Event
Summary
Informix Corporation (Nasdaq: IFMX), recently announced that i.Decide
Web Success, an application promising to provide e-businesses a set of
tools to integrate web data with enterprise data, would be available November
15. i.Decide Web Success has analytical capabilities that combine traditional
business intelligence tools with web monitoring and analysis tools. Informix
is able to integrate these two sets of tools by tapping its expertise
in Extract, Transform, Load (ETL) and Database Management Systems (DBMS).
See: Informix
XML's Its Metadata Transport Data - for more information on Informix's
technical proficiency in these areas. The product works by pulling web
data, operational data (such as ERP), third party data, and legacy data
into a central data repository. The merged data in the repository is then
available for data analysis. Analytic capabilities within the front-end
component include operations analysis, clickstream analysis, website visitor
analysis, marketing effectiveness, and e-commerce merchandising and sales
analysis.
Integration
of traditional business intelligence with web analysis allows clicks-and-mortar
organizations to identify customer demographics, online and offline buying
habits, and web behavior. Personalization/recommendation engines and campaign
management applications can then use data from i.Decide Web Success to
perform their functions (i.Decide Web Success will supply data to Informix's
personalization engine and content management software or to products
from other vendors' such as BroadVision and Vignette).
i.Decide
Web Success rounds out a broad offering of e-business applications from
Informix. Other e-business applications include i.Sell, i.Reach and Media360.
i.Sell is an e-commerce store-front product that consists of a personalization/recommendation
engine and online transaction processing software. i.Reach is a web publishing
solution. Media360 is a content management product that manages media
assets (documents, web pages, videos, 3D images and other files) over
intranets, extranets, and the Internet.
Market
Impact
The market force behind the development of i.Decide Web Success is the
increasing need for data integration and analysis across multiple channels
such as web, call center, and point of sale. i.Decide's primary differentiator
is that it integrates traditional business intelligence with web analysis.
Informix competes with vendors such as Informatica and Business Objects
in business intelligence and NetGenesis and WebTrends in web analysis,
but few vendors deliver both capabilities. Information on other vendors
that compete in this space can be found in the article: What
Good Is Information If Nobody Sees It?.
Realizing
that its strength lies in data integration, Informix is actively pursuing
alliances to provide best of breed e-business applications to use i.Decide
Web Success' central data repository as a platform. According to an Informix
representative BroadVision and Vignette are likely partners. BroadVision
can supply personalization and online transaction processing applications
and Vignette can provide content management applications.
It
makes sense for Informix to partner for these and other applications that
can use the central data repository and the processes analysis, but this
will undoubtedly cause confusion among IT decision makers. This is because
significant overlap will likely exist between the i.Sell and i.Reach offerings
and the partner offerings. This is an issue Informix should deal with
before making any partner applications commercially available. Informix
also purchased Ardent software in December 1999 (see: Ardent
Software: Will Informix Merger Affect Their Success?) to strengthen
their web analytics capabilities prior to developing i.Decide Web Success.
Informix
has some key advantages that may help it succeed in the crowded CRM market.
With well over $200M in quarterly revenues for the past five quarters
and positive profits, Informix is financially strong compared to the likes
of Informatica, Business Objects, WebTrends and NetPerceptions. Informix
expects i.Decide Solutions to bring a healthy change to the top line,
as revenues have slipped from $252M in 4Q99 to $240M in 2Q00.
User
Recommendations
Clicks-and-mortar firms looking to integrate their data into one repository
for customer analysis across multiple channels should consider i.Decide
Web Success. Informix claims that i.Decide Web Success is designed for
dot-coms as well as clicks-and-mortar, but IT decision makers should consider
the nature of their data integration needs before purchasing this product.
A pure play dot-com will derive little value from a data repository that
is designed to pull data out of ERP and legacy systems if they don't have
those systems in place. Furthermore if your analytics needs are stronger
than your data integration needs (because the bulk of your data integration
issues have already been dealt with) than i.Decide Web Success may not
provide the functionality you require.
If
your organization's needs match i.Decide Web Success' capabilities, Informix
should be on your short list. The company boasts a lasting, successful
presence in the ETL and DBMS markets that should provide advantages in
the e-business analytics market. Keep in mind that this is a first version
release that has not been time-tested commercially.
Note:
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