Inside IBM's Informix Marketing Strategy
By Inhi Cho
Vice President Data Management Marketing
During the last few months, I have had the pleasure of meeting with many
members of the IIUG community and observing first-hand the legendary
enthusiasm of Informix users. I appreciate this op****tunity to share some
thoughts about Informix's marketing strategy, and I invite your feedback.
Informix Dynamic Server continues to be a major focus of the IBM Data
Management ****tfolio and IBM's Information On Demand strategy.
You know and love Informix Dynamic Server because you can set it and
forget
it. It's the server of choice for high-volume transactions. In the latest
release, you have even more options for data availability and you have the
option to scale up your systems with lower-cost hardware without adding
significant administration costs. The remote administration features grant
DBAs the ability to manage their Informix installations from anywhere in
the
world.
Our marketing approach is powerfully simple, just like IDS!
IDS is optimized for easy administration and high availability for
transaction-intensive solutions. We're making these benefits known
worldwide
though an integrated approach that brings together IBM customers, partners
and thought leaders. The IIUG community is a vital part of our approach.
Here are just a few examples:
Increasing global awareness
Online Web ads are running on more than 20 IT sites including CNET,
InformationWeek and Computerworld.
Compelling, relevant access to thought leaders: Chat with the Labs
programs
We're delivering popular quarterly webcasts with topics that reach new
customers and help keep the existing Informix community up-to-date on
developments.
Market-leading product releases
The recent IDS 11.5 launch press release attracted the attention of about
35
news and Internet venues and the attention of key industry analysts. The
release also included sup****t for Apple developers on the Mac platform.
Investments in learning and education
We continue to invest in the production and distribution of Informix
materials, such as the IDS 11 and 11.5 books and Discovery DVDs. The
benefits of IDS are spread through a number of IBM and third-party events,
including the very successful IIUG conference.
We are committed to continuing the phenomenal growth of Informix. In
today's
world, success depends on the strength and sharing in communities-IDS
users
come together in new ways everyday. From new application areas, such as
the
Mac platform, to academic initiatives for IDS worldwide, interest and
commitment to Informix grows daily. And we continue to work with our
colleagues across IBM and an increasing list of business partners to
expand
the significant ****tfolio of software that works with IDS.
The momentum continues with 150 new Informix business partner****ps since
2007, all providing an even richer ecosystem of IDS-based applications and
education and integration services.
The IIUG community is a fantastic partner in propelling IDS growth. The
best
marketing is word of mouth from loyal users like the IIUG members. We are
proud of our partner****p with IIUG and we're just getting started! We
count
on IIUG to help us get the latest information out to the Informix
community
through this newsletter, the Web site and the many user group events and
activities.
We have a number of events and activities coming up where we hope to see
you
and your colleagues, including the Information On Demand Conference in Las
Vegas from Oct. 26-31. There will be a strong Informix program, and it
will
be a great op****tunity to meet with IBM and Informix technical leaders.
You
will also be able to participate in many hands-on labs and sessions all
week
devoted just to Informix. In addition, IDS will be included in many other
sessions, demos and activities so you can discover the many ways Informix
works with other hardware and software products across the IBM ****tfolio.
This is an exciting time for Informix and its customers. New ideas and
improvements come from many sources so please let us know your thoughts
and
how we can help.
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