DGAP-Adhoc: GROUP Business Software AG: GROUP Business Software Acquires IT Factory Assets

GROUP Business Software AG / Contract

25.02.2009 

Release of a Adhoc News, transmitted by DGAP - a company of EquityStory AG.
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
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GROUP Reinforces Its Strategic Market Position with New Cloud-Based
Delivery Models

Frankfurt/New York - February 25, 2009 - GROUP Business Software AG, the
world's largest provider of business solutions built on IBM Lotus software,
announced today that it has executed a contract to acquire all of the
intellectual property rights and related tangible assets of Denmark-based
IT Factory A/S in bankruptcy. The key element of the acquisition is the
platform-as-a-service (PaaS) technology for cloud-based computing. This
technology will rapidly enable GROUP to offer its current solutions in a
software-as-a-service (SaaS) model. With this acquisition, GROUP will
extend its market-leading position and portfolio of solutions, while
simultaneously propelling it into one of the fastest growing areas in
information technology with an innovative and robust on-demand offering.

Prior to this acquisition, the delivery model for GROUP's business
solutions focused around traditional on-premise implementation. With
increasing inquiries from the company's customer base and new prospects for
SaaS solutions, this acquisition is key to the company's growth strategy —
allowing GROUP to deliver its solutions to a growing number of
organizations that are looking to the cloud to gain momentum when deploying
business applications.

Analysts have predicted that by 2011, between 20-25% of all software will
be purchased via a SaaS model. Given that there will continue to be strong
demand for traditional on-premise options, GROUP will be able to serve a
greater share of the market regardless of a customer's preferences for
on-premise installation or a cloud-based delivery model.

Additionally important for the acquisition are the Lotus-based IT Factory
suite of applications which include customer relationship management (CRM),
human resource management (HRM) and a development framework. The assets
also include Report Factory, a business intelligence (BI) application.

'The integration of the IT factory's Lotus-based solutions into our
portfolio is another step in our Lotus software application market
consolidation strategy, to ensure our customers compelling, robust and
efficient solutions in the Lotus environment. The platform technology
acquisition is synergistic with every aspect of our corporate strategy. The
opportunity to offer our products in an SaaS model is naturally aligned
with our commitment to the Lotus brand and will serve to eliminate hurdles
companies may face in acquiring world-class business solutions - that's
what 'simplified' is all about in our taglines,' says Jörg Ott, the
company's CEO and chairman.

Further information coming soon.


Company profile

The GROUP consortium is the leading provider of 'Collaborative Business
Solutions'. 'Collaborative Business Solutions' help users involved in a
common task work together to achieve their goals.

While our competitors only offer partial solutions for collaborative
systems, GROUP provides a comprehensive and harmonized solution which
includes all areas of collaboration:

- communication (e-mail, messaging, etc.) 

- content (CRM, DMS, libraries and analytics) 

- Team management (group calendars, coordination of appointments, group
activities, etc.)

- process engineering systems (workflow). 

GROUP Technologies enables enterprises to incorporate collaboration into
their business processes to achieve their goals faster, easier and more
efficiently.

GROUP is based in Europe and the USA and makes its solutions available to
customers the world over. GROUP includes GROUP Business Software AG, and
its subsidiaries, GEDYS IntraWare GmbH and Relavis Corporation.

Over 3,000 customers with more than 3 million users have already deployed
GROUP solutions. Our customers include Sparkasse and Volksbank, accounting
for more than three quarters of the branches of all German banks, as well
as numerous international companies such as ABN AMRO, Allianz, BASF, Bayer,
Deutsche Bank, DuPont, Ernst & Young, Honda, Miele and Michelin.

Internet: www.group.de



Contact:
GROUP Business Software AG
Messeturm
60308 Frankfurt am Main
Deutschland
E-Mail: ir@group.de
Tel.: +49 69 789 88 19-0, Fax: +49 69 789 88 19 99, http://www.group.de


DGAP 25.02.2009 
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Language:     English
Issuer:       GROUP Business Software AG
              Hospitalstr. 6
              99817 Eisenach
              Deutschland
Phone:        +49 3691 7353-12
Fax:          +49 3691 7353-9912
E-mail:       ir@group.de
Internet:     www.group.de
ISIN:         DE0005104509
WKN:          510450
Listed:       Regulierter Markt in Frankfurt (General Standard);
              Freiverkehr in Berlin, Düsseldorf, München, Stuttgart
End of News                                     DGAP News-Service
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