Sybase
 | |
| Company type | Public NYSE: SY |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer software |
| Founded | Berkeley, California (1984) |
| Headquarters | Dublin, California |
Key people | John S. Chen; chairman, CEO, President |
| Products | List of Sybase products |
| Revenue |  $813.67 million |
Number of employees | 3,568 (2004) |
| Website | www.sybase.com |
Sybase Inc. (NYSE: SY) is a software company specializing in relational database management systems and database-related products. "Sybase" is also commonly used to refer to Adaptive Server Enterprise, the company's flagship relational database system. Sybase's original architects were Dr. Robert Epstein and Tom Haggin who both had worked at Briton-Lee and the University of California, Berkeley Department of Computer Sciences. The pioneering "University Ingres" relational database system, developed at UC Berkeley, led to Briton-Lee, Sybase, Ingres (Computer Associates) Informix (IBM) and NonStop SQL (Tandem), as well as the majority of other SQL systems currently in use.
Sybase became the number 2 database system behind Oracle, after making a deal with Microsoft to share the source code for Microsoft to remarket on the OS/2 platform as "SQL Server". At the time, Sybase called the database server "Sybase SQL Server". Until version 4.9, Sybase and Microsoft SQL server were virtually identical. Due to disagreements between the two companies over revenue sharing (or lack thereof), Sybase and Microsoft decided to split the code-lines and went their own way, although the shared heritage is very evident in the Transact-SQL (TSQL) procedural language as well as the basic process architecture. The big difference is that Sybase has a Unix heritage, while Microsoft sprung from that original Unix architecture and was adapted and optimized only for the Microsoft Windows NT operating system. Sybase continues to offer versions for Windows, several flavors of Unix, and for Linux.
Sybase suffered a major downturn in fortune in the latter half of the 1990s when Informix started outselling it by a wide margin. In November of 2005, a book written by a long time Informix employee was released that chronicled the battle between Sybase and Informix. Today Informix is no longer an independent company (having been bought by IBM). As judged by revenue, IBM has taken the lead in the overall database market with Oracle a close second. The #3 position is occupied by Sybase's own offspring, Microsoft SQL Server. Today Sybase is well behind its major competitors in the enterprise database market, with 3% market share (InformationWeek March 05). Sybase has recently returned to profitability under the management of John Chen, and continues to reinvent itself with a new 'Unwired Enterprise' strategy. The 'Unwired Enterprise' vision is about allowing companies to deliver data to mobile devices in the field as well as traditional desktops, and combines technology from Sybase's existing data management products with its new mobility products. Sybase has expanded into the mobile and wireless space through buyouts of smaller networking and wireless companies, such as AvantGo, and expansion into the Asian market, specifically China. Through its mobility subsidiary, launched in 2000, iAnywhere Solutions, Sybase has become the leader of the mobile database market with SQL Anywhere.
Sybase makes a number of other data management products including Sybase IQ, a data warehouse system, Powerbuilder a client-server and n-tier application development system, m-Business Server, a mobile applications system based on the AvantGo service, and Replication Server, a vendor-neutral data movement system. Sybase has a strong presence in the Healthcare and Financial verticals.
Products
Sybase products include:
- Sybase SQL Server
- Adaptive Server Enterprise (ASE) Sybase unveils ASE 15, the mission-critical data management system for taming the data explosion
- Advantage Database Server Advantage Database Server is a high-performance client/server data management system that enables you to create powerful business applications faster and easier
- Adaptive Server Anywhere, another traditional RDBMS
- Sybase IQ, Highly scalable relational database optimized for unsurpassed query performance in business intelligence and large data warehouses
- Sybase Adaptive Server Enterprise (ASE), Powerful data management platform that provides real-time services for mission-critical, transaction-intensive applications
- Replication Server,Increases the flexibility and lowers the costs of managing multiple data management platforms
- Sybase Avaki EII Streamlines integration of data from many distributed sources while providing standardized access to integrated views of data through a single data layer
- Unwired Orchestrator, a business process management solution that uses Messaging Queues
- Sybase PowerBuilder, Industry-leading rapid application development (RAD) tool that increases developer productivity through tight integration of design, modeling, development, and management
- Sybase PocketBuilder Provides a highly productive Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for mobile application development
- DataWindow.NetBoosts the performance of .NET application development environments
- AfariaAfaria allows companies to centrally manage and secure technology used at the front lines of business. Its frontline security management capabilities provide enterprise-ready security solutions to protect mobile data and devices
- AnswersAnywhere Answers Anywhere harnesses the power of computer applications by enabling end-users – whether they are on a wireless phone, using a handheld PDA, interacting with a customized console, or at a desktop computer – to ask for information and transactions in their own words, in any language, and get accurate, relevant answers back – fast.
- Sybase EAServer An enterprise application server based on open standards for powering business-critical applications
- Sybase Enterprise Portal, enterprise information portal
- Industry Warehouse Studio
- Sybase PowerDesigner,The industry’s #1 data-modeling and application design tool for enterprises that need to build or re-engineer applications quickly, cost-effectively,and consistently.(Also sold as Sybase PowerAMC).
- Pylon, a PIM and email synchronization tool with Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Notes back-ends
- SQL AnywhereSybase provides a wide range of adapters and integration tools for improving integrated development environments as well as the performance and flexibility of integrated systemsMarket-leading data management and enterprise data synchronization solution. It enables the rapid development and deployment of database-powered applications for mobile, remote, and small- to medium-sized business environments)
- Sybase Dynamic Archive, Is an online database archiving solution that enables customers to proactively manage runaway data growth by offloading inactive data from the production system – while keeping both production and archived data fully accessible online
- Sybase Data Integration Suite,Sybase Data Integration Suite is a powerful suite of flexible components that allows enterprises to create data flows from a range of heterogeneous data sources
- Sybase Unwired Orchestrator ,The Sybase Unwired Orchestrator unwires information to mobilize existing applications and create new applications and processes to meet the needs of the mobile worker
- Sybase OpenSwitch,Increases data quality by transparently monitoring and managing transactions and communications to a safe completion
- Sybase Mirror Activator,Sybase Mirror Activator improves the economics of high-end storage replication systems by reducing network costs, accelerating recovery time, and guaranteeing data integrity. It also extends the usefulness of standby systems by utilizing them for reporting and decision support
- Sybase Real-Time Data ServicesThe simplest, most cost-effective way to give decision-makers immediate insight into changing business events, eliminating information delays created by incompatible systems, batch updates, or application polling
- OneBridge,OneBridge Mobile Platform provides an integrated, solution-oriented approach for extending enterprise applications to mobile workers. It is a flexible and powerful platform that enables most any type of mobile device, enterprise system and connectivity option, including online, offline, real-time, push or synchronization
- AvantgoMobile Internet service that delivers rich, personalized content and applications to mobile device users
- M-Business Anywhere,Provides a platform for delivering Web-based content and applications to mobile devices rapidly and cost-effectively - with minimal recoding.
- OmniQ, OmniQ technology enables applications to automatically find the most important information within the masses of unstructured information stored in organizations' centralized repositories, libraries, file systems and existing document management systems. New versions of OmniQ are being released under the name Sybase Search
- Sybase RepConnectorExtracts data from existing applications, such as databases, and shares it with integration tools such as integration brokers and application servers
- Sybase Mainframe Connect, Supplies the connectivity tools to provide high-performance access to a variety of mainframe OS/390 data sources.
- Sybase Software Developer Kit (SDK), Provides C, C++, COBOL, and Java application development tools for the Adaptive Server Enterprise product familyProvides multiple clients and servers access to centralized application logic, alleviating the need to constantly update individual clients
- Open Server,Provides multiple clients and servers access to centralized application logic, alleviating the need to constantly update individual clients
- EDI Server, Allows companies to exchange business documents electronically with trading partners using specified EDI standard formats or non-EDI standard formats
- Sybase EnterpriseConnect Data Access Provides enterprise-wide transparent access to heterogeneous databases, allowing applications to interact with databases to access, consolidate, and/or update data
- Sybase Data Grid Solutions, grid enables users to collaborate securely by sharing processing, applications, and data across heterogeneous systems and administrative domains for collaboration, faster application execution and easier access to data.
- OpenSwitch, Increases data quality by transparently monitoring and managing transactions and communications to a safe completion
- Sybase WorkSpace, Sybase WorkSpace is a unified design and web applications development environment for the Sybase platform that combines the power of enterprise modeling with comprehensive tooling capabilities
- Appeon for PowerBuilderTransforms data-rich client/server applications into browser-based n-tier applications for the Web
- InfoMakerAn easy-to-use report generator for client/server applications.
- Finacial Fusion ServerThe only multi-platform, multi-channel e-Finance platform available on the market today
- Sybase Unwired AcceleratorSpeeds the mobilization of Web applications and data sources for always-available access. Its rapid development tools can mobilize existing applications, or create new mobile applications without programming
- Middleware Integration OptionSybase provides a wide range of adapters and integration tools for improving integrated development environments as well as the performance and flexibility of integrated systems
- Manage Anywhere StudioManage Anywhere Studio provides central control for distribution, installation, and management of software and files on mobile, distributed, and remote systems
- Remotewhere,RemoteWare is an enterprise-class solution that allows you to support a broad range of frontline systems and networking options
- RFID Anywhere Designed to automate the process of developing and deploying RFID applications, RFID Anywhere is a middleware platform that addresses the physical requirements of the technology, and even provides the ability to simulate and troubleshoot production RFID environments.
- Information Suite Anywhere The Information Anywhere Suite is a secure, scalable mobile software platform that addresses the converging IT requirements of enterprises today
- Pharma Anywhere Pharma Anywhere is a customizable packaged mobile software application designed specifically for pharmaceutical sales forces
- Sales Anywhere A customizable software package that helps organizations accelerate the adoption and ROI of existing CRM solutions, by enabling sales professionals to access these systems from mobile devices, anywhere, at anytime
User Groups
There are many Sybase-centric user groups around the world. The International Sybase User Group (ISUG) acts as an Umbrella Organisation for these groups, providing logistical support for user group meetings and other events.