Managing Automation - October 2008 - (Page 18)

[ COMPANIES TO WATCH] Boomi B Taking on-demand to a whole new level, Boomi’s software lets users integrate SaaS applications via the Web. etary interfaces, database connections, and Web services — to SaaS applications, such as Salesforce.com and Netsuite, and on-premise applications, including Oracle E-Business Suite, SAP, and Siebel. Once Boomi identified integration among SaaS and on-premise applications as a key requirement for increasing numbers of customers, President and CEO Bob Moul says, the solution became simBob Moul ple. “There was a very dramatic problem in the President & CEO SaaS community. Integration was the number one impediment,” he says. “The traditional integration product was costly, complex, and hard to maintain. [It] became a major barrier. We brought a fully on-demand solution to solve it.” Boomi OnDemand, like SaaS applications such as Salesforce and Netsuite, is purchased on a monthly subscription basis. The product targets manufacturing, logistics, finance, insurance, distribution, and e-commerce companies. Connecting with the Boomi service system allows users to interoperate with other companies, enabling what Moul calls “a social network for SaaS applications.” Jeff Kaplan, founder of ThinkStrategies, a strategic consulting services company that guides IT buyers, says Boomi has already gained recognition by competitors. “Boomi is still not a household word, but they are worth paying attention to,” he says. “[They] have succeeded as an emerging, viable market leader in a short period of time.” — Lauren Brousell oomi, founded in 2000, provides hosted business integration services for small and mid-sized businesses through its Boomi OnDemand product. With more than 350 clients in 11 countries, Boomi uses what it calls a visual process designer to integrate software-as-a-service (SaaS) and on-premise applications over the Web. Customers need not install hardware or appliances; they can set up the integration themselves via a Web browser. Boomi offers a try-and-buy option. And, once customers decide to buy, they need only purchase the specific integration connections they require. Boomi offers pre-built integrations — using a collection of propriFOUNDED: 2000 (went on-demand in 2006) PRODUCT/CATEGORY: Boomi OnDemand for application integration INDUSTRY SEGMENTS SERVED: Small and medium-sized businesses in manufacturing, logistics, and distribution KEY PROBLEM SOLVED: Delivering integration in a fully ondemand model DIFFERENTIATION: SaaS on-demand integration solutions delivered over the Web CUSTOMERS: Puma, Nutri-Systems, Harris Tea FUNDING: Venture capital-financed i Invention Machine I nvention Machine, founded in 1992 to address the issue of sustainable innovation, is the developer of Goldfire Innovator, software that brings predictability and repeatability to the process of turning ideas into products. The technology couples problem-solving workflows and trend analysis with a semantic research engine that combs through corporate databases, external websites, and worldwide patent data. With a multi-lingual interface and a new risk analysis capability, the product enables engineers and management teams to collaborate on ideas and market opportunities to quickly develop a product that is right for the target customer base. While there may be no lack of ideas percolating in a corporation, there is generally a need to formalize the process. Using Goldfire Innovator, manufacturers move from “accidental innovation” to “sustainable innovation,” the company says. “We can take concepts and make sure they get translated to products within minimum time frames and in the most cost-effective fashion,” says Mark Atkins, Invention Machine’s chairman, Mark Atkins president, and CEO, who took over in 2002, Chairman, President & CEO when the company was on the verge of bankruptcy. Within two years, Atkins had reengineered the organization and poured money into Goldfire. Now, Atkins views the company, in its third year of profitability, as a successful “restart.” And so do customers. “The semantic retrieval concept is one of the main benefits of Goldfire Innovator,” says Miguel Angel Sanchez, innovation director at Simon Software formalizes the process of evaluating and implementing innovative ideas. FOUNDED: Originally founded in 1992; “restarted” 2002 PRODUCT/CATEGORY: Goldfire Innovator software for sustainable innovation INDUSTRY SEGMENTS SERVED: Aerospace & defense; automotive; technology; life sciences; CPG; energy & environment KEY PROBLEM SOLVED: Validating the ideation process to quickly deliver market-leading products DIFFERENTIATION: Evolves the informal process of brainstorming the next big idea into a formal approach that accelerates production and enables manufacturers to get the right product to market at the right time. CUSTOMERS: More than 1,000, including Shell, Boeing, Samsung, Bentley, and Schneider Electric FUNDING: Venture Capital (last VC funding was in 2005 as the company has experienced 50% CAGR over the last three years) i Holding, a maker of electrical material and circuit protection based in Barcelona, Spain. “Not only because of the power it gives you during knowledge searches, but also because of the way it guides you, giving suggestions and other ways to consider the same idea.” Moving forward, Invention Machine will add on-demand diagnostics as well as partner with content and PLM vendors to help manufacturers establish their own innovation centers of excellence. — Stephanie Neil ma 18 2008 October http://www.Salesforce.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Managing Automation - October 2008

Managing Automation - October 2008 Contents Take 1 Systems Integration Market Braces for a Wave of Consolidation Kinaxis Launches Program to Lure i2 Customers Patent May Give Mobility a Needed Shot in the Arm New Group Aims at More Efficient Smart Devices Solar, Life Sciences Will Be the Next Frontier For Robots Notes Cover Story:�2009 Companies to Watch Special Report:�Siemens plus UGS: Is the Merger Working? Transformation:�Driving Energy Efficiency Integration: How Clean is Your Data Industries:�Fed Raises Red Flag on Chemicals Product Scan Advertiser Index Next

Managing Automation - October 2008

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