Sybase: we sell databases

In a time when members of the Oracle executive suite see a day, not long from now, where consolidation will sweep aside all the industry has-beens, Sybase has a message: we're still selling databases.

The company plans to formally launch Sybase ASE 15 on September 15, an update that's designed to improve performance, security and support for XML.

The new version is driving customers to recommit to Sybase, said Marty Beard, Sybase's senior vice president of corporate development and marketing after the company's second-quarter earnings.

Sybase is pinning much of it revenue growth hopes on mobile-related products. But database license revenue went up 19 percent year over year in the second quarter, according to Beard.

What about the competition? Oracle, IBM and Microsoft garner over two-thirds of dollars spent on databases, while Sybase has low single-digit market share, according to IDC.

Indeed, one significant challenge Sybase faces is the sales tactic used by the database heavyweights. The argument used is that Sybase customers should "standardize" on a single, or fewer databases. In other words, unplug their Sybase machines.

"When there were questions about our viability eight years ago, our customers didn't standardize," said Raj Nathan, senior vice president of the company's information technology and solutions group. "And even as customers went through their phase of standardizing, we held our own."

One Sybase customer, who came along with Nathan on a recent media tour, has had to answer questions about why his company, TNS Media Intelligence, has stuck with Sybase over the years. The answer, says vice president of production systems Ira Klein, is simple: they're a happy customer.

"From a TCO and performance stand point, we have no reason to look elsewhere," Klein said. TNS Media Intelligence gets good support and has gotten access to Sybase's technical experts, he said. "We get honesty and integrity (from Sybase). We don't always get that from Oracle."