Software AG, the German database company based in Darmstadt, near Frankfurt, has decided it’s time for a change of image. With the slump in mainframe sales, the company sees a brighter future in client-server architecture, and customer support. Software AG is quick to emphasise, however, that despite the scheduled plunge into the fast-growing Unix market, it still intends to hold on to its existing customers – Peter Page, a new recruit to the board of directors, points out that many companies do at least still use mainframes to run the central database. Software AG’s plans principally involve the client-server environment and Unix. The company has developed a Full Function Server concept, to facilitate communications between different hardware environments. It also has an interface, enabling users with minimal understanding to access data on a database. Software AG is predominantly relying on its client-server strategy to carry it into the workstation and personal computer market. It now claims to believe wholeheartedly in open systems – rather like saying you believe the world is round these days – and has dedicated 55 developers to making its flagship Adabas database management system and Natural development environment fully portable. By the middle of the year, versions for Siemens Nixdorf Informationssysteme’s Sinix and Hewlett-Packard Co’s HP/UX are expected to be available. And the company plans to offer support for Unix on Intel 80386 and RISC-based processors. In spite of the company’s enthusiasm for Unix, Software AG’s products run under many operating systems, says Page, including OS/2. One point that Page is at particular pains to make, according to Computerwoche, is that the investments involved in changing Software AG’s focus are the reason behind the company’s decline in margins since 1989, and he refutes claims made by the financial publication Capital that Software AG’s affairs have reached crisis point. He also rejects the magazine’s suggestions that the managers are gradually deserting the company, explaining that three managers left in accordance with a re-structruring programme that was announced a year ago. With the decision to focus on service activities, he adds, a new manager has been appointed to look after customers’ after-sale needs.