Business Objects and IBM have announced that Crystal Reports Server will be bundled within a new BI appliance launched recently by IBM called the IBM Balanced Warehouse C1000, an information integration, content delivery, and reporting solution for the mid-market. The companies also are collaborating on a similar, but more robust solution, to be released in the same time frame.

The IBM Balanced Warehouse C1000 combines DB2 Warehouse Starter Edition, Crystal Reports Server, and Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise Server in a pre-integrated, pre-tested solution with an easy, single-install format.

IBM Balanced Warehouse C1000 offers an unprecedented, simplified, and complete solution for mid-sized companies that need to integrate multiple, scattered data resources into a scalable data warehouse from which to create, manage, schedule, and deliver secure business or organizational reports, the company says.

These reports can be delivered over the web or embedded into applications, empowering management with timely business intelligence. The solution, which will be delivered globally through IBM and Business Objects channel partners, is pre-integrated, pre-tested, and configured for single install to accelerate deployment.

"Mid-size companies are looking for simple, affordable, and proven solutions to improve their business performance," said Todd Rowe, vice president and general manager of mid-market business at Business Objects.

Further Support for IBM Dynamic Warehousing Initiative

In addition to the C1000 launch, IBM is also launching IBM Balanced Warehouse C3000 Foundation Solution as part of its broader Dynamic Warehousing initiative. Business Objects will support the C3000 through integration of Business Objects Crystal Decisions, a new mid-market BI platform.

Crystal Decisions provides companies with ad hoc reporting, query and analysis, and dashboards to drive fast, data-driven decision making. It also provices accessibility to a broad array of business users and integration with Microsoft Office for ease of sharing business intelligence across the organization.

The combination of the C3000 with Crystal Decisions will deliver simplicity, flexibility, and affordability to data warehousing managers working for mid-sized companies who may have with more extensive data management and business intelligence needs - scaling to as much as one terabyte of data.

"Our Dynamic Warehousing strategy delivers capabilities that extend beyond traditional business intelligence and data warehousing by utilizing advanced analytics as part of a real-time business process," said Karen Parrish, vice president, IBM Business Intelligence Solutions. "The IBM Balanced Warehouse C1000 and C3000 provide reliable, scalable data warehousing for any size implementation. Crystal Reports Server from Business Objects is well suited to meet the reporting needs of mid-size companies and was a natural fit to bundle with the C1000."

"We have a strong history with both Business Objects and IBM, and welcome the chance to distribute the IBM Balanced Warehouse C1000," said Ken Bast, vice president of vendor management at Ingram Micro Inc. "As mid-size customers focus more on differentiating themselves from their competitors, they are more interested in solutions that help them understand their business and position themselves for growth. Further, we believe that Business Objects Crystal Decisions is a natural complement for the IBM Balanced Warehouse C3000 Foundation Solution, providing scalable business intelligence priced and packaged for mid-sized organizations. We are pleased to be among the first distributors engaged by these companies."

Business Objects' participation in the IBM Dynamic Warehousing initiative builds on the global strategic alliance between the two companies. Business Objects and IBM share a relationship that spans more than 12 years, and encompasses joint solution development, tight product integration, and global industry support. For additional information on Business Objects solutions for IBM, please visit www.businessobjects.com/ibm.

For more information about IBM, please visit
www.ibm.com/informationondemand.

Availability
Crystal Reports Server bundled with IBM Balanced Warehouse C1000 is currently expected to be available by the end of March, 2007.