Software AG and Logica expand partnership to help clients counter the recession

• Successful existing partnership to be rolled out across Europe
• Software AG and Logica have implemented over 100 successful projects in France
• The partnership focuses on driving “business performance” through the economic downturn
• The partnership brings together Software AG’s webMethods technology and Logica’s project delivery capabilities

Darmstadt, Germany & London

Software AG and Logica today announced that they are expanding their successful partnership, focused on helping organizations improve their business performance and counter the recession. The partnership has already implemented over 100 successful projects in France and will be extended to cover all major European markets. The partnership helps organizations identify key business areas that can benefit from process automation and optimization and counter the conflicting demands of cost-cutting, increased efficiency, regulatory compliance and accelerated M&A activity forced on organizations by the current economic downturn.

Software AG and Logica have seen increasing interest in business performance driven software, unabated by the global financial slowdown.  All industries are facing competing management attention for issues such as market consolidation, regulatory compliance, cost management and opening new growth opportunities and markets. These competing pressures can only be effectively balanced and managed through software.

This is supported by a survey of over 500 IT managers in France in March of 2009 by Pierre Audoin Consultants (PAC), a global market research and strategic consulting firm for the software and IT services industry, examining the impact of the recession on IT. The results showed that although cost reduction is currently the primary IT concern, organizations also see further integration, flexibility and innovation as major issues.

Software AG’s Henning Bruestle, Vice-president Global Alliances, today called for all executive board members to become aware of the new business opportunities being opened by the latest developments in the software industry.

“It is imperative that IT investment decisions receive full board attention in the current economic climate” said Bruestle. “Executive boards that that are not aware of the strategic value that IT can bring to the enterprise are in danger of losing out to faster, more agile competition.”

This is supported by a recent Software AG survey of banking and insurance companies showing that IT is seen as a strategic resource by a majority of enterprises and increasingly at an Executive Board level. IT transparency, flexibility and modernization are seen as important goals and over 60% are implementing business process management projects as a result. The alternative course to providing that flexibility is unacceptable - replacing existing systems, and thereby the embedded intellectual capital - had just a 7% response rate.

“We now see increased levels of demand from other major European markets”, said George Abou Harb, Enterprise Architecture & SOA Global Practice leader of Logica. “Customers need to take advantage of these technologies quickly and that is where we can help. We have built a team that can identify the optimal business performance enhancing project for an organization and make it become real immediately. Moving fast in a recession is the difference between success and failure”.

For further information:
www.softwareag.com/performancedriven
www.logica.com/soa

 

Software AG | Uhlandstraße 12 | 64297 Darmstadt | Germany

Software AG is the world’s largest independent provider of Business Infrastructure Software. Our 4,000 global enterprise customers achieve business results faster by modernizing, integrating and automating their IT systems and processes.  As a result, they rapidly build measurable business value and meet changing business demands. Based on our solutions, organizations are able to liberate and govern their data, systems, applications, processes and services – achieving new levels of business flexibility.

Our leading product portfolio includes solutions for high performance data management, developing and modernizing applications, enabling service-oriented architecture, and improving business processes. By combining our technology with industry expertise and best practices experience, our customers improve and differentiate their businesses – faster.
Software AG has 40 years of global IT experience and over 3,500 employees serving customers in 70 countries. The company is headquartered in Germany and listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (TecDAX, ISIN DE 0003304002 / SOW).  Software AG posted total revenues of €721 million in 2008.

About Logica

Logica is a leading IT and business services company, employing 40,000 people. It provides business consulting, systems integration, and IT and business process outsourcing services.  Logica works closely with its customers to release their potential - enabling change that increases their efficiency, accelerates growth and manages risk.  It applies its deep industry knowledge, technical excellence and global delivery expertise to help its customers build leadership positions in their markets. Logica is listed on both the London Stock Exchange and Euronext (Amsterdam) (LSE: LOG; Euronext: LOG). More information is available at www.logica.com
 

Press contact
Suma Boby, +44 7595 612180, s.boby@logica.com