Martin Timmann

And in the Middle East the e-business infrastructure and database provider is already particularly well known among financial services companies and increasingly for its mobile business and office solutions.

'We have only two competitors, SAP and IBM, offering a full flavoured e-business platform that is compatible with existing platforms,' explains Martin Timmann who lives in Germany but says he spends more time flying on Lufthansa. 'This sort of platform is also ideal for e-Government initiatives as it means that you do not have to throw away your existing systems'.

Mr Timmann says he can see increasing demand across the Middle East for B2B solutions, though he does not believe in the viability of e-market places such as Commerce One.

'Supplying goods at the cheapest price is not generally what the manufacturer wants, and that is what B2B marketplaces succeed in doing,' he notes. His contention is that a seamless e-commerce interface is far more important and will achieve real cost savings by getting the right product just in time, for example. This is the sort of e-business solution offered by Sybase.

Less controversial is the Sybase approach to wireless technology where the software house has a 68 per cent market share of mobile databases. Sybase has one of the very few 'always available' mobile database systems, and is targeting the Middle East for significant expansion.

A typical user, for instance, might be the field force of an oilfield maintenance company. With 'always available' communication through a PDA staff could order parts for immediate delivery, saving time on paperwork and waiting to return to the office.

And from March 10-13 Sybase will be running a road show through Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Riyadh and Kuwait to showcase its mobile business and office solutions (for details visit www.sybase.co.ae/wirelessroadshow2002).
This promises to be an interesting free seminar series for anyone interested in using mobile technology in the workplace.

'WAP was a flop and that has put a lot of people off mobile phones as a communication channel,' admits Mr Timmann. 'But that is changing with GPRS and in the Middle East businesses have the advantages of the latest technology. It is not like the United States which can not even spell GPRS yet. Here the system is already available.

'What is important is that you have the proper interface. A PDA or some similar device is crucial. You can not just have the small screen on a mobile phone. That is not enough. But with the right equipment big cash flow improvements can be made just by instant invoicing, for instance'.

What stands out from the Sybase approach to software is the company's practical approach. It is only interested in workable, practical technology and does not seek to blind users with imaginative but completely useless ideas. This is a Silicon Valley giant that has its feet on the ground, which is probably why 70 per cent of Wall Street applications run on Sybase technology.