IBM Adds Informix Database To SMB Offerings

The Informix Dynamic Server Express version 10 runs only on 32-bit Linux or Windows systems with a maximum configuration of two CPUs, officials with the Armonk, N.Y., company said. The price, which is less than the standard version, starts at $124 per user, including license and maintenance.

IBM developed the express version based on feedback from partners, particularly independent software vendors. IBM's portfolio of Express products targets organizations of 500 employees or less.

"This is very much in response to feedback from Informix partners interested in a version tailored for applications delivered to the SMB market," Bernie Spang, director of marketing of IBM's information management software, said.

Informix Express doesn't contain any new features, but it instead includes a variety of improvements, which include a better programming-interface for linking the database to a software management console, and an improved auto-installer for embedding the product in software, Spang said.

Earlier this week, IBM unveiled an eServer BladeCenter Business Express offering that includes preloaded and preconfigured WebSphere middleware on IBM BladeCenter servers. The product is sold by IBM distributors to resellers, who then deliver it to customers.

IBM has been selling Express products for a couple of years, and has been in the SMB market for more than a decade. Nevertheless, research shows that IBM is not the first choice for many SMBs.

According to Sage Research, only 49 percent of 132 IT decision makers working in SMBs said IBM understood their business needs, compared with 78 percent for Dell and 70 percent for Hewlett-Packard.