Already traveling the mainframe gateway road, Neon Systems Inc is set to climb aboard the federated database management route with a new Enterprise Direct middleware offering. Enterprise Direct, currently in beta test, provides access to Oracle, Sybase, Informix and MVS databases. Residing on the server, Enterprise Direct is claimed to do away with the need for an intermediate database gateway or transaction system such as CICS to get at data. It is positioning Enterprise Direct as a universal communications system for access from Object DataBase Connectivity to any data, whether local network-based or on mainframes. Neon will be shaping up against heavyweights Sybase Inc, Information Builders Inc and IBM Corp but president and chief executive F Joseph Backer claims its knockout solution punch is offering business rather than technology-driven products. It will win on product performance and sales support, claims Backer. Enterprise Direct shows up as an Object DataBase Connectivity client on the desktop enabling it to host a variety of desktop tools including PowerBuilder. It is based on Neon’s Shadow Direct mainframe gateway product enabling access to DB2. It will be generally available in the third quarter, says the company. Prices are expected to go from $15,000 per mainframe host and support Motif, Windows, NT and OS/2 clients. Meantime, Sugarland, Texas-based Neon is currently in the process of acquiring replication software outfit Peregrine Bridge Transfer Inc, based in Austin, Texas in a stock swap. Neon gets Peregrine’s Fast-Load replication software and 17 staff. Both have venture capital funding from JMI Equity. Neon is also preparing a ubiquitous Web offering called Shadow Web Server. It is a mainframe-based Web server for accessing CICS and IMS applications and DB2 databases. Neon admits it has had a number of takeover offers but says it has its eyes on an initial public offering in a year or so. We’re looking for a 10-to-one rather than a two- to-one return, says Backer. Neon was founded by Peter Schaffer, who founded MVS Software Inc and ran it until it was sold to Gold Systems Inc for $28m; Gold in turn got swallowed by Computer Associates International Inc. It has 33 employees, with a US sales force of seven, a UK sales force of four.
