Business Objects Q1 2007 Earnings Call Transcript

Tags: Hyperion Solutions Corp., Partnership, Financial, Business Objects, Call Transcript, Earnings, Transcript, IBM Corp., Business Structures, Financial Accounting, Databases, Finance, Enterprise Software, Software, Data Management, Seeking Alpha

Question-and-Answer Session

Operator

Your first question comes from Joseph Bori - Deutsche Bank.

Joseph Bori - Deutsche Bank

You announced last November a partnership with IBM. Can you provide us any update on how things are going and maybe some anecdotes or details about the specific wins that you achieved thanks to this partnership? Thank you.

John Schwarz

Sure, happy to. Yes, the partnership is indeed progressing well. We are making significant strides in three different aspects of the partnership. First and foremost, we're working with the IBM Software Group to make sure that our products are built in a way that is complementary, and if you will, aligned with where IBM is heading with their database management strategies and information service strategies.

Secondly, we are working with the IBM sales organization to align our go-to-market execution where we have overlapping customers.

Thirdly, we are working very closely with IBM Services to make sure that as the services team -- either in the outsourced organizations or in the organizations where they do consulting -- understands our technology and is able to represent Business Objects well. The result of this has been a dramatic improvement in the revenues that are flowing both ways to both companies, and I think a significant improvement in the trust between organizations as we learn to work with each other around the world.

Operator

Your next question comes from David Hilal - Friedman Billings Ramsey.

David Hilal - Friedman Billings Ramsey

In relation to Oracle's acquisition of Hyperion, have you guys changed or are you trying to capitalize on that in the near term by offering different programs or incentives for that part of the business until maybe that integration with Hyperion gets completed?

John Schwarz

You bet we are. There are many opportunities that have opened up as a result of this move. Most importantly, I would suspect that the Brio BI solution that Hyperion was and may even still be selling has become unhinged from the strategy since it had been cut loose and adrift. So we have an opportunity to underpin the Hyperion customers with a real BI solution from Business Objects.

Secondly, we have seen customers rather confused and concerned about what Oracle intends to do with the plethora of the different financial planning management tools they offer and which one of those is actually going to survive. So we have an opportunity to capitalize on that confusion.

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