CRM Software Industry News

Forbes has selected Amdocs as one of its Platinum 400, the 400 best of the biggest publicly traded companies in America. Amdocs was chosen after Forbes’ review of its financial metrics, Wall Street forecasts, corporate governance ratings and other public information.

Amdocs is in very good company; among the 10 other software and services companies selected were Google, Intuit, Microsoft, and Oracle.

Forbes selected AT&T, an Amdocs customer, as its company of the year.

The Process
The initial pool of companies began with 1,000 American and foreign companies, with a significant presence in the United States, more than $1 billion in revenue and a stock price of at least $5 per share.

The companies were then assigned among 26 industries and ranked against their peers on five-year and 12-month sales and earnings growth and total shareholder returns. The ranking system also considered debt to capital ratios and consensus forecasts for long-term earnings growth. Forbes staff reviewed public relations and analyst reports to discover any negative comments about the companies.

Forbes also used Audit Integrity, an independent research and rating service that evaluated the risks associated with accounting and governance practices to further filter the list. AI’s proprietary analytics engine compared company metrics to prior periods, peer companies and industry norms. Based on their findings, each company received a score and a ranking in three different categories: Accounting and Governance, Financial Condition, and Earnings Quality.

The final scores in all areas were tallied, and the list of 400 was created.

See the Forbes 400 Best Big Companies >

Amdocs’ Qpass Digital Commerce Solution Will Give MetroPCS Subscribers Access to New Content

ST. LOUIS , MO - November 21, 2006 - Amdocs (NYSE: DOX), the leading provider of software and services to enable integrated customer management and the intentional customer experience ™, today announced that MetroPCS has signed an agreement under which the company will use Amdocs’ Qpass digital commerce platform to deliver premium content and services to its subscribers. In addition, Amdocs will provide integration and content management services to support and efficiently manage the content.

Amdocs’ Qpass digital commerce platform will enable MetroPCS subscribers to access a wealth of new content and premium service offerings, including short message services, chat, voting, ringtones, and graphics. The Qpass platform will also help make it easier and more convenient for MetroPCS subscribers to interact with their provider.

“By integrating our platform with Amdocs’ Qpass digital commerce solution, we’re able to dramatically enhance the customer experience, further simplifying the merchandizing, delivery, billing, and management of rich content and services,” said Roger Linquist, president and CEO of MetroPCS.

Amdocs’ Qpass platform will allow MetroPCS to merchandize and market premium content to end-users by supporting merchant, offer and promotions management. The platform will also help MetroPCS maintain its relationships with content providers, providing functions such as payments, customer care, financial reporting and settlement.

“As the content market continues to grow, there is a need to ensure a standard, transparent way to manage, bill and settle digital content transactions purchased either on the service provider’s portal or ‘off portal’ from third party media companies,” said Michael Matthews, chief marketing officer of Amdocs. “Service providers and media companies require more efficient financial management, improved customer care capabilities, and real-time reporting tools to drive the success of converged digital commerce. Amdocs’ Qpass solution is uniquely able to address those needs, and it will help MetroPCS continue to build and manage its premium digital content business, and to do so profitably.”

Amdocs to consolidate Sensis’ core business platform and help the company continue to modernize its systems

ST. LOUIS, MO and MELBOURNE, Australia - November 20, 2006 - Amdocs (NYSE: DOX), the leading provider of software and services to enable integrated customer management and the intentional customer experience™, and Sensis Pty Ltd, a leading provider of directory, advertising and information services, announced today that Sensis has selected Amdocs to upgrade and consolidate its front- and back-office systems onto a single Amdocs platform and has extended its managed services agreement with Amdocs by five years. Amdocs will help Sensis modernize its operational systems, particularly for the provider’s growing interactive advertising activities, helping Sensis improve operational efficiency and deliver new services to the market faster.

Amdocs will continue to provide Sensis with complete data center and facility management, software maintenance and support services for its advertising core business platform. Under the terms of the new agreement, Amdocs will also consolidate its print and online customer base. The project calls for Amdocs to implement a single Amdocs platform — an integrated, Web-based suite of customer-centric business applications. The Amdocs suite will support Sensis’ production, sales, marketing, customer care, billing, and assurance capabilities, allowing for faster time to market for new products in the print, online and interactive advertising and an improved customer experience.

“We always strive to deliver the best possible service for customers and we will continually invest in our business operations to reach that goal,” said Mr. David McEwen, general manager, Production and Care, Sensis. “Amdocs has proven to be a trusted partner through the years and has an in-depth understanding of our business. We’re confident that this continued relationship will help us maintain our leading position in the Australian market.”

Sensis will also benefit from the new platform’s enhanced capabilities surrounding digital advertising. Some of the key modules that will support this include: Amdocs Content Management, Amdocs Rater, Amdocs Product Designer, Syndication, Partner Management, and Order Management. Amdocs has been managing the platforms that support the Yellow Pages® (now rebranded Yellow™) and White Pages® directories (managed by Sensis) since the late 1980’s.

“As the directory services industry shifts its focus to interactive advertising and the digital media market, information service providers must ensure that their current operations can support these capabilities as well as their traditional offerings,” said Michael Matthews, chief marketing officer at Amdocs. “With the implementation of the single Amdocs platform, Sensis is taking the necessary steps to grow in its industry, while also delivering a superior customer experience.”

Respondents foresee significant investments for IP-based technology such as VoIP and digital content offerings

ST. LOUIS, MO - November 15, 2006 - Amdocs (NYSE: DOX), the leading provider of software and services to enable integrated customer management and the intentional customer experience TM, today released results of a survey looking at the communications industry trends in the U.S. and U.K. in 2007. Based on the responses of 200 industry decision makers in the telecom, cable and satellite industries, Amdocs forecasts service providers will significantly increase investment in customer service, network infrastructure and IP-based services, as well as build their digital content offerings.

“The survey confirms our own observations - 2007 will be characterized by the four C’s -competition, consolidation, convergence and, most importantly, the customer,” said Michael Matthews, chief marketing officer of Amdocs. “With ongoing market consolidation, continuing industry convergence and a highly competitive environment, service providers will place an increased focus on the customer experience in 2007. Consumers expect relevant offerings and personalized, responsive service, and providers indicate a significant increase in investments to address this need.”

Increased Customer Focus
The survey results indicate that service providers are expected to increase their investment in customer service and network infrastructure, which will improve the customer experience:
Nearly 67 percent of respondents plan to increase their spending on customer service enhancements over the next year, with the average investment increase projected at 31 percent.
Service providers are planning to put more money into network infrastructure, with the average investment increase expected to be 33 percent.

Jump in Investment for IP-Based Services
Additional Amdocs survey predictions indicate that service providers anticipate continuing to roll out Internet Protocol or IP-based services. In the next year, according to survey respondents:
IPTV, digital TV, video content and VoIP (voice over IP) are expected to be the top products and services for 2007, with spending in network infrastructure for these three areas projected to increase significantly — by 77 percent, 81 percent, 71 percent and 76 percent, respectively.

Projected Acquisitions
Survey findings also highlight an expected increase in merger and acquisition activity among service providers to bolster their digital offerings, expand market share in a slow growing marketplace and gain the economy of scale advantages.
One third of those surveyed believe that their company will merge with another in the next year.
Among the different types of service providers, broadband cable companies will be the most likely to merge, at 53 percent. However, none of the cable companies projected being acquired by another entity. “We expect an increase in M&A activity among service providers and particularly among cable providers,” added Matthews. “The goal of all service providers is to build out a full suite of IP-based services. This is an area in which size and scale will greatly contribute to determining the winners among service providers.”

Amdocs commissioned Frost & Sullivan to conduct an international survey in August, 2006. Survey respondents included 200 decision makers from Tier 1 and Tier 2 service providers in the U.S., U.K. and Canada and included telecommunications companies, cable multiple service operators (MSOs), satellite TV providers, wireless operators, mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs), VoIP providers, and Internet service providers.

New solution aims to increase customer loyalty and bank profitability through tailored offers

LAS VEGAS - Nov. 14, 2006 - SAS, the leader in business intelligence, and Amdocs (NYSE: DOX), the leading provider of software and services to enable integrated customer management and the intentional customer experience™, today announced that they are working together to bring the SAS and Amdocs Dynamic Pricing and Profitability Management (DPPM) solution to market.
This solution will help retail banks differentiate themselves by delivering customized bundles of products to consumers. As a result, banks will build more profitable customer relationships and increase customer loyalty. The announcement was made today at the BAI Retail Delivery Conference and Expo in Las Vegas (Booth 2435).

“Banking customers need tangible economic incentives for increasing the business they award to your bank,” explained Susan Landry, Managing Vice President at Gartner Research and Advisory Services. “Financial institutions continue to take CRM seriously as reflected in IT investment in channels, branches and customer intelligence. However, breakthrough solutions in dynamic pricing and product configurations will drive the next wave of mutual economic and relationship value for both the customer and the provider.”

“By allowing banks to incorporate valuable customer data into their own product management software, this solution will give banks a whole new way of delivering bundles of products,” said Mike Blum, President of the Financial Services Division at Amdocs. “Banks that adopt this solution can stand out among the competition and ultimately enjoy increased profitability.”

By integrating with core banking and other enterprise applications such as customer relationship and risk management, the DPPM solution will help banks craft bundles of products and price them in real time. As part of the solution, banks will have an enterprisewide view of customers by leveraging the SAS® Banking Intelligence Architecture. They will also be able to offer flexible pricing plans and deliver consolidated statements by leveraging Amdocs’ dynamic pricing engine and product catalog. While banks today can create product bundles, they are extremely difficult to change and customize.

“SAS’ best-in-class, integrated analytical banking intelligence platform and Amdocs’ product catalog and dynamic pricing engine give banks the required flexibility to change pricing and product bundles so they can develop and sustain a personalized approach for customers,” said Ellen Joyner, Global Financial Services Marketing Manager for SAS.

The DPPM solution’s full product management platform will also offer mutual economic benefits for banks and their customers. For example, the bank will be able to create a bundle that includes free checking with a savings account with a $2500 minimum, but if you add a car loan you get a 0.25 percent bonus for the savings account. The additional incentive pricing is determined by analyzing behavior and profitability by customer, product, branch and line of business.

“SAS and Amdocs have joined forces to develop a unique solution which not only will offer the level of flexibility and customization financial institutions require for long-term success with their customers but also will support the tracking of increased profitability as it occurs,” said Greg Nolan, CEO of GJ Nolan & Co., a management consulting firm specializing in profitability measurement and management.

Leading European Mobile Operator Will Use Amdocs Cramer OSS to Model New Core Network

MONTE CARLO, Monaco - November 8, 2006 - Amdocs (NYSE: DOX), the leading provider of software and services to enable integrated customer management and the intentional customer experience™, today announced that KPN Mobile has selected Amdocs’ Cramer OSS as the strategic platform for a new combined 2G/3+G core mobile network. This expands the longstanding relationship between Cramer, Amdocs OSS Division, and KPN Mobile, a leading wireless service provider serving 8.4 million subscribers in the Netherlands. The announcement was made at the Global User Conference 2006 held by the Cramer division, here.

KPN Mobile will use Amdocs Cramer solutions to consolidate its multiple operations support systems (OSS). The solutions will enable KPN to model and synchronize data across its entire mobile network. As a result, KPN will be able to utilize its network resources more effectively and to deploy new services rapidly.

Amdocs’ new agreement with KPN Mobile significantly expands its longstanding relationship with the incumbent Netherlands operator. In 2001, KPN chose Cramer technology to form the basis of its next generation wireline and wireless OSS. Cramer provided an enterprise-wide solution for KPN, spanning its multiple business units, including KPN fixed line, mobile, ePacity (KPN’s corporate IP VPN offering) and its pan-European fiber optic network.

“Amdocs Cramer solutions will be an important driver of KPN’s speed to market with new network and service deployments,” said John Wittekamp, IT Manager, KPN Mobile. “We are confident that our work on the new KPN Mobile core network will allow us to move even faster towards converged networks and services.”

“Amdocs - including its Cramer division — continues to demonstrate its strength in supporting the complexity of OSS consolidation and convergence,” said Guy Dubois, president of Cramer, Amdocs OSS Division. “As a key enabler of OSS transformation projects, Amdocs will allow KPN to further reduce the complexity and costs of its OSS landscape.”

Innovative OSS Solution Enables Major Reductions in Total Cost of Ownership; Expands OSS Footprint with Groundbreaking Adaptive Planning Product

MONTE CARLO , MONACO - November 7, 2006 - Amdocs (NYSE: DOX), the leading provider of software and services to enable integrated customer management and the intentional customer experience™, today introduced Amdocs Cramer6 OSS Suite Release 2. With this release, Amdocs has expanded its operations support systems (OSS) product offering with new solutions that dramatically reduce time to market for fulfillment of next generation services and reduce the cost of OSS ownership. The announcement was made at the Global User Conference 2006 held by Cramer, Amdocs OSS Division, here.
“The major trend shaping the OSS software market is the demand for solutions that enable timely introduction and fulfillment of new services,” said Larry Goldman, OSS Observer. “Cramer, now part of Amdocs, continues to deliver innovative, inventory-based management solutions that automate processes to reduce time to market for new services.”

“With the introduction of Cramer6 OSS Suite Release 2, we continue our tradition of giving service providers solutions that address their most significant concerns — minimizing time to market for next generation services and reducing the total cost of ownership for the OSS over the long term,” said Guy Dubois, president of Cramer, Amdocs OSS Division. “As an end-to-end order-to-activation suite, Cramer6 Release 2 is now more than ever suited to serve as the OSS centerpiece for any service, using any technology over any network.”

Out -of–the–Box Service Fulfillment Products to Accelerate Deployment of Triple Play and Business Services
Cramer6 Release 2 supports service providers as they respond to the immediate demand to add new services. With this new release, Amdocs adds a number of new Service Fulfillment components that work with existing products in the Cramer6 OSS Suite to standardize and automate complex service fulfillment processes for next generation services. These out-of-the-box Service Fulfillment and Data Integrity Management products — known as “Packs” — automate design and assign activation, discovery, and synchronization for specific technology domains. As a result, service providers can reduce their operating and capital expenses and shorten time to market by speeding up development cycles, automating processes for fulfillment and increasing network asset utilization.

Cramer6 Release 2 includes two types of out-of-the-box Packs to streamline service fulfillment:

Automation Packs: Deliver automated service design and assign for services such as broadband, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and Internet Protocol Virtual Private Network (IP VPN). These packs enable rapid deployment of new services through the use of productized processes with customizations as needed for the service providers’ unique requirements.
Activation Packs: Drive the configuration to the network for a particular vendor device to activate a specific service such as IP VPN or Digital Subscriber Lines (DSL). As a result, service providers can reduce the cost and risk of delivering new services, and decrease lengthy development cycles associated with enabling new devices and hardware vendors.
With Cramer6 Release 2 Amdocs has also expanded its footprint in Data Integrity Management with the release of two new Packs for discovery and synchronization. These new products rapidly improve the quality of network and service data to drive improvements in service fulfillment and service assurance processes. Packs for Data Integrity Management include:

Discovery Packs: Provide deep discovery of specific vendor devices and services to provide an accurate and up-to-date view of the network and configured services.
Sync Packs: Synchronizes and reconciles discovered devices and services into the Cramer6 OSS Suite, leveraging multiple Discovery Packs as needed. As a result, improved data quality enables service providers’ OSS transformation programs and improves service assurance and fulfillment through faster, targeted repair and reduced fall out rates.
These out-of-the-box Service Fulfillment and Data Integrity Management Packs are available for the roll-out of broadband services with plans to support xDSL, Ethernet, IP VPN, VoIP, and Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) solutions with multiple technology and hardware vendors.

Adaptive Resource Planning Product
With the introduction of new services, network planning becomes more challenging as multiple services consume the capacity of each network domain and make network consumption less predictable. Amdocs Cramer Resource Planner is the first in a series of planning solutions to address service providers’ long and short term planning needs. It supports adaptive planning by monitoring capacity threshold levels and enabling rapid response network build through user-defined templates. Cramer, Amdocs OSS Division’s unique inventory-centric approach ensures that planning functions are pre-integrated with inventory and fulfillment so that service providers can augment their networks faster and more accurately.

Reduction in Total Cost of Ownership
Cramer6 Release 2 also includes major enhancements to the product architecture and user interface. All of the products in this release have been optimized to simplify data load processes, reduce the number of filters required for data analysis and provide enhanced ability to view data in specific formats.

SugarCRM, the first commercial open source application vendor to adopt the Microsoft Community License, introduces new Windows-based distribution

SAN FRANCISCO - Feb. 14, 2006 - Today at the Open Source Business Conference, Microsoft Corp. and SugarCRM Inc. announced their intent to enhance interoperability between their respective Microsoft® Windows Server™ and SugarCRM products. The companies announced that they plan to begin working together on a technical collaboration project to help their mutual customers take further advantage of the increased reliability and simplified administration available on the Windows® platform. SugarCRM also announced that it will be releasing a new Sugar Suite distribution under the Microsoft Community License with the Sugar Suite 4.5 version. This license is part of the Microsoft Shared Source Initiative, a program through which Microsoft shares source code with customers, partners and governments worldwide.

“With nearly 35 percent of SugarCRM’s customer base currently running on Microsoft Windows Server, this intent to collaborate exemplifies the breadth of partners and developers finding economic success on the Microsoft Windows Server platform,” said Bill Hilf, director of Technical Platform Strategy at Microsoft. “SugarCRM is a leading commercial open source vendor. We are pleased to be working with it on this joint collaboration effort designed to provide customers using SugarCRM on Microsoft Windows Server with the best possible experience within their environment.”

Although the two companies will continue to compete in certain areas, they intend to work together to improve interoperability and provide increased benefit to their joint customers. Initially, the key areas for technical collaboration and architectural guidance are expected to focus on improved SugarCRM support for Internet Information Services (IIS) as well as optimization for Active Directory® and Microsoft SQL Server™, including SQL Express, SQL Server Workgroup and SQL Server Enterprise. In addition, SugarCRM plans to use the Windows Installer XML (WiX) toolset to build its forthcoming product installation as a Microsoft Software Installer (MSI) package for Windows Server 2003.

“We are excited about our collaboration with Microsoft, as it will allow our customers to capitalize on their existing Windows infrastructure by helping to speed deployment times and lowering overall costs,” said John Roberts, chairman and chief executive officer of SugarCRM. “In addition to this technical collaboration, the simplified language contained within the Microsoft Community License also provides a straightforward licensing option that meets the needs of our mutual customers.”

“We recently deployed SugarCRM’s Sugar Professional edition on the Windows platform,” said Valerie Kozikowski, partner at BDO Seidman LLP, a leading national professional services firm. “Increased interoperability between Microsoft and SugarCRM allows us to take advantage of the reliability, ease of use and simplified administration available on the Windows platform.”

“Superior Industries has been running our business on Microsoft and Sugar Professional for some time,” said David Schmidgall, MIS manager for Superior Industries, a manufacturer of conveying systems and components. “We expect this collaboration to improve our back-end database integration and streamline system administration.”

About the Microsoft Shared Source Initiative
Through the Shared Source Initiative, Microsoft is sharing source code with customers, partners and governments worldwide. The Microsoft Shared Source Initiative is a framework for making Microsoft source code more broadly available through clear, simple licenses. The Shared Source Licenses enable companies such as SugarCRM to build compelling solutions and service offerings while decreasing costs and speeding time to market.

More information on Microsoft’s Shared Source Licenses can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/resources/sharedsource/licensingbasics/sharedsourcelicenses.mspx.
 

Company Also Selected for Two Panel Discussions and Demo

Cupertino, CA (February 7, 2006) - John Roberts, chairman, CEO and co-founder of SugarCRM Inc., has been selected to deliver a keynote address on the open source business model at OSBC West, the Open Source Business Conference that opens in San Francisco on February 14. Roberts and Clint Oram, the company’s general manager of Sugar Online & co-founder, will also give three other presentations at the conference.

The engagements stem from SugarCRM’s status as the market’s most successful commercial open source enterprise vendor, with over one million downloads and over 300 commercial users of its Sugar Suite of open source CRM applications since the first product in the suite was released in July 2004.

Roberts’ February 15 keynote on “Commercial Source: The Project-Powered Enterprise” will discuss the successful ingredients of an open source business model, global development methodologies, and the importance of building and sustaining user communities.

Roberts will also participate in a February 14 panel discussion titled “Crossfire: CXOs on the Hotseat” designed to separate open source software hype from reality, and will demo the SugarCRM solution as part of the “OSBC Emerging Elite” representing the best of open source innovation.

Oram will speak in a February 14 panel discussion titled “The Open Source Community Imperative: Methodologies, Mechanics and Metrics.” The session will address best practices for establishing and growing open source development and distribution communities, as well as the optimal legal structures for community development.

SugarCRM will also be exhibiting at the conference in Booth #1.