Progress Software Predicts Business Process Improvement in 2012 through Cloud, Collaboration and Control

Social integration, cloud deployment and data security will top IT agendas in the coming year

SINGAPORE, December 15, 2011 - Progress Software Corporation (NASDAQ: PRGS), a leading software provider that enables companies to be operationally responsive, predicts that IT security, demand for collaboration tools and web-based applications will dominate in 2012.

Dr. John Bates, chief technology officer, Progress Software, said: “In 2012 we will continue to see a seismic shift in IT’s role within the business. Organizations will move closer to conquering the cloud, social collaboration and mobility, resulting in increased scrutiny on outcomes, operations, users and processes. All groups will expect greater transparency, and meeting this demand will require IT to work outside the traditional borders and become more flexible and responsive to an increasingly complex business landscape."

Progress Software’s IT predictions for 2012 include:

1. Cloud on the move. According to recent research by Progress, approximately 25 percent of ISVs will host a public cloud infrastructure by the end of 2012. Organizations will move from evaluation to deployment of public cloud, increasing demand for cloud-enabled systems and applications such as robust, high performing drivers that act as on/off ramps to the cloud.

2. Cost control evolves to efficiency In 2011, cost was the main driver of cloud adoption. In 2012, business will continue to control costs but will now also focus on system efficiencies and time to market. In addition, organizations will move away from just test and stage capabilities to management and monitoring. To maximize efficiency, CIO’s will source solutions that drive more automation of processes in the cloud.

3. Data security starts with secure access. Authentication and authorization of data in the cloud will be a priority. The question will no longer be whether to access data across devices and platforms, but how to ensure security across disparate environments. Who will have access to the data? How will it be encrypted? Who is the core owner? Having a strong driver that runs on a stable and tested data interface like ODBC is good line of defense as application stacks continue to grow.

4. RIP: Non web-based applications. To keep up with device proliferation, at least 80 percent of business applications will be web-based. Furthermore, any new application will be business process enabled, web-based and cloud-deployed. Successful organizations will take a hard look at new toolsets for optimizing next generation applications as well as software that will allow them to bridge to legacy applications and data that they still need to access.

5. IT border control. More than half of all content and functionality will be out of the organization’s control and in the hands of outsourcers, supply chain partners and external community databases.

6. What’s in the fire hose? The days of complete visibility into big data are numbered. There is simply too much of it. While we may see companies promoting fancy strategies for managing “fire hose data”, only the ones focused on analytics will get close to making meaning from the massive deluge. As a result, more companies will plug into new advancements in relational and non-relational programming frameworks that support the processing of large data sets.

7. Limitations of freeware. As more companies gain revenue across the Internet they are moving away from freeware and open source because they lack secure interoperability. Everything is free on the Internet until there’s a problem. In 2012 we will see greater support for ODBC and investment in data connectivity as companies look for dependable, robust ODBC drivers to handle financial transactions securely and quickly.

8. All hail the social enterprise. Social collaboration applications will dominate in business as employees look for ways to more effectively share and innovate across regions and lines of business. The increasing need of collaboration capabilities will be so paramount that companies will expect that these offerings be embedded features in business applications.