Joe Kozak - ANTs Software Blog

PODCAST: Curt Cotner on easier migration with DB2 SQL Skin
Tags: data_migration information_integration db2 db2_sql_skin information_management

Curt Cotner is an IBM Fellow as well as VP and CTO for Database Servers at IBM. He's joins the podcast to talk about DB2 SQL Skin, which is all about reducing the cost and risk of moving applications from Sybase to DB2. He talks about the challenges of migrating, and how DB2 SQL Skin makes it simpler and faster by eliminating the need to modify client applications or retrain the end-users sending in the queries.

It’s all about reducing the cost and complexity of migrating from Sybase to DB2 using this valuable tool: DB2 SQL Skin. This product offering is a more competitive approach DB consolidation. Listen to the whole story here and join the conversation:

https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/mydeveloperworks/blogs/scott/entry/curt_cotner_on_easier_migration_with_db2_sql_skin?lang=en

IBM Marketing: Moving Full Speed Ahead!

The IBM Marketing machine is accelerating the rollout of our technology with the “Simple Database Consolidation” roadshow. IBM is targeting senior executives in major North American cities to promote our database consolidation technology. The venues are baseball stadiums where there is usually a series of presentations followed by some networking activities and a baseball game. This is certainly a significant investment from IBM.

Last Wednesday April, 20 was in Wrigley Field, Chicago. The day started at 9 AM, with presentations on the value of leveraging SQL Skin (ANTs) to migrate to DB2. Speakers included Noel Yuhanna from Forrester Research, Barrett Boston from IBM, Bernie O’Conner from Anixter, and Tom Holdener from BJC Healthcare.

The highlight of the day was customers learning first-hand how to leverage ANTs Software to rehost applications on IBM DB2 without having to rewrite code. Customers and IBM execs were also excited to walk on the field during batting practice, and watch the 11^th inning Chicago Cubs victory from the IBM luxury suite with Hall of Famer Ernie Banks.

Some key customer learning of the presentations:

• Independent Analyst Forrester Research called this the “next generation of migration”. This will become the defacto standard” of the industry. In his view, ANTs migrated 98% of applications without any change. Instead of 6 months, things would be migrated “in hours”.
• In addition to the huge cost savings, another benefit is that companies often have “code freezes” during migration periods. In other words, during a 6-month window new features cannot be rolled out, holding up progress within the company. With ANTs, if you reduce this 6-month window to hours or days then you give the company months of time for application updates and progress.
• Barrett Boston, and IBM Exectuive, said he prefers the term “Application Enablement” to better describe what ANTs is doing over the term “migration” which is how things used to be done.
• One of the presenting customers was thrilled with his ANTs experience, and may be flying to Los Angeles to speak again at our next event. He said ANTs migrated 93% right away, and 5% more was no big deal.
• Tom Holdener from BJC Healthcare made a video that was shown. It was a very strong and positive video.

Thanks to our board member Ari Kaplan, currently with the Chicago Cubs organization, who spent several hours mingling and making sure everyone was taken care of.

Regards,

Joe.

 

PS:Below are some pictures from the event.

IBM and customers on the field during batter practice:

The presentation at the United Club, Wrigley Field:

 

Here are customers and the IBM team and on their way down to the field:

 

New analysis from Forrester Research about our Technology

Forrester Research have put together a new independent research that talks about our technology. Below is a summary, the report can be download here.

Database migrations have always been complex, time-consuming, and costly due to proprietary data structures and data types, SQL extensions, and procedural languages. It can take up to several months to migrate a database, depending on database size, complexity, and usage of these proprietary features.

A new technology has recently emerged for solving this problem: the database compatibility layer, a database access layer that supports another database management system’s (DBMS’s) proprietary extensions natively, allowing existing applications to access the new database transparently.

Read more.

 

About Forrester

Forrester Research, Inc. (Nasdaq: FORR) is an independent research company that provides pragmatic and forward-thinking advice to global leaders in business and technology. Forrester works with professionals in 19 key roles at major companies providing proprietary research, customer insight, consulting, events, and peer-to-peer executive programs. For more than 27 years, Forrester has been making IT, marketing, and technology industry leaders successful every day.

Have you read the ANTs Executive Letter?

If you are answer is no, you might want to read at our website. Here is the direct link and the press release:

http://www.ants.com/images/stories/NCPDF/ants_shareholders_march_2011_final.pdf

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/ANTs-Software-Chairman-and-bw-1452091237.html?x=0&.v=1

 

I understand the importance of communication. We have some boundaries when dealing with large corporations but I will make every effort to keep you up to date.

Thanks for your support,

Cesar.

An Update on our Business with IBM

I have recently been asked about the current sales status with IBM. I have to say that due to competitive issues and contractual obligations with this important partner, there are customer names and other important details that cannot be disclosed outside of the IBM and ANTs confidentially agreement. But I thought about your requests for information and I concluded that what I am able to share at the current time is a summary of the number of opportunities that IBM and ANTs are currently engaged that might end up or not in bookings and recognized revenue.

Here is the summary by industry and sales phase.

 

In total we have 25 customer projects, 4 of these projects are outside of the United States. I look forward to provide you with more details in the future.

I will also be providing updates on other IBM areas very soon.

Thanks,

Joe Kozak.

	Passed Initial identification and Validation	Qualified Opportunity	Recently Closed Opportunity
Financial Services	7	7	1
Insurance		1
Retail	1
Government	2	2
Education	1
Healthcare			1
Telecom	1
Utilities			1
Total	12	10	3

The IBM Information Integration and Governance Roadshow

Our partner IBM just started a roadshow called the "Information Integration and Governance  Forum". They have a very interesting agenda with a number of topics that are central to what we are doing with them. The following three slides from the event show key user areas that are usually analyzed by customers before initiating a Sybase to DB2 migration with the DB2 SQL Skin.

SLIDE #1 - Distributed and heterogenous databases: Database proliferation on distributed systems and different RDBMS vendors have created numerous challenges on information governance. Challenges that will not be able to be corrected until some level of physical consolidation can be executed, making the management of information a significantly simpler process. 

SLIDE #2 - Legacy and Obsolete Technologies: Sybase ASE 12.5, a product with a large installed base of customers, is a version no longer supported by Sybase and in many corporations no longer considered strategic. Because of this, many customers have decided or are considering the move from Sybase ASE to DB2. 

SLIDE #3 - IBM's Expertise minimizes risks: IBM expertise, knowledge on different technologies (e.g. DB2 SQL Skin) and best practices is a guarantee of a successful experience on how the data will be managed during its lifecycle. 

You can read the whole presentation here.

The IBM Information Integration and Governance Roadshow is a high level event that covers many IBM technologies. There is a more specific event about Sybase to DB2 migration that IBM is currently working on and I will be sharing the details with you soon. 

Regards, 

Joe Kozak

Blog Post on DB2 SQL Skin and ANTs Team

The link below is a blog post from Conor O'Mahony at IBM about the current status of our IBM DB2 SQL Skin technology and opinions of our key Technology Advisory Board (TAB) contributors: Don Haderle and Warren Lucas.

http://db2news.wordpress.com/2011/02/14/update-on-the-ibm-db2-sql-skin-for-migrating-from-sybase-ase/

Conor is very influential in the DB2 and database world and has a good number of blog followers.

Standardization and Innovation: Future Imperatives

According to Mark Hurd, President of Oracle, the new world of emerging markets will shake the IT world and bring new challenges for the largest, more established corporations of what he calls the “American Century”. In a conversation with the country's largest banks, insurance companies, and capital-markets firms he suggested that that they need to “begin stepping away from the vendor-arbitrage strategy that has been a mainstay of corporate IT buying for the past 20 or 30 years”.

He explains that by standardizing platforms into fewer vendors or even a single vendor, customers operating in an increasingly competitive global market will be able to innovative at a faster pace. He obviously suggests standardization and consolidation into the “Oracle Stack” but his approach is not foreign to all the top vendors, including our partner IBM.

We always talk about cost reduction around SQL Skin but have not said much about how standardizing can help corporations to innovate and compete better.

I thought the point of view of this article is right what is happening or will soon happen in our industry. Enjoy the reading.

http://www.informationweek.com/news/global-cio/interviews/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=CG21BNI1JKD1DQE1GHRSKHWATMY32JVN?articleID=229211386&pgno=1&queryText=&isPrev=

 

Regards,

Joe Kozak.

Nice SQL Skin article on IBM Data Management Magazine

Today I would like to share with you a great article that was put together by IBM Data Management Magazine. They talk about our technology and how a SQL Skin user utilized it.

This is the electronic version of this publication but it is also available on hardcopy. The publication has a total circulation of approximately 180,000 readers worldwide.

Once you click on the following link, the SQL Skin article ""Migrating from Sybase ASE this year" will be on the right side of your screen.

http://www.ibmdmmagazinedigital.com/dmmagazine-sample/sample/?lm=1243476302000#pg28

Enjoy,

Joe Kozak.

Transforming In Front of Everyone’s Eyes

ANTs software has made a strategic transformation over the past few years, evolving from a narrow niche tech player into a growing, disruptive force.  As the end of 2008 approached, we announced the first deployment of the ANTs Compatibility Server (ACS) with the Wyndham Hotel Group.  This announcement was not only a game changing event for our company, it resonated deeply through out the industry.

That day in 2008 also caught the eye of the biggest player at the technology table -- IBM. Since teaming with IBM in 2009, they have helped transform ANTs into what we are today.  IBM’s visionary move of partnering with us to implement our ACS (SQL Skin) product into their hardware has caused a ripple effect in an industry that is continuously changing. 

Our partnership has resulted in several new contracts with industry titans looking to streamline the technology side of their business.  From healthcare to financial services to energy, the end game and end result are the same for these industries: Efficient Companies are Effective Companies.  With numerous companies realizing the business opportunity we have presented to them, word is beginning to spread.  We have made significant strides these past few years and with 2011 off to a fast start, it would be wise not to blink.  We just might transform into a key industry player right before your eyes.

Thanks for your invaluable contribution to ANTs Software.

Joe Kozak.