Business process management company Software AG sees SA as a vital component of its business and as a stepping stone into the rest of Africa.
Software AG CEO and chairman Karl-Heinz Streibich says SA is one of Software AG's top 10 global units. Streibich was in SA for the first time since the local branch became a fully-owned and locally-run subsidiary in 2005.
Streibich says the unit has “done well” since it was acquired by Software AG. “It's definitely a launch pad” for Africa, he says.
The local unit accounts for between 3% and 5% of Software AG's global revenue, says Streibich. In 2010, Software AG turned over EUR1.1 billion. It has more than 5 600 staff serving 10 000 enterprise and public institution customers in 70 countries.
Software AG, headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, has been around for more than 40 years and offers business process management solutions. Its brands include Aris, webMethods, Adabas, Natural and IDS Scheer Consulting.
Software AG, which recently bought mobile application firm Metismo and cloud technology company Terracotta, is working on a pipeline of solutions to make middleware easier to plan, build and run, notes Streibich. He says the point is to allow companies to be more flexible and agile in an increasingly competitive market. “Innovation in the portfolio is a continuous process.”
Streibich believes the future will bring with it companies that are fully-digitised, and staff will be able to access any information from a mobile device as if they were sitting behind a workstation.
Software AG will keep evolving to enable people to use the cloud, says Streibich. In the next five years, between 10% and 15% of IT spending will go into the cloud, he adds. “Software will be the brainware of the world in the future.”
Streibich is convinced the South African unit will lead the business process management segment within the next five years.
The CEO was in SA to present a keynote address at the company's annual user conference, ProcessForum 2011, and to meet clients.
Share