FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., April 2, 2001 — Helping to bring about Microsoft’s vision of business agility as the key to the digital economy of the future, Accenture, Compaq, KPMG Consulting Inc. and Unisys joined the Enterprise Solutions Conference 2001 which will take place on April 17 and 18, in Miami, Fla.
The partnership among the companies in Latin America’s main business forum will offer CEO’s and top level executives from throughout the region an in-depth notion of Microsoft’s .NET strategy, which is focused in providing its clients and partners the competitive edge they need to be successful.
“This will be my fourth year attending the Enterprise Solutions Conference and I strongly believe that this forum is where the most important corporations in Latin America share their vision and strategies on technological application for our businesses development,” said Adri
á
n Ram
í
rez, General Manager, BigSoft (IT company of Grupo DESC, Mexico). “Being able to discuss and share with Microsoft and its business partners the best options to run business critical applications and succeed in the context of the digital economy has much value for people like me, who design the IT strategies of our companies,” he added.
Jo
ã
o Regis da Cruz Neto, CIO Banco BBA Creditanstalt S/A, Brazil said “The Enterprise Solution Conference is a special opportunity to hear testimonials from leading technology executives on new trends and directions and an ideal forum to be updated on Microsoft’s strategy.”
Latin-American businesses need to integrate technological solutions in order to respond efficiently and faster to the ever-changing global market, where only those who can reduce costs and increase productivity are able to win. Microsoft and its strategic partners are ready to supply their customers with the software, solutions and consulting services they need to transform challenges into competitive advantages.
“Latin America is one of world’s most dynamic and attractive regions, where investments in information technology and infrastructure have shown constant growth in recent years. Microsoft challenge is to provide technological solutions that will allow to extract from those investments the agility businesses need in this ever-changing world,” said Orlando Ayala, Group Vice-President, Worldwide Sales, Marketing and Support Group, Microsoft Corporation.
“Aiming forward and trusting the promising future the Latin American economy begins to show, Microsoft will continue investing resources, which will allow us to develop closer relationships with our clients and partners throughout the region. I’m very enthusiastic with the opportunity to participate in ESC 2001 and to be able to listen to our corporate clients’ ideas and opinions,” Ayala stated.
Accenture
We are at the dawn of a new era — the start of an ‘always on, always aware, always active’ age in which more and more people and objects will be interactively connected and empowered with ‘wise’ information, for greater productivity and fulfillment. The implications for enterprises are profound. Competitive advantage and profitability will come to those enterprises agile enough to provision innovative, value-creating services — many of which will reflect a new economic model based on delivery against previously impossible-to-imagine value propositions,” said James Hall, Managing Partner, Technology Business Solutions, Accenture
James Hall will explore how this revolutionary development (as wide-reaching, he argues, as was the arrival of electric light) will affect our lives, and what enterprises need to do to thrive in the new conditions. Using inspiring examples from organizations around the world, Hall will show how enterprises that embrace new and emerging technologies will be able to respond with astonishing agility to individual wants and needs in a virtually boundary-less always on, always aware, always active world.
“Events such as this spotlight the need for Latin American companies to focus on building their infrastructure and connecting their enterprise,” said Mitch Hill, CEO Avanade, Inc. “Since Avanade opened its Sao Paulo office in October, we’ve worked with Microsoft and Accenture to help customers migrate to the Windows 2000 platform and build reliable, scalable e-business architectures that will allow them to succeed in this increasingly global marketplace.”
Mr. Mitch Hill will elaborate on the connected enterprise and how the business landscape in Latin America is going through a tremendous period of transformation. The confluence of shifting demographics, volatile financial markets, intense competition and global marketplaces is creating many exciting opportunities for companies prepared for the challenges of this new e-economy. Now, more than ever, it is imperative that businesses stay connected with their key stakeholders — whether business partners, customers or employees. Whether your company is in the throes of executing an e-strategy or merely contemplating one, technology should be at the core of that strategy. With proper planning, technology can extend your enterprise — making your business more nimble than ever. Every company wants to be easy to do business with…is your company ready?
Compaq
“Compaq has a very strong and mature partnership with Microsoft in all of Latin America and the Caribbean. As leaders in the region, we continuously invest in the development of new technological solutions to provide the agility and flexibility corporations need in order to become digital businesses. Compaq’s vision of enabling all its solutions for the Internet is an excellent complement of Microsoft’s .NET strategy,” said T
ó
mas Galv
á
n, Regional Manager for the Alliance with Microsoft, Compaq Latin America and the Caribbean.
Keynote speaker Robert Battye, Vice-president for the Alliance with Microsoft of Compaq Computer Corporation’s Professional Services Organization, will highlight experiences from several mutual regional clients and show how industry trends are modifying the way of conducting businesses in Latin America, in his presentation ” Nobody does IT Better: Getting Down To Business in Latin America.”
KPMG Consulting
“This conference represents an opportunity for Latin American business and IT executives who are leading the region to hear from thought leaders who are spearheading the transformation of the global economy to the Internet business model,” said Rand Blazer, chairman and chief executive officer of KPMG Consulting (NASDAQ: KCIN), one of the world’s largest consulting companies. “KPMG Consulting has a robust regional Latin American business that serves and is sensitive to the region, but also draws upon the best of our global Internet integration strategies. It is exciting to be involved in a forum where we have the opportunity to explore the vision for what is possible as the benefits of the Internet economy take root and flourish in this vital region.”
Blazer’s presentation will address how businesses are adapting to the Internet in order to transform their operations and how digital marketplaces are taking hold in Latin America.
Unisys
“We believe the Microsoft Windows 2000 Data Center along with the Unisys CMP architecture provides our customers the best possible path to the future and the only viable alternative to traditional mainframe and server systems. The development of this system would not have been possible without our close working partnership with Microsoft and Intel. Our participation in this event is a direct result of our mutual commitment to the Latin American marketplace and to our customers,” commented Bob Cook, President Latin America Caribbean Group, Unisys Corporation.
“ESC 2001 demonstrates Microsoft’s and it’s business partners, Accenture, Avanade, Compaq, KPMG Consulting, Inc. and Unisys commitment with the Latin American corporations. We will continue working side by side with our corporate clients to be able to provide IT solutions and consulting services that guarantee the agility to integrate supply chains, cost reductions, better processes and information sharing, to compete successfully in the global market,” assured Mauricio Santillan, Intercontinental Region Vice-president, Microsoft Corporation.
About Accenture
Accenture, formerly known as Andersen Consulting, is a $10 billion global management and technology consulting organization. The firm is reinventing itself to become the market maker, architect and builder of the new economy, bringing innovations to improve the way the world works and lives. More than 70,000 people in 46 countries deliver a wide range of specialized capabilities and solutions to clients across all industries. Under its strategy, the firm is building a network of businesses to meet the full range of client needs — consulting, technology, outsourcing, alliances and venture capital. Accenture’s home page address is http://www.accenture.com .
Renamed. Redefined. Reborn.
About Compaq
Compaq Computer Corporation, a Fortune Global 100 company, is a leading global provider of technology and solutions. Compaq designs, develops, manufactures, and markets hardware, software, solutions, and services, including industry-leading enterprise computing solutions, fault-tolerant business-critical solutions, and communications products, commercial desktop and portable products, and consumer PCs that are sold in more than 200 countries. Compaq is a leading company in Latin America. Within this market, its products are offered with a direct buying option in its e-stores, call centers and through distribution channels. Information on Compaq and its products and services is available at www.compaq.com .
About KPMG Consulting
As of February 8th, 2001, KPMG Consulting, Inc. is an independent consulting company, no longer affiliated with KPMG LLP, the tax and audit firm. KPMG Consulting should be referenced as such in the first and all subsequent references.
KPMG Consulting, Inc. (NASDAQ: KCIN), based in McLean, Virginia, is one of the world’s largest consulting companies with more than $2 billion in annual revenues. Our more than 9,100 professionals provide business and technology strategy, systems design and architecture, applications implementation, network and systems integration, and related services that enable clients to leverage technology for stronger return on investment, and real, sustainable competitive advantage. We serve more than 2,500 clients, including global companies, Fortune 1000 companies, small and medium-sized businesses, government agencies and other organizations, through six industry-focused lines of business, including: financial services, consumer and industrial markets, high tech, communications and content, public services and health care.
For more information about KPMG Consulting, visit our Web site at www.kpmgconsulting.com . For news media, visit http://kpmgconsulting.com/direct.asp?area=contactus .
About Unisys
Unisys is an e-business solutions company whose 37,000 employees help customers in 100 countries apply information technology to seize opportunities and overcome challenges of the Internet economy. Unisys people integrate and deliver the solutions, services, platforms and network infrastructure required by business and government to transform their organizations for success in this new era. The company offers a rich portfolio of Unisys e-@ction Solutions for e-business based on its expertise in vertical industry solutions, network services, outsourcing, systems integration and multivendor support, coupled with enterprise-class server and related technologies. The primary vertical markets Unisys serves worldwide include financial services, transportation, communications, publishing and commercial sectors, as well as the public sector, including federal government customers. Unisys is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, in the Greater Philadelphia area. For more information on the company, access the Unisys home page on the World Wide Web at www.unisys.com . Investor information can be found at www.unisys.com/investor .
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software — any time, any place and from any device.
