give mobile workers the
unique ability to be "always available" and work either on or offline
for consistent access to their data and corporate applications.
-- Security -- End-to-end security features reduce the security threat of
mobile devices operating outside the firewall. Protection includes
both on-device encryption and communications stream encryption to
ensure the confidentiality of business-critical information. Mobile
systems management further strengthens security by providing a reliable
mechanism to distribute security patches and enforce the use of secure
configuration for Wi-Fi users. Sybase also plans to adopt Wi-Fi
Protected Access (WPA) standards when they are ratified.
-- Device Battery Life -- Sybase's "always available" architecture
leverages local data storage, allowing workers to avoid the extreme
battery drain of online connections by accessing important information
offline, and then synchronizing when convenient.
"Although enterprises see great potential in applying Wi-Fi technologies
to their business, many are still confused about employing Wi-Fi, with
security, application persistence, and ease of deployment/use as primary
concerns," said Jack Gold, vice president of META Group. "There are
significant opportunities for vendors to take a leadership position by
enabling one-stop, complete solutions, thus easing the way for enterprises to
apply these technologies to their business."
Wi-Fi, also known as 802.11, solves many of the cost and performance
problems associated with wide area wireless. Some analysts project the Wi-Fi
industry will expand at a compounded annual growth rate of approximately
30 percent, and estimate that over 40 percent of United States companies
already support Wi-Fi networks, with an additional 25 percent planning to
implement and support the technology in the next 18 months. Yet, an estimated
30 percent of executives cite significant barriers to deployment of Wi-Fi
including inconsistent connectivity, low network security, short device
battery life, a lack of reliable "unwired" applications and technology
infrastructure that is not wireless-enabled.
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