To: SemiBull who wrote (130) | 6/16/2003 8:21:48 PM | From: SemiBull | | | Ascential Software Makes the Real-Time Enterprise a Reality by Delivering On-Demand Integration of Critical Business Information
Monday June 16, 8:40 am ET
Innovative Service-Oriented Architecture and On-the-Fly Data Transformation Maximize the Strategic Value of Analytic and Enterprise Applications
WESTBORO, Mass., June 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ascential Software Corporation (Nasdaq: ASCL - News), the enterprise data integration leader, today introduced Ascential(TM) Enterprise Integration Suite 7.0, the most advanced version of the company's flagship enterprise integration solution, and Ascential(TM) Real-Time Integration Services (RTI Services). This breakthrough technology extends the reach of Ascential Software's powerful data profiling, data quality, data transformation, parallel processing, meta data and connectivity solutions by enabling the seamless interoperability of Ascential Software's data integration solutions within an enterprise's service-oriented architecture (SOA).
"With the Ascential Enterprise Integration Suite 7.0 and RTI Services, we are changing the enterprise data integration landscape. With this release Ascential Software is making data integration pervasive by harnessing the benefits of a SOA and eliminating concerns about data sources, quality, volumes, and latency. Our customers can now integrate and leverage data across all strategic analytic and enterprise applications -- including CRM, ERP, and supply chain management -- with complete confidence in the accuracy, completeness and timeliness of the critical information upon which their success depends," said Pete Fiore, president, Ascential Software. "Organizations using the Ascential Enterprise Integration Suite can drive their strategic initiatives based on accurate, current information, and optimize the strategic contributions of IT investments."
Through support for interoperability standards such as Enterprise Java Beans (EJB), Java Messaging Service (JMS), and Web Services, the benefits of on-demand, in-flight data integration capabilities can now be brought to other common enterprise integration solutions, including business process integration (BPI), enterprise application integration (EAI), and enterprise information integration (EII).
Sandra Rogers, program director, Web Services and Integration Software at IDC said, "Ascential Software is leveraging the capabilities and benefits of service-oriented architecture for data integration, exposing critical meta data and robust mapping that could ultimately be applied in a business process context. Ascential Enterprise Integration Suite 7.0 coupled with Ascential Real-Time Integration Services is targeted at organizations striving to capture and act on mission critical information in an event-driven manner, from supply chain management, CRM, business intelligence and other enterprise applications. With its product strategy, Ascential Software places an emphasis on delivering complete, synchronized, harmonized data where and when it's needed."
Allied Office Products, the nation's largest independent dealer of office products and services, is using the Ascential Software enterprise data integration platform and RTI Services to give it an edge in a challenging, fast-paced business. "Excellent customer service and next day delivery are standard requirements for survival in the competitive office products and supply business," said Ken DesRochers, senior vice president of information technology at Allied Office Products. "Over the past four years, Allied has succeeded with a 60 percent annual revenue growth rate through acquisitions and organic growth. In order to continue this success, Allied is leveraging Ascential RTI Services to enable real-time customer service, order processing and supply chain management. Ascential Software's technology combines a comprehensive data integration platform with a service-oriented architecture to give us on demand access to, and allow us to act on, key business information among our internal systems, with key third-party business partners, and across the Web."
Ascential Enterprise Integration Suite 7.0 Highlights Singular purpose and performance: Comprehensive enterprise data integration -- Dramatic user productivity increases through User Interface enhancements and new Ascential(TM) Intelligent Assistants that automate and establish standards, and pre-packaged tasks designed to boost productivity, reduce complexity and accelerate time to market. -- Strengthened security support and open Web Services-based enterprise management interface, designed to streamline mission-critical enterprise data integration deployments. -- Complete National Language Support (NLS) throughout the Ascential Enterprise Integration Suite using Unicode, designed to deliver data transparency across customer, subsidiary, partner and vendor systems worldwide. -- Extended operating systems support to include IBM z/OS Unix Systems Services (USS) and extended Red Hat Linux support, designed to give customers greater flexibility and reusability when deploying enterprise data integration projects. -- Enhanced cross-platform meta data-driven development, extensibility, business user accessibility, and industry standards support designed to improve business decisions, increase consistency and reduce time to market.
Ascential Real-Time Integration Services Highlights On-demand delivery of reliable, accurate and consistent data for real-time enterprises -- Any-to-any connectivity through which data transformation, standardization, matching and legacy data access capabilities are invoked through SOA conduits where and when needed using Web services (.NET and Java), Enterprise Java Beans (EJB) or Java Messaging Service (JMS) interface bindings. Standards-based interfaces to Business Process Integration solutions designed to ensure that data contained within business process events -- for example, order entries or procurement requests -- can be transformed, standardized and matched on-the-fly across applications, customers, partners, and suppliers. -- Simplified creation and management of shared data transformation rules across analytical and enterprise applications, business activity monitoring, and business process integration environments, designed to shorten development cycles, lower costs, promote reusability and reduce the manual coding required by other integration technologies.
"Ascential Enterprise Integration Suite 7.0 and RTI Services, with their unique and broad capabilities and scalability, continue to further differentiate our end-to-end solution in the market," stated Ascential Software President Pete Fiore. "We are bringing these products to market at a time when enterprises recognize the critical importance of data integration on overall operational performance. This release is a major milestone along our path to deliver complete enterprise data integration solutions that help organizations profit from intelligent information."
Ascential Software also announced two product name changes. The company's data quality solution, INTEGRITY(TM), has been renamed Ascential QualityStage(TM), and MetaRecon®, Ascential Software's data profiling and analysis product, is now Ascential ProfileStage(TM). The rebranding reflects the pervasive integration of these products with DataStage® and the common services of the Ascential Enterprise Integration Suite. The company anticipates that the Ascential Enterprise Integration Suite 7.0 and RTI Services will be available in the third quarter.
About Ascential Software
Ascential Software Corporation is the leading provider of enterprise data integration solutions to the leading organizations worldwide. Customers use the Ascential Enterprise Integration Suite and products to turn vast amounts of disparate, unrefined data into reusable information that drives business success. Ascential Software's unique, comprehensive data integration suite enables customers to easily collect, validate, organize, administer and deliver information to realize more value from their enterprise data, reduce costs and increase profitability. Headquartered in Westboro, Mass., Ascential Software has offices worldwide and supports more than 2,200 customers in such industries as financial services, telecommunications, healthcare, life sciences, manufacturing, consumer goods, retail, and government. More information on Ascential Software can be found on the Web at www.ascential.com.
Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This release contains forward-looking statements based on current expectations or beliefs, as well as a number of assumptions about future events, and these statements are subject to important factors and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this release address a variety of subjects including, for example, the functionality, characteristics, quality and performance capabilities of Ascential Software's products and technology; results achievable and benefits attainable through deployment of Ascential Software's products; anticipated innovation and product development; seamless interoperability; the ability of customers to integrate and leverage data across applications; pervasiveness of data integration; elimination of concerns about data sources, quality, volumes, and latency; accuracy and currency of information and optimization of IT investments; and the ability of Ascential Software's customers to easily collect, validate, organize, administer and deliver information to realize more value from their enterprise data, reduce costs and increase profitability. The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in these forward-looking statements: the ability of Ascential Software to expand its market share; growth rates for the enterprise data integration software market; general business conditions in the software industry, the technology sector, and in the domestic and international economies; rapid technological change in the markets served by Ascential Software; dependence on international operations; global and geopolitical instability; and difficulties that Ascential Software may experience integrating technologies, operations and personnel of completed or future acquisitions. For a detailed discussion of these and other cautionary statements, please refer to the filings made by Ascential Software with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, without limitation, the most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Ascential Software disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statements made herein to reflect any change in Ascential Software's expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which such statements are based.
Ascential, INTEGRITY, MetaRecon, Ascential QualityStage and Ascential ProfileStage are trademarks of Ascential Software Corporation or its affiliates and may be registered in the United States or other jurisdictions. Other marks are the property of the owners of those marks.
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To: SemiBull who wrote (131) | 6/17/2003 8:27:17 PM | From: SemiBull | | | Ascential Software Corporation Effects 1-for-4 Reverse Stock Split to Realign Share Count Approximately 58 million shares to be Outstanding
Tuesday June 17, 4:02 pm ET
WESTBORO, Mass., June 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ascential Software Corporation (Nasdaq: ASCL - News), the enterprise data integration leader, today announced that it has effected a one-for-four reverse stock split. The reverse stock split followed a vote today at the company's annual meeting of shareholders at which the shareholders authorized the Board of Directors to effect the reverse stock split. This action is intended to more appropriately align the Company's share base with its current operations and does not affect stockholders' percentage ownership in the company. ADVERTISEMENT The reverse stock split is effective as of 5:00 pm (eastern) today. This action reduces the number of the Company's current outstanding shares of approximately 232 million on a one-for-four basis, to approximately 58 million.
"We believe that a smaller share base will more precisely reflect the future operating results of Ascential Software and position our stock in a price range more attractive to a broader range of institutional investors," said Peter Gyenes, chairman and chief executive officer. "We are proud of the momentum and increasing market impact that Ascential Software has had. The company has made significant operational and financial progress in the two years that we have operated as a pure data integration company. Realigning our share base is one more step in our process of delivering long-term shareholder value."
Ascential Software continues to innovate and add value in the enterprise data integration market. The company yesterday announced Ascential(TM) Enterprise Integration Suite 7.0, the most advanced version of the company's flagship enterprise integration solution, and Ascential(TM) Real-Time Integration Services (RTI Services). This breakthrough technology extends the reach of Ascential Software's powerful data profiling, data quality, data transformation, parallel processing, meta data and connectivity solutions by enabling the seamless interoperability of Ascential Software's data integration solutions within an enterprise's service-oriented architecture (SOA).
Ascential stock will trade under the ticker symbol ASCLD, beginning tomorrow morning and continuing for 20 trading days. At the end of that period, on July 17, 2003, the ticker symbol will revert to the present ASCL.
About Ascential Software
Ascential Software Corporation is the leading provider of enterprise data integration solutions to organizations Worldwide. Customers use the Ascential Enterprise Integration Suite to integrate and leverage data across all strategic analytic and enterprise applications with complete confidence in the accuracy, completeness and timeliness of critical information. Ascential Software's powerful data profiling, data quality, data transformation, parallel processing, meta data and connectivity solutions enables customers to reduce total cost of ownership and increase return on IT investment. Headquartered in Westboro, Mass., Ascential Software has offices worldwide and supports more than 2,200 customers in such industries as financial services, telecommunications, healthcare, life sciences, manufacturing, consumer goods, retail, and government. More information on Ascential Software can be found on the Web at www.ascential.com.
This release contains forward-looking statements based on current expectations or beliefs, as well as a number of assumptions about future events, and these statements are subject to important factors and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this release address a variety of subjects including, for example, impact of the reverse stock split; alignment of Ascential's share base with its current operations; attractiveness of Ascential's stock to institutional investors; long-term shareholder value; anticipated innovation; extension of the reach of Ascential's products; the functionality, characteristics, quality and performance capabilities of Ascential's products and technology; results achievable and benefits attainable through deployment of Ascential's products; and the ability of Ascential's customers to easily collect, validate, organize, administer and deliver information to realize more value from their enterprise data, reduce costs and increase profitability. The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in these forward-looking statements: the ability of Ascential to expand its market share; growth rates for the enterprise data integration software market; general business conditions in the software industry, the technology sector, and in the domestic and international economies; rapid technological change in the markets served by Ascential; dependence on international operations; global and geopolitical instability; and difficulties that Ascential may experience integrating technologies, operations and personnel of completed or future acquisitions. For a detailed discussion of these and other cautionary statements, please refer to the filings made by Ascential with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, without limitation, the most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Ascential disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statements made herein to reflect any change in Ascential's expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which such statements are based.
Ascential is a trademark of Ascential Software Corporation or its affiliates and may be registered in the United States or other jurisdictions. Other marks are the property of the owners of those marks.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Source: Ascential Software Corporation |
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To: Mark Duper who wrote (133) | 6/22/2003 8:07:52 PM | From: SemiBull | | | can anyone comment on what the real reason for this split was?
There are probably a number of reasons but I suspect strong motivation was to attract funds who cannot touch stocks trading under $5/share. |
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To: Mark Duper who wrote (135) | 7/7/2003 7:59:21 PM | From: SemiBull | | | Ascential World 2003 to Showcase Enterprise Integration with 'Real Solutions, Real Results and Real Value'
Monday July 7, 9:00 am ET
Ascential Software's Annual Conference in Miami to Feature the Editor-in-Chief of Computerworld, a Web Visionary, and Leading Technology Experts
WESTBORO, Mass., July 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ascential Software Corporation (Nasdaq: ASCLD - News), the enterprise data integration leader, today unveiled highlights of Ascential World 2003, the company's customer and partner conference. Ascential World 2003 will include three days of workshops, panel discussions, presentations, and special events from Oct. 26 - 28 at the Doral Golf Resort & Spa in Miami, Fla. The company expects strong attendance based on early registration by a large cross section of its more than 2,200 customers around the world. Visit www.ascentialworld.com for online registration or information.
Ascential World 2003 will feature presentations from renowned technology journalist Maryfran Johnson, editor-in-chief of Computerworld; David Weinberger, an acclaimed technology author and commentator; industry analysts; and IT professionals who are building tomorrow's enterprise data integration infrastructure today using solutions from Ascential Software. Networking and social activities include an opening night party at Bongos Cuban Cafe, one of Miami's hottest night spots, and the opportunity to golf on five championship courses. Ascential World 2003 sponsors include Brio, Cognos, DataDirect, HP, IBM, Lakeview Technologies, MicroStrategy, and Teradata.
Ascential World 2003 is a valuable forum for developers, IT managers, and line of business executives to acquire skills and information for optimizing enterprise integration. The conference meets a growing need to share best practices, experiences, innovations and successes as customers increasingly address complex enterprise data integration requirements.
Ascential Software experts, partners and customers will lead 27 hands-on tutorials and workshops, and moderate discussions that demonstrate "Real Solutions, Real Results and Real Value." Topics include:
* Emergence of the "real-time" and "right-time" enterprises; * The impact of data quality on corporate performance; * ERP integration and instance consolidation; * Best practice integration, upgrade and optimization strategies; * Industry-specific enterprise integration solutions; and * Real-world success stories.
Ascential Software Chairman and CEO Peter Gyenes and President Pete Fiore will host a pre-conference reception on Sunday, Oct. 25, and officially open Ascential World 2003 the next morning with joint welcoming remarks. Gyenes and Fiore will articulate Ascential Software's mission to deliver enterprise integration solutions that help organizations profit from intelligent information, share progress against that goal, and preview future developments. The keynote address will be delivered by Larry Kolesar, information systems chief technology officer for Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Kolesar will explain how Boeing is greatly simplifying the way its customers, employees, and suppliers access the data and information they need, when they need it, from anywhere in the world.
On Tuesday, Dr. David Weinberger, author of "Small Pieces Loosely Joined: A Unified Theory of the Web," hailed as the first book to put the Internet in its deepest context, will address how customers' "impossible and crazy" expectations should drive IT organizations to respond with entirely possible and sane solutions. Weinberger, who holds a doctorate in philosophy, founded several dot-coms and used to write gags for Woody Allen.
Computerworld Editor-in-Chief Maryfran Johnson will moderate the Wednesday closing session panel discussion titled "Towards Becoming a Right-Time Enterprise." Other featured speakers include Nelson Mattos, Ph. D., IBM distinguished engineer and director of information integration at the IBM Silicon Valley Laboratory; Colin White, president, Intelligent Business Strategies, and a member of The Data Warehousing Institute's business intelligence strategies advisory board; Bob Leo, director of data management and administration, Landstar System, Inc.; and Rich Koslica, systems analyst, Dade Behring, Inc.
"Ascential World 2003 is a milestone for the company because it reflects widespread adoption of the Ascential Enterprise Integration Suite and its components just two years after the company's inception as Ascential Software," said Pete Fiore, president, Ascential Software. "Even more important than the escalating number of users is a distinct evolution in how customers use Ascential Software solutions. They're not just building data warehouses, they're using our suite for full-scale enterprise integration and to power the real-time enterprise. They're completely leveraging a broad range of analytic and enterprise applications for the first time, affirming Ascential Software as a strategic technology partner.
"Just as integrating data from varied sources can dramatically enhance corporate performance, convening our diverse customer community together in Miami to share best practices in enterprise integration empowers each individual to return to their companies with ideas that will make a big positive impact on the bottom line," Fiore continued.
Conference registration is free for analysts and credentialed journalists.
About Ascential Software
Ascential Software Corporation is the leading provider of enterprise data integration solutions to organizations worldwide. Customers use the Ascential Enterprise Integration Suite to integrate and leverage data across all strategic analytic and enterprise applications with complete confidence in the accuracy, completeness and timeliness of critical information. Ascential Software's powerful data profiling, data quality, data transformation, parallel processing, meta data and connectivity solutions enables customers to reduce total cost of ownership and increase return on IT investment. Headquartered in Westboro, Mass., Ascential Software has offices worldwide and supports more than 2,200 customers in such industries as financial services, telecommunications, healthcare, life sciences, manufacturing, consumer goods, retail, and government. More information on Ascential Software can be found on the Web at www.ascential.com.
Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This release contains forward-looking statements based on current expectations or beliefs, as well as a number of assumptions about future events, and these statements are subject to important factors and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this release address a variety of subjects including, for example, the functionality, characteristics, quality and performance capabilities of Ascential Software's products and technology; results achievable and benefits attainable through deployment of Ascential Software's products; anticipated innovation and product development; benefits attainable through attendance at Ascential World 2003; accuracy, completeness and timeliness of critical information; reduction of cost of ownership and return on investment. The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in these forward-looking statements: the ability of Ascential Software to expand its market share; growth rates for the enterprise data integration software market; general business conditions in the software industry, the technology sector, and in the domestic and international economies; rapid technological change in the markets served by Ascential Software; dependence on international operations; global and geopolitical instability; and difficulties that Ascential Software may experience integrating technologies, operations and personnel of completed or future acquisitions. For a detailed discussion of these and other cautionary statements, please refer to the filings made by Ascential Software with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, without limitation, the most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Ascential Software disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statements made herein to reflect any change in Ascential Software's expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which such statements are based.
Ascential is a trademark of Ascential Software Corporation or its affiliates and may be registered in the United States or other jurisdictions. Other marks are the property of the owners of those marks.
Source: Ascential Software Corporation |
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To: SemiBull who wrote (136) | 7/30/2003 11:01:09 PM | From: SemiBull | | | 'Delivering Results in the Real-Time Enterprise' is the Topic of an Ascential Software Experts Forum at The TDWI World Conference
Wednesday July 30, 1:17 pm ET
Computerworld Editor-in-Chief Maryfran Johnson To Moderate a Discussion of Strategies and Solutions
WESTBORO, Mass., July 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/-- Ascential Software Corporation (Nasdaq: ASCL - News), the enterprise data integration leader, today announced that it will host a special event in conjunction with The Data Warehousing Institute (TDWI) World Conference to stimulate a best practices discussion of one of the greatest challenges and opportunities facing IT organizations today -- delivering valuable business information from strategic enterprise applications in "real time."
The Ascential Software Experts Forum, "Delivering Results in the Real-Time Enterprise," will convene on Monday, Aug. 18, from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Boston Marriott Copley Place and Convention Center. Computerworld Editor-in-Chief Maryfran Johnson will moderate the forum. Guest experts include IT executives from Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Landstar System, Inc., McKesson Corp., Pfizer Inc. and Room Solutions. The Ascential Software Experts Forum is open to all TDWI World Conference attendees. The TDWI World Conference, the premier event for data warehousing and business intelligence professionals, will be held in Boston Aug. 17-22, 2003.
"Companies will no longer tolerate the trade-off between getting their business information either right but with a delay, or now with redundancies, gaps or inaccuracies," said Mike Cassettari, Ascential Software vice president and chief marketing officer. "They want their business information right now. That's why 'Delivering Results in the Real-Time Enterprise' will be one session that IT professionals can't afford to miss."
Ascential Software customer experts participating in the forum include:
* Ralph Miller, director, corporate architecture, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care. Harvard Pilgrim, New England's oldest nonprofit managed health care organization and the region's top-ranked health care provider for member satisfaction, has deployed Ascential(TM) DataStage® XE to directly connect members, providers and employee partners to the real- time data they need through the company's Harvard Pilgrim Online Web site. The initiative is reducing HPHC's recurring hardware and software costs by 75 percent. * Bob Leo, IT director, Landstar System, Inc. Landstar, one of the country's most innovative and fastest-growing transportation services companies, has deployed the Ascential(TM) Enterprise Integration Suite to share strategic business data across its extensive network of independent truckers, agents and customers via the Web. * Stephen Zander, director of architecture technology, McKesson Corp. McKesson, the second-largest pharmaceuticals distributor in the United States, is using Ascential DataStage XE/390 to automate a data warehousing environment for its growing business, natively supporting both mainframe and client/server platforms in the process. With Ascential DataStage XE/390, McKesson will better know its customers, provide critical performance information to business users, and continuously refine its overall financial performance. * Danny Siegel, IT director for data management/architecture, Pfizer Inc. Pfizer's Pharmaceuticals Group is using Ascential DataStage to manage product and customer information and better serve its health care provider customers. Ascential DataStage has helped Pfizer ensure all departments are working with a single set of data that clearly outlines customer buying habits. With Ascential DataStage, Pfizer has slashed data processing time nearly in half by automatically integrating terabytes of incoming data. * Kevin Curtis, director, Room Solutions, a leading UK provider of systems and services to the insurance market. Room Solutions has just announced the completion of an extensive testing program to gauge the business value of the new Ascential Real-Time Integration Services (RTI Services). In one test, a process that can take a broker several days to complete was encapsulated into a service that took only seconds to execute.
About Ascential Software
Ascential Software Corporation is the leading provider of enterprise data integration solutions to organizations worldwide. Customers use the Ascential Enterprise Integration Suite to integrate and leverage data across all strategic analytic and enterprise applications with confidence in the accuracy, completeness and timeliness of critical information. Ascential Software's powerful data profiling, data quality, data transformation, parallel processing, meta data and connectivity solutions enable customers to reduce total cost of ownership and increase return on IT investment. Headquartered in Westboro, Mass., Ascential Software has offices worldwide and supports more than 2,200 customers in such industries as financial services, telecommunications, healthcare, life sciences, manufacturing, consumer goods, retail, and government. More information on Ascential Software can be found on the Web at www.ascential.com.
Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This release contains forward-looking statements based on current expectations or beliefs, as well as a number of assumptions about future events, and these statements are subject to important factors and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this release address a variety of subjects including, for example, the functionality, characteristics, quality and performance capabilities of Ascential Software's products and technology; results achievable and benefits attainable through deployment of Ascential Software's products; anticipated innovation and product development; customer requirements and expectations; reduction of cost of ownership by customers and return on IT investment. The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in these forward-looking statements: the ability of Ascential Software to expand its market share; growth rates for the enterprise data integration software market; general business conditions in the software industry, the technology sector, and in the domestic and international economies; rapid technological change in the markets served by Ascential Software; dependence on international operations; global and geopolitical instability; and difficulties that Ascential Software may experience integrating technologies, operations and personnel of completed or future acquisitions. For a detailed discussion of these and other cautionary statements, please refer to the filings made by Ascential Software with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, without limitation, the most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Ascential Software disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statements made herein to reflect any change in Ascential Software's expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which such statements are based.
Ascential and DataStage are trademarks of Ascential Software Corporation or its affiliates and may be registered in the United States or other jurisdictions. Other marks are the property of the owners of those marks.
Contact: Chas Kielt Ascential Software Corporation (508) 366-3888, ext. 3256 chas.kielt@ascential.com
Jeff Aubin Beaupre & Co. Public Relations, Inc. (603) 559-5838 jaubin@beaupre.com
Source: Ascential Software Corporation |
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To: SemiBull who wrote (137) | 8/4/2003 7:43:49 PM | From: SemiBull | | | Ascential Software Announces Agreement to Acquire Mercator Software for $3 Per Share
Monday August 4, 6:02 am ET
- Creates the industry's first and most comprehensive data integration product set for transactional, operational, and analytical requirements regardless of data volumes or latency - Growth-Oriented Acquisition Significantly Increases Ascential's Size and Scale
WESTBORO, Mass., and WILTON, Conn., Aug. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ascential Software Corporation (Nasdaq: ASCL - News), the enterprise data integration leader, today jointly announced a definitive agreement to acquire Mercator Software (Nasdaq: MCTR - News), a leading provider of data transformation and routing solutions designed for complex, high-volume transaction processing environments. The acquisition, structured as a cash tender offer, is valued at approximately $106 million. This combination is expected to create the largest independent enterprise data integration software company with current annualized revenues of approximately $250 million and more than 3,000 customers.
"Mercator's offerings are widely recognized for their ability to address high-performance, real-time, complex data integration requirements and are a natural complement to our offerings," said Peter Gyenes Chairman and CEO, Ascential Software. "Our combined technologies, distribution channels, partnerships, geographic coverage, and skill sets expand the size and scale of our company, and allow customers to apply our comprehensive data integration platform pervasively, throughout their enterprise, to support transactional, operational and analytical application environments, regardless of data volumes or latency."
* Strategic Rationale * This combination: * Creates the largest independent software vendor focused exclusively on
enterprise data integration with $250 million in annualized revenue and
more than 3,000 customers
* Creates the industry's first and most comprehensive product set to support the full spectrum of data integration requirements regardless of data volumes or latency * Extends and deepens Ascential Software's resources for technology innovation, customer value and global reach * Adds solutions, expertise, customers and partners in key vertical markets including: finance, healthcare, retail, manufacturing and distribution * Elevates the visibility and strategic importance of Ascential Software within the enterprise IT community * Leverages Ascential Software's business model by accelerating profitability and growth, providing accretion to earnings while retaining substantial financial resources.
"Mercator and Ascential each have a history of successful innovation that provides superior customer value," said Roy C. King, Chairman and CEO of Mercator. "The combination of our highly complementary technology provides Mercator customers the opportunity to immediately benefit from Ascential's scalable suite of data profiling, data quality, transformation and meta data management, as well as its Real-Time Integration (RTI) Services that enable on-demand data integration in line with customers' business processes. Ascential's customers can also benefit from Mercator's expertise in transaction-oriented data transformation and routing; innovative industry-ready integration solutions; and powerful adaptors for an extensive universe of platforms, servers and other requirements of critical business technology. Each of our constituencies can benefit from the substantial scale, stability and global resources resulting from the Mercator/Ascential combination."
Ascential Software currently expects the acquisition to be accretive to earnings within its first year of combined operations, as a result of cost synergies, cross-selling opportunities and new revenue streams resulting from the companies' complementary products, channels, and geographic presence.
"We believe that by combining Ascential Software and Mercator, we can accelerate the achievement of our long term operating margin goals," continued Gyenes. "Once we complete the integration of Mercator into Ascential Software, our combined company will have more than 3,000 customers and 900 employees worldwide, and the critical mass to increase innovation, customer value and service, while achieving higher levels of profitability."
About the transaction
Under the terms of the merger agreement, Ascential Software will promptly commence a cash tender offer for the outstanding shares of Mercator stock for $3 per share, which will be subject to certain conditions, as will be described in the offer to purchase, letter of transmittal and related documents. The tender offer is expected to close by the end of the third quarter, barring unforeseen circumstances. This acquisition has been unanimously approved by the board of directors of each company and is subject to regulatory and other customary closing conditions. Bear Stearns acted as an advisor to Ascential Software. J.P. Morgan Securities Inc. acted as an advisor to Mercator.
Conference Call
Ascential Software and Mercator will hold a joint conference call at 9:00 AM (EDT) today for investors and analysts to discuss the proposed transaction. To participate in the call in the U.S. please dial 888-769-8522. International callers should dial 630-395-0061. The pass code is "Ascential". A replay of the call will be made available at 800-925-2379. No access code is required for the replay. The replay will begin approximately two hours after the call and will be available through 5:00 PM (eastern) on August 11, 2003. The conference call will also be broadcast live through a link on the Investor Relations page on the Ascential Software web site at www.Ascential.com/investors. Please go to the web site at least fifteen minutes prior to the call to register, download and install any necessary audio software.
About Mercator Software, Inc.
Mercator delivers its customers and partners The Advantage Inside Integration(TM), providing Industry-Ready Integration Solutions(TM) that solve critical business problems in real-time, while leveraging current technology investments and maximizing ROI. Mercator's core integration technology, Mercator Inside Integrator(TM) 6.7, features a Solutions-Oriented Architecture(TM) which easily and seamlessly automates high-volume, complex transactions. Over 1,100 enterprise customers leverage the power, speed and flexibility of Mercator's proven integration technology and industry expertise to build better business value and faster ROI. To hear why our customers and partners believe Mercator is the advantage inside integration, visit our Web site at www.Mercator.com.
About Ascential Software
Ascential Software Corporation is the leading provider of enterprise data integration solutions to organizations worldwide. Customers use the Ascential Enterprise Integration Suite to integrate and leverage data across all strategic analytic and enterprise applications with confidence in the accuracy, completeness and timeliness of critical information. Ascential Software's powerful data profiling, data quality, data transformation, parallel processing, meta data and connectivity solutions enable customers to reduce total cost of ownership and increase return on IT investment. Headquartered in Westboro, Mass., Ascential Software has offices worldwide and supports more than 2,200 customers in such industries as financial services, telecommunications, healthcare, life sciences, manufacturing, consumer goods, retail, and government. More information on Ascential Software can be found on the Web at www.Ascential.com.
This release contains forward-looking statements, as well as a number of assumptions about future events and is subject to important factors and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this release address a variety of subjects including, for example, benefits of the proposed transaction; expected synergies attained through the combination; revenues and earnings expected following the acquisition; the ability of Ascential Software to retain substantial financial resources; customer reaction to the acquisition and benefits to customers; the creation of a product set that will support the full spectrum of data integration requirements regardless of data volumes or latency; extension and deepening of Ascential Software's resources, visibility and strategic importance of Ascential Software within the enterprise IT community; the functionality, characteristics, quality and performance capabilities of each company's products and technology; results achievable and benefits attainable through deployment of each company's products; customer requirements and expectations; reduction of cost of ownership by customers and return on IT investment. The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in these forward-looking statements: the acquisition may not be completed; the closing of the acquisition may be delayed; required regulatory approvals may not be granted; shareholders may not tender their shares or vote in favor of a merger; the businesses may not be successfully integrated or the transition may require substantial time; the integration may involve unexpected costs; both businesses may suffer as a result of uncertainty surrounding the transaction; key employees may depart the company following the acquisition; customers of each business may not adopt technology of the other business; as well as other factors, such as, the ability of Ascential Software to expand its market share; growth rates for the enterprise data integration software market; general business conditions in the software industry, the technology sector, and in the domestic and international economies; rapid technological change in the markets served by Ascential Software; dependence on international operations; global and geopolitical instability; and difficulties that Ascential Software may experience integrating technologies, operations and personnel of completed or future acquisitions. For a detailed discussion of these and other cautionary statements, please refer to the filings made by Ascential Software with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, without limitation, the most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Ascential Software disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statements made herein to reflect any change in Ascential Software's expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which such statements are based.
If a tender offer is commenced, any Offer to Purchase will be sent to all Mercator stockholders. This document will contain important information and should be read by stockholders. A tender offer statement on Schedule TO, which will include the Offer to Purchase and other exhibits, will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All documents filed with the SEC can be examined for free at the SEC web site (http://www.sec.gov.). They are also available without charge by calling the Investor Relations department at 508 366-3888 or by sending a written request to that department at 50 Washington Street, Westboro, Massachusetts.
Ascential is a trademark of Ascential Software Corporation or its affiliates and may be registered in the United States or other jurisdictions. Other marks are the property of the owners of those marks.
For more information, contact: Press: Investors: Chas Kielt David Roy Ascential Software Corporation Ascential Software Corporation (508) 366-3888 x3256 (508) 366-3888 x3290 chas.kielt@ascential.com david.roy@ascential.com
Press: Press or Investors: Jeff Aubin Jonathan Cohen Beaupre & Co. Public Relations Mercator (603) 559-5838 (203) 563-1214 jaubin@beaupre.com jcohen@mercator.com
Source: Mercator Software, Inc.; Ascential Software Corporation |
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To: SemiBull who wrote (138) | 8/14/2003 9:06:49 PM | From: SemiBull | | | Ascential Software will Separate Real-Time Hype from Real-Time Results at The TDWI World Conference
Thursday August 14, 1:12 pm ET
Enterprise Data Integration Leader Uniquely Helps Enterprises Capture and Act on Mission Critical Information
WESTBORO, Mass., Aug. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ascential Software Corporation (Nasdaq: ASCL - News), the enterprise data integration leader, today invited attendees of The Data Warehousing Institute (TDWI) World Conference to a hands-on demonstration of Ascential Real-Time Integration Services (RTI Services) and the Ascential(TM) Enterprise Integration Suite. Announced in June 2003 and now generally available, Ascential RTI Services is the only enterprise data integration solution on the market that addresses real-time business requirements. RTI Services extends the reach of Ascential Software's powerful data profiling, data quality, data transformation, parallel processing, meta data and connectivity solutions by enabling the seamless interoperability of Ascential Software's data integration solutions within an enterprise's service-oriented architecture (SOA). The Ascential RTI Services team will be at the Ascential Software booth # 300 at the Hynes Convention Center.
"TDWI World Conference is the premier event for data warehousing and business intelligence professionals. TDWI provides an excellent forum to distinguish real-time rhetoric from real-time results, and separate providers of enterprise data integration infrastructure from vendors selling point products," said Mike Cassettari, vice president and chief marketing officer, Ascential Software.
Most extraction, transformation, and loading (ETL) tools and data quality software vendors are not addressing real-time data integration requirements at all, or are simply trickle-feeding data warehouses for reporting purposes. This is an extremely loose and limited definition. Ascential RTI Services exposes complex matching, transformation, validation, standardization, and enrichment functionality to be called by any application at any time. Through support for interoperability standards such as Enterprise Java Beans (EJB), Java Messaging Service (JMS), and Web Services, the benefits of on-demand, in- flight data integration capabilities can now be brought to other common enterprise integration solutions, including business process integration (BPI), enterprise application integration (EAI), and enterprise information integration (EII).
Strategic IT requirements that can leverage real-time integration include not just data warehousing, but master data management, in-flight data enrichment, legacy data access, and self-service portals. "We strongly urge anyone implementing service-oriented architecture within their enterprise to experience firsthand the real-time data integration solution that has benefited many Ascential Software customers," concluded Cassettari.
Sandra Rogers, program director, Web Services and Integration Software at IDC said, "Ascential Software is leveraging the capabilities and benefits of service-oriented architecture for data integration, exposing critical meta data and robust mapping that could ultimately be applied in a business process context. Ascential Enterprise Integration Suite coupled with Ascential Real- Time Integration Services is targeted at organizations striving to capture and act on mission-critical information in an event-driven manner, from supply chain management, CRM, business intelligence and other enterprise applications. With its product strategy, Ascential Software places an emphasis on delivering complete, synchronized, harmonized data where and when it's needed."
To further showcase how enterprise data integration solutions from Ascential Software are helping companies in many industries streamline and accelerate data integration across the enterprise, the company will host an Experts Forum, "Delivering Results in the Real-Time Enterprise," on Monday, August 18 from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Boston Marriott Copley Place and Convention Center. Computerworld Editor-in-Chief Maryfran Johnson will moderate the forum. Guest experts include IT executives from Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Landstar System, Inc., McKesson Corp., Pfizer Inc., and Room Solutions. The Ascential Software Experts Forum is open to all TDWI World Conference attendees.
About Ascential Software
Ascential Software Corporation is the leading provider of enterprise data integration solutions to organizations worldwide. Customers use the Ascential Enterprise Integration Suite to integrate and leverage data across all strategic analytic and enterprise applications with confidence in the accuracy, completeness and timeliness of critical information. Ascential Software's powerful data profiling, data quality, data transformation, parallel processing, meta data and connectivity solutions enable customers to reduce total cost of ownership and increase return on IT investment. Headquartered in Westboro, Mass., Ascential Software has offices worldwide and supports more than 2,200 customers in such industries as financial services, telecommunications, healthcare, life sciences, manufacturing, consumer goods, retail, and government. More information on Ascential Software can be found on the Web at www.ascential.com.
Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This release contains forward-looking statements based on current expectations or beliefs, as well as a number of assumptions about future events, and these statements are subject to important factors and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this release address a variety of subjects including, for example, the functionality, characteristics, quality and performance capabilities of Ascential Software's products and technology; results achievable and benefits attainable through deployment of Ascential Software's products; anticipated innovation and product development; customer requirements and expectations as well as benefits to customers from Ascential Software's products and services; Ascential Software's position in the enterprise data integration market for real-time business requirements; interoperability of solutions within an enterprise's SOA; on-demand, in-flight data integration capabilities; application of products to a business process context; the ability to deliver complete, synchronized, harmonized data where and when it's needed; and reduction of cost of ownership by customers and return on IT investment. The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in these forward-looking statements: the ability of Ascential Software to expand its market share; growth rates for the enterprise data integration software market; general business conditions in the software industry, the technology sector, and in the domestic and international economies; rapid technological change in the markets served by Ascential Software; dependence on international operations; global and geopolitical instability; and difficulties that Ascential Software may experience integrating technologies, operations and personnel of completed or future acquisitions. For a detailed discussion of these and other cautionary statements, please refer to the filings made by Ascential Software with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, without limitation, the most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Ascential Software disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statements made herein to reflect any change in Ascential Software's expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which such statements are based.
Ascential is a trademark of Ascential Software Corporation or its affiliates and may be registered in the United States or other jurisdictions. Other marks are the property of the owners of those marks.
Source: Ascential Software Corporation |
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To: SemiBull who wrote (139) | 8/24/2003 9:25:17 PM | From: SemiBull | | | Experts at Ascential Software Forum at TDWI Cite New IT Mantra: Business Rules!
Wednesday August 20, 6:43 pm ET
IT executives from Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Landstar System, Inc., McKesson Corp., Pfizer Inc. and Room Solutions Underscore Imperative to Correlate IT Projects and Business Objectives
BOSTON, Aug. 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/-- A panel of technology experts from some of the world's most prominent companies identified a new guiding principle for information technology Monday night at The Data Warehousing Institute (TDWI) World Conference: Business rules....Not as in a set of instructions related to data management, but a declarative statement of the new IT reality. All IT projects must advance business objectives.
"Increasingly, you're seeing a dominance of business over technology," said Kevin Curtis, director, Room Solutions, a leading UK provider of systems and services to the insurance market. "Business is telling IT, 'This is what I need you to do for me. Now go away and solve it.'"
Sponsored by Ascential Software Corporation (Nasdaq: ASCL - News), the enterprise data integration leader, the Experts Forum focused on "Delivering Results in the Real-Time Enterprise." More than 100 TDWI attendees were present for Ascential Software's Experts Forum, the first in a series of ongoing events to coalesce thinking on issues important to data warehousing and enterprise data integration. Computerworld Editor-in-Chief Maryfran Johnson moderated the panel discussion.
The prevailing theme of the evening was the importance of the technology and business sides of any organization, regardless of industry, to communicate with each other and understand respective objectives, abilities and limitations. The expert panelists, all of whom use Ascential Software solutions in their enterprises, also identified present and future IT issues. These include determining when to take a "real-time" or "right-time" approach, leveraging Web services and service-oriented architecture for interoperability and efficiency, and the impact of compliance with government regulation and legislation on information systems.
Bob Leo, IT director for Landstar System, Inc., predicted 2004 will be the "year of meta data," citing the need to have a clear, unambiguous definition and history of the data that runs an enterprise. "Because we're asking the business to take more ownership, they're coming back to us and saying, 'What is this concept of a customer? What does it mean if I'm putting five systems together and I have different definitions of a customer?' " Landstar is one of the country's most innovative and fastest-growing transportation services companies.
The experts agreed that while real-time data delivery is a powerful technology that is fundamentally changing enterprise data integration, it is not always necessary or even desirable. Instead, prudent use of real-time technology based on business processes and requirements should be the determining factor. They prefer the term "right-time," which more accurately represents the need to get business information to the right people when they need it. "Right time is probably a better phrase to use," said Leo. "You need to ask, 'When does the business need the information we're trying to deliver?' It no longer makes sense to say, 'We can do this in real time, so we will.' "
Real-time/right-time decisions are complicated by the fact that many parties may need a given piece of information, "but they need it all different times," said Danny Siegel, IT director for data management/architecture, Pfizer Inc.
The expert panelists and their peers in the audience pointed to the ever- increasing importance of data quality in a real-time environment where data volume, velocity, and complexity reach previously unseen levels. "Don't underestimate the efforts of data quality that will be required of you," cautioned Stephen Zander, director of architecture technology, McKesson Corp., the second largest pharmaceutical distributor in the United States. Ascential RTI Services, which was announced in June and began shipping this month, is breakthrough technology that extends the reach of Ascential Software's powerful enterprise data integration solutions - including Ascential QualityStage(TM) - by enabling the seamless interoperability within an enterprise's service-oriented architecture (SOA) and providing real-time functionality.
Panelists had varying degrees of enthusiasm toward Web services. One panelist considered Web services little more than the most recent label for reusable, interoperable software components. Leo of Landstar, however, reported tremendous success with a pilot application simulating a user on its business-to-business transportation Web site. Behind the scenes, an Ascential DataStage® Web service was querying multiple legacy systems and offering subsecond response times.
Many IT departments are still coming to grips with new regulations such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, the financial accountability law, and the related need for financial "transparency." Panelists called transparency an ambiguous term with different meanings to IT and business managers. "We're using the same word but don't mean the same thing," Zander said.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, more commonly known by its acronym HIPAA, poses similar challenges for data integration professionals, according to Ralph Miller, director, corporate architecture, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care. "Everybody's afraid of making a wrong step," Miller said, but added that his company, a leading health maintenance organization, has a team dedicated to ensuring HIPAA compliance.
The experts offered a number of tips to secure funding for enterprise data integration projects, including taking a "baby steps," or an incremental rollout approach, to show early and frequent success. Also essential is fully and clearly articulating how business demands translate into necessary IT investments.
"As we witnessed on Monday night, some of the biggest names in global business are using Ascential Software solutions to tackle their enterprise data integration challenges, and these companies' IT executives are among the world's most creative problem solvers," said Mike Cassettari, Ascential Software vice president and chief marketing officer. "These are the people who set the agenda for enterprise data integration. They've done it in the past and are among the first to meet these challenges."
The industry-leading Ascential Enterprise Integration Suite combines Ascential ProfileStage(TM) for data profiling, Ascential QualityStage for data quality and Ascential DataStage for data transformation on a shared platform of software services for unlimited scalability through parallel processing, management of meta data, any-to-any connectivity. Launched in June 2003, Ascential Real-Time Integration Services enables real-time data integration using an organization's service-oriented architecture and Web services.
About Ascential Software
Ascential Software Corporation is the leading provider of enterprise data integration solutions to organizations worldwide. Customers use the Ascential Enterprise Integration Suite to integrate and leverage data across all strategic analytic and enterprise applications with confidence in the accuracy, completeness and timeliness of critical information. Ascential Software's powerful data profiling, data quality, data transformation, parallel processing, meta data and connectivity solutions enable customers to reduce total cost of ownership and increase return on IT investment. Headquartered in Westboro, Mass., Ascential Software has offices worldwide and supports more than 2,200 customers in such industries as financial services, telecommunications, healthcare, life sciences, manufacturing, consumer goods, retail, and government. More information on Ascential Software can be found on the Web at www.ascential.com.
Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This release contains forward-looking statements based on current expectations or beliefs, as well as a number of assumptions about future events, and these statements are subject to important factors and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this release address a variety of subjects including, for example, the functionality, characteristics, quality and performance capabilities of Ascential Software's products and technology; results achievable and benefits attainable through deployment of Ascential Software's products; anticipated innovation and product development; customer requirements and expectations as well as benefits to customers from Ascential Software's products and services; impact of meta data in 2004; increasing importance of data quality; and reduction of cost of ownership by customers and return on IT investment. The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in these forward-looking statements: the ability of Ascential Software to expand its market share; growth rates for the enterprise data integration software market; general business conditions in the software industry, the technology sector, and in the domestic and international economies; rapid technological change in the markets served by Ascential Software; dependence on international operations; global and geopolitical instability; and difficulties that Ascential Software may experience integrating technologies, operations and personnel of completed or future acquisitions. For a detailed discussion of these and other cautionary statements, please refer to the filings made by Ascential Software with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, without limitation, the most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Ascential Software disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statements made herein to reflect any change in Ascential Software's expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which such statements are based.
Ascential, DataStage, Ascential ProfileStage and Ascential QualityStage are trademarks of Ascential Software Corporation or its affiliates and may be registered in the United States or other jurisdictions. Other marks are the property of the owners of those marks.
Contact: Chas Kielt Jeff Aubin Ascential Software Corporation Beaupre & Co. Public Relations, Inc. (508) 366-3888, ext. 3256 (603) 559-5838 chas.kielt@ascential.com jaubin@beaupre.com
Source: Ascential Software Corporation |
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