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The Future:
Where are software vendors
heading?
Where does JJCS fit in?
John Juliano, long-time industry
veteran, sat down to talk with us about industry directions and
new directions for his company, John Juliano Computer Services
Company. This conversation took place in Atlanta in late January,
2003.
Interviewer: Let's start off
with a little background. How long have you been in the industry
and how long has JJCS been in business?
John Juliano: I started working in publishing
in 1979 with DEC, doing what was called database publishing.
It was a little before anyone else, I think.
JJCS was started in 1982, doing large-scale database design
and optimization. By 1987, I was working on a system to publish
newspapers from a database.
In 1990, the first of the EXPRESSWAY products came to market.
They are still used to publish newspapers today.
I: You've been through the large proprietary
systems, then desktop publishing. Now what? What is going on
in newspaper publishing?
JJ: You've asked quite an open ended question.
Let me answer with three statements:
1. Consolidation Through mergers, acquisitions and
out-right company failures, the industry will shrink to a handful
of viable vendors by 2004.
Every major vendor will offer all of the major newspaper
components, which is why we are seeing so many acquisitions.
The marketplace will become a grove of very large trees.
By 2005, we should see innovative new startups filling the market
space between these large vendors.
2. Buying The majority of buying is now done at the
corporate level. Sales have become do-or-die. We will see changes
in selling technique as a result. The smaller number of vendors
reflects the smaller number of buyers.
3. Technology & Vendors The mood has changed
from open systems to single vendor solutions. Open systems are
no longer a check-off item on most buyers shopping list. A single
point of contact for system support is. The technology that a
vendor uses will be evaluated, but there is no longer a de
rigueur technology.
I: What is JJCS doing?
JJ: We've always done consulting. It is something
I, personally, enjoy. My skills seem very suited to it.
We've recently become involved in mergers, acquisitions
and personnel placements: things that reflect a healthier industry. |
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I:What is there in common
between these things?
JJ: Like all consulting, M&A and placement
are a combination of understanding the people involved and understanding
their business needs. Listen, understand, and then determine
the correct solution. This is the what consulting is about.
The best solution is always something created or something
acquired. In this case, it is either a company or personnel.
A company is people. Placement is exactly the same thing,
but on a different scale.
We know both the buyers and the sellers (or employers and
candidates) because we work in the industry. We can call upon
the industry-specific expertise that we can. Twenty-plus years
give us this expertise.
I: What other consulting have you been doing?
JJ: For the past six or seven years we've
worked behind the scenes with vendors preparing product introductions,
press releases, white papers and market research. We will continue
to do that work.
As a complement to that, we do vendor selections and project
management, needs analysis and other consulting work.
We still do custom solutions and software projects. Though
more often than not we work with other companies in a strategic
or management capacity to fulfill the customer's needs
I: What is the JJCS future?
JJ: What it has always been: fulfilling the
needs of the newspaper publishing marketplace with best services
and expertise available. |
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