CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Business Objects (Nasdaq:BOBJ)(Euronext Paris ISIN code: FR0004026250 - BOB), the world's leading provider of business intelligence (BI) solutions, today announced the Business Objects Open Appliance Initiative (OAI). This new global partner network is designed to offer customers an array of BI appliances that provide innovative and streamlined ways to deploy integrated BI and data warehousing solutions. With this initiative, customers will have the flexibility to choose the right mix of data warehouse and business intelligence technology to meet their specific business needs and maximize the value of their corporate data.

Companies are struggling with a growing number of disparate data sources and expanding data volumes. Business Objects recognizes that many organizations do not have the resources to maintain and manage components of data warehousing and BI applications internally. BI appliances offer these companies a combination of hardware and software, or just software, packaged together to provide a complete, simple, and affordable solution to gathering and analyzing data. BI appliances deliver a pre-installed and pre-configured application that reduces installation, configuration, and deployment time to lower the total costs associated with running multiple, disparate software solutions independently.

The Business Objects Open Appliance Initiative encompasses extensive technology integration, joint product development, and joint marketing activities with leading Technology and Solution Provider Partners. This industry-first partner network will work together to deliver cutting-edge BI appliances to the market. Initial Technology Partners joining the OAI include: DATAllegro, Greenplum, HP, IBM, Netezza, rPath, Teradata, a division of NCR, and VMware. Initial Solution Provider Partners in the OAI include: Andrews Consulting Group, Brightlight Consulting, Data Management Group, and Headstrong.

"With the launch of the Business Objects Open Appliance Initiative, Business Objects is taking a leadership role in delivering the power of BI appliances to the market," said Todd Rowe, vice president and general manager of mid-market business at Business Objects. "BI appliances are ideally suited for mid-sized companies with limited IT resources, however they can also deliver significant value to companies of any size looking for a completely integrated data warehouse and business intelligence solution. With our extensive partner network, Business Objects is uniquely positioned to offer companies the ability to choose the BI appliance that best suits their business needs and technical requirements."

BI Appliances that Leverage the Very Best in Data Warehouse and BI Technology

Business Objects is working with its industry-leading Technology Partners to incorporate a wide array of hardware and software solutions in a mix of new BI appliances. Business Objects will work closely with these companies on joint development, technology integration, and marketing efforts to deliver significant value to joint customers. Business Objects has announced solutions with IBM and Netezza, with solutions from additional partner expected throughout the year. Initial Technology Partner members in the OAI are:

IBM

Business Objects has been working closely with IBM as part of its Dynamic Warehousing strategy to deliver a bundled data integration and reporting solution targeted at the mid-market (http://www.businessobjects.com/releases/IBM). The IBM Balanced Warehouse™ C1000 combines IBM DB2 Warehouse Starter Edition, Crystal Reports Server from Business Objects, Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise Server and a Series x server in a pre-integrated, pre-tested solution with an easy, single-install format. The IBM Balanced Warehouse C1000 will allow mid-sized companies to integrate and maintain multiple, scattered information resources in a central, accessible repository – a dynamic data warehouse – and to create, manage, and securely distribute reports from this information across the organization. The Crystal Reports Server and IBM Balanced Warehouse C1000 bundle is currently expected to be available by the end of March 2007.

Netezza

Business Objects and Netezza announced today the availability of an integrated appliance that delivers enterprise-class capabilities at a price point that is attractive to mid-market companies (http://www.businessobjects.com/releases/netezza). This appliance, which is available in one and three terabyte configurations, combines Netezza's smaller data warehouse appliance with Business Objects Crystal Decisions®, and is designed to be deployed and maintained with ease. In addition, Netezza and Business Objects are also working closely to develop a targeted appliance that specifically addresses the BI needs of organizations using SAP solutions, and extends the reach of their recently announced joint SAP solution.

"We are very excited to be working with Business Objects to extend the benefits of the appliance into broader market segments," said Vishal Daga, director of partner marketing at Netezza Corporation. "The combination of the extensive capabilities of the Business Objects application suite and the high performance and simplicity attributes of Netezza's data warehouse appliance puts cutting-edge BI capabilities within reach of customers, without taxing resources or budgets. We are working closely with Business Objects to develop complete turnkey BI appliances that can be deployed quickly and easily while providing a powerful foundation that allows organizations to realize the full potential of business intelligence."

DATAllegro

Business Objects and DATAllegro are working together to enhance product integration and deliver a new BI appliance.

"DATAllegro is working with Business Objects to deliver a bundled solution appliance that will combine the DATAllegro v3 data warehouse appliance with BusinessObjects XI Release 2," said Mark Thacker, co-founder and EVP of business development at DATAllegro. "The combination of the technologies will benefit customers by providing them with a high-speed, pre-packaged, end-to-end data warehouse and business intelligence solution."

Greenplum

Business Objects is working with Greenplum to deliver a BI appliance that combines Business Objects business intelligence and data integration software, the Greenplum open source database, and Sun servers.

"Greenplum believes strongly in the value and innovation created from open systems, and the impact they will have on the business intelligence and data warehousing industry," said Scott Yara, president of Greenplum. "We are excited to be working with Business Objects and leading systems vendors like Sun Microsystems to drive standardization in the appliance market, as it will enable unprecedented levels of scalability, flexibility, and performance for customers."

HP

Business Objects and HP collaborate on building integrated business intelligent solutions that can refine massive amounts of data and handle complex queries. HP's infrastructure technologies and services form the basis for packaged offerings and appliances. Companies can quickly deploy turnkey solutions to improve their decision making and speed up actions that will impact business performance, discover new opportunities, and get an edge on the competition. HP's recent acquisition of Knightsbridge, a leading business intelligence consulting firm, further enhances HP's existing BI portfolio.

"Leveraging and applying business information more efficiently and effectively is a growing requirement for all sizes of corporations," said Carl DCosta, director of horizontal solutions at HP. "Customers are demanding solutions that are simple, affordable, and scalable, and offer a reduced implementation time. Pre-tested and packaged appliances are growing in popularity and demand to satisfy this need."

rPath

Business Objects is working with rPath on several software appliances that will complement joint product development with other Open Appliance Initiative vendors.

"Customers are constantly seeking software that is simple to deploy and manage," said Billy Marshall, CEO and founder of rPath. "Software appliances deliver the value of the application without the expense of system management and maintenance. rPath is excited to bring our expertise in appliance lifecycle management to the Business Objects Open Appliance Initiative and to expand our work with Business Objects in delivering greater value to joint customers."

Teradata, a Division of NCR

Business Objects and Teradata are working together to deliver a BI appliance that packages together BusinessObjects XI Release 2 with Teradata enterprise data warehouse solutions.

"Companies and departments can quickly and easily build a proven, integrated BI solution at a low cost with a Teradata and Business Objects RightStart data warehouse," said Randy Lea, vice president of product and services for Teradata. "Starting the right way with Teradata and Business Objects provides a simple, innovative, and proven BI solution to reduce much of the risks associated with BI projects. Teradata is the proven industry leader in helping businesses quickly achieve and leverage intelligence for better, faster decisions for more than 20 years. This joint initiative, with low entry price points and quick implementation parameters, extends Teradata's and Business Objects' ability to engage new customers with proven business value."

VMware

Business Objects is working with VMware on several BI virtual appliances to be made available to the more than 20,000 customers that have deployed VMware Infrastructure and which will complement joint product development with other Open Appliance Initiative vendors.

"Large numbers of Business Objects customers have already adopted VMware Infrastructure to simplify their IT, fully leverage their IT investments, and respond faster to changing business demands," said Brian Byun, vice president of global partners and solutions at VMware. "Business Objects virtual appliances that leverage VMware Infrastructure will enable customers to have reduced implementation timelines, fewer support issues, automatic workload balancing, high availability and agent-less backup."

Solution Provider Partners Speed Delivery of BI Appliances

Business Objects is working closely with its industry-leading channel partners to help deliver these new BI appliances to the market. Business Objects will work closely with these companies on technology integration, customer implementation support, and joint sales and marketing programs. Initial Solution Provider Partner members in the OAI are:

Andrews Consulting Group

"Andrews Consulting Group, developers of RapidDecision, continues to work with Business Objects to develop innovative, flexible, and customer-centric solutions," said Joseph Guerra, JD Edwards expert and the architect of RapidDecision. "Appliances lower total cost of ownership, simplify deployment, and streamline maintenance and upgrade while enhancing end user experience, all the way from the procurement process to the utilization of end-user functionalities. RapidDecision simplifies the process of getting information out of the JDE application and into the hands of key decision-makers and can streamline this even further via appliances."

Brightlight Consulting

"Brightlight Consulting is excited to be a Solution Provider for the Open Appliance Initiative," said Mark Kettering, president of Brightlight Consulting. "The tightly bundled solution of Business Objects and Netezza provides a highly flexible, affordable, and feature rich BI platform with unprecedented performance. Combining this platform with Brightlight's business intelligence expertise provides an enterprise class BI solution to mid-market clients never seen before in the market."

Data Management Group

"The SAP Appliance from Business Objects and Netezza is a great solution to come out of the Business Objects Open Appliance Initiative," said John Morrissey, managing director at Data Management Group, a Business Objects Platinum Partner. "The marrying of two world-class technologies such as the SAP Rapid Marts solution from Business Objects and Netezza's high-performance appliance can substantially improve reporting performance and usability for SAP customers. We see a tremendous demand for business intelligence in the SAP market, and the SAP Appliance implemented with DMG's extensive skills in both Business Objects and SAP, will be of significant value to our customers."

Headstrong

"Headstrong has a long and successful track record of deploying innovative, scalable, and sustainable business intelligence and data warehousing solutions that help improve our clients' business results, especially in Very Large Data Base environments," said Nicki Mehra, managing director of corporate strategy and marketing at Headstrong. "We have worked extensively with Business Objects and Netezza separately in providing key BI solutions. The opportunity to deploy a bundled software and hardware solution – customizing an appliance box to achieve business intelligence – is an approach that we are sure will appeal to many organizations."

For additional information on the Business Objects Open Application Initiative, please visit www.businessobjects.com/openappliance.

About Business Objects

Business Objects is the world's leading business intelligence (BI) software company, with more than 42,000 customers worldwide, including over 80 percent of the Fortune 500. Business Objects helps organizations of all sizes create a trusted foundation for decision making, gain better insight into their business, and optimize performance. The company's innovative business intelligence suite, BusinessObjects™ XI, offers the BI industry's most advanced and complete solution for performance management, planning, reporting, query and analysis, and enterprise information management. BusinessObjects XI includes the award-winning Crystal line of reporting and data visualization software. Business Objects has also built the industry's strongest and most diverse partner community, and offers consulting and education services to help customers effectively deploy their business intelligence projects.

Business Objects has dual headquarters in San Jose, Calif., and Paris, France. The company's stock is traded on both the Nasdaq (BOBJ) and Euronext Paris (ISIN: FR0004026250 - BOB) stock exchanges. More information about Business Objects can be found at www.businessobjects.com.

Safe Harbor for Forward Looking Statements

Certain sections of this press release contain forward-looking statements that are based on assumptions regarding Business Objects' product release date. However, these statements are not guarantees of the date of availability, which may be delayed or cancelled, or of the availability of the features mentioned, which may be changed or removed prior to release. Statements such as "expected" denote forward-looking statements, and the word "launch" refers to pre-release marketing activities and does not denote general availability. Forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. More information about potential factors that could affect Business Objects' business is included in Business Objects' Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2006 and Form 10-Q for the quarter ended December 31, 2006, each of which is on file with the SEC and available at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. Business Objects is not obligated to undertake any obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect events, circumstances or changes in expectations after the date of this press release.

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