Continued from Page 3
The future
|
The Big Guns: Revenues |
| |
1999-2000
(Rs in cr)
|
2000-2001
|
| Microsoft |
450 |
660 |
| Oracle |
195 |
251 |
| SAP |
142 |
182 |
| Baan |
100 |
128 |
| Lotus |
64 |
82 |
| QAD |
39 |
48 |
The growth in software exports is likely to be retarded by over 10% this
year. As a result, application development and deployment tools will be severely
hit. With dot-coms down and out, the demand for Web tools will be affected. As a
RedHat representative explains, "Due to the economic slowdown, the trend
observed last year would remain more or less the same throughout the major part
of 2001-2002. However, the slowdown has also provided an excellent business
opportunity to open source software companies. With more and more commercial
software available on Linux, enterprises are taking open source software more
seriously."
Microsoft chief executive officer Steve Ballmer had predicted, "Software
will no longer be packaged and sold to customers on a CD. Applications will no
longer be static programs that sit on a desktop or run off a server. They will
be delivered over the Internet as services that allow customers to interact with
them dynamically.
Fields like biotechnology and bio-informatics have shot up the demand for
robust, high capacity and intelligent databases. The biggest commercial systems
available today are 300 terabytes. The size of computing power needed to fully
analyze the human genome data will be measured in petabyes (1,000 terabytes).
Systems are required to capture and disseminate data and information involved in
target identification, assay development, screening and lead optimization, and
pre-clinical development.
Globally, computational tools like DoubleTwist, CANTAB, Blast and Neurotouch,
among others, have already made inroads into the biotechnology software sector.
In April 2001, Oracle entered into a joint venture with Utah-based Myriad
Genetics and Hitachi for the creation of a proprietary database by 2004. The
project involves the compilation of information on proteins and their
interactions within human cells. The software will be licensed to pharmaceutical
and biotech companies for use in drug and therapy development. Oracle and
Hitachi’s combined contribution for the project includes $85 million in cash
and $18 million in products. None of this has seeped into Oracle’s India
segment yet. Oracle assures us that it soon will…
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