Software AG will kick off its annual global user's conference, Innovation World, on October 8 in San Francisco. The event brings together prominent global customers from many industries with common challenges and a common need to differentiate in increasingly global markets. This year the focus is on how to maximize the new business opportunities and competitive advantages provided by the accelerating digitization of the business world and the public sector. This reflects how IT strategy is now a critical component in driving new business models to address rapidly changing markets and customer expectations. Software AG will also announce new solutions that will help customers leverage their current assets to run an adaptive IT architecture and provide new ways to create differentiating products and services for their customers.

At Innovation World, which sees a 20 percent increase in attendance in 2013, Software AG and customers will discuss today's market trends of big fast data, cloud, social and mobile capabilities and the need to digitize every aspect of their operations. Customers will present how they have moved towards the Digital Enterprise and the business advantages this has brought.

"Software AG is committed to helping enterprises realize their true potential in the digital era," said Karl-Heinz Streibich, CEO and Chairman of the Board at Software AG. "As these forces – big fast data, social, mobile and cloud – converge to create opportunities for every industry, we are creating tangible and intelligent roadmaps to their future success."

Reflecting the impact that digitization is having on every industry, speakers from the finance sector, transportation, food & beverages, pharmaceuticals and state government will present their successful digital strategies. Software AG will announce new products helping customers to build their digital enterprises as well as launch the Digital Enterprise Assessment.

The Digital Enterprise Assessment is a new offering to guide customers through the convergence of multiple new technologies (Big Fast Data, Cloud, Mobile & Social) in planning their digital strategy. Based on global best practice for IT architectures, regulatory compliance, methods and controls, the Digital Enterprise Assessment provides a secure and fast path to time to value.  The key to customer success is based on utilizing dozens of existing industry best practices and methodologies from thousands of successful IT projects.

Premier sponsors of this year's event include: CrossVista, Deloitte, HCL, ProSoft and Visual Enterprise Architecture. Gold sponsors include: Cognizant, CrossVale, IBM, LogiMethods, Qualitroltech, Tata Consultancy Services, and Trillium Software.