Amdahl, DMR and Microsoft Form Strategic Alliance To Integrate Windows NT Server and OS/390 Environments
SUNNYVALE, Calif., Feb. 2, 1998 — Amdahl Corp., DMR Consulting Group Inc., Amdahl’s professional services company, and Microsoft Corp. today announced a formal alliance to address the enterprise computing needs of the Global 2000. The companies will provide the host integration technology and services to deliver year 2000, enterprise messaging, web-to-host and other business-critical solutions that extend from the data center to the desktop. Customers need to find ways to exploit the power of open systems, including the Microsoft® Windows NT® operating system, to transform the business while protecting their investments in mainframe databases. This alliance positions the three companies to jointly offer a unique value chain of enterprise-ready solutions that integrate Microsoft technologies with host systems and legacy data.
Under the alliance, the companies will provide the services and expertise that enable customers to link Windows NT Server and BackOffice® family-based applications with OS/390 mainframe platforms and to provide users of the Windows® operating system with transparent access to host applications, files, databases and printers. Through its Host Integration Laboratory, Amdahl will create enterprise services and solutions based on OS/390, Microsoft’s server and desktop technologies, and partner solutions to bring customers this level of integration, helping them realize business value, protect investments and reduce computing costs. Amdahl consultants will provide seven-by-24 service and support of these enterprise applications.
“Customers are demanding a solution to the complex issue of integrating Windows NT with their mainframe data center systems. Through this alliance, Amdahl, DMR and Microsoft can provide business and government IT users with more powerful, integrated platform solutions for their business applications,”
said David B. Wright, president and CEO at Amdahl.
“This is a landmark on the road to real competition in the data center and a victory for the large IT customer.”
“Nothing is more important than enabling our enterprise customers to take full advantage of Windows NT Server- and BackOffice-based solutions while protecting their investments in host systems and data,”
said Steve Ballmer, executive vice president of sales at Microsoft.
“As a long-time, trusted partner of large computing system customers, Amdahl brings the experience, expertise, technologies and services that customers need to address complex host integration challenges.”
DMR will establish Business Solution Centers to showcase and demonstrate the enterprise capabilities of Microsoft technologies and provide services for technology planning, porting, integration and Reusable Proofs of Concept (RUPOCs).
The alliance also plans to build on DMR’s successes with OS/390 and Windows NT integration. It will leverage DMR’s host integration expertise and extensive year 2000 services to help customers resolve year 2000 problems by rehosting or rewriting legacy host applications to open systems platforms, including Windows NT Server.
“This alliance underscores the commitment to provide complete enterprise business solutions to customers, with a renewed emphasis on the services component,”
said Michael Poehner, president and CEO at DMR Consulting Group.
“Our participation in this alliance will include the training of up to 1,500 Microsoft Certified Systems Engineers and Systems Developers, the development of solutions applicable at our client sites and the creation of demonstration centers. This is consistent with the enterprise-grade application development and IT services that DMR delivers and for which it is known worldwide.”
Under the alliance, Amdahl and DMR will deliver critical migration and support services to help customers move from host-based messaging systems such as PROFS to client/server messaging solutions based on Microsoft Exchange Server. The companies will also create relationships with high-profile early adopters of Internet commerce using Microsoft technology and develop a data warehousing initiative based on Windows NT, SQL Server
™
and other Microsoft products to accelerate the rate at which Global 2000 MIS departments deploy Windows NT-based solutions for data warehousing.
About Amdahl
Amdahl Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Fujitsu Ltd., provides integrated enterprise computing solutions designed to meet the needs of the leading, most computer-intensive environments around the world. Amdahl has over 25 years of experience with large-scale computing solutions and client/server technology. The company supports heterogeneous architectures found in mission-critical customer environments that blend MVS, UNIX and Windows NT operating systems. Headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., Amdahl combines hardware and software products and services methods with best-of-breed offerings to create customized solutions that help clients gain a competitive advantage in their industries.
About DMR
DMR Consulting Group Inc., Amdahl’s professional services company, is a leading international provider of information technology services to businesses and public enterprises, employing 7,000 professionals in Canada, the United States, Asia-Pacific and Europe. The company’s services include IT strategy, re-engineering, benefits realization, systems development and integration, as well as outsourcing and year 2000 conversion services.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.
Microsoft, Windows NT, BackOffice and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
Amdahl is a registered trademark of Amdahl Corp.
Other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.
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