NCR Corp yesterday pushed the data warehousing envelope out with the announcement that a Windows NT implementation of its Teradata database is now available for Intel-based SMP servers. The long- awaited port means NCR can finally leverage its crown jewels software in the middle- and entry-level segments of the warehousing and data mart markets. It won’t come any cheaper than Unix though. NCR will charge $25,000 for use on a two-processor system – $50,000 on a quad – the same as on Unix. Underlining the importance of the work for pushing NT into the enterprise Bill Gates was on hand at NCR’s user group meeting in San Diego to give Teradata for NT a send-off. Initially available on single node Intel SMP systems from NCR or other vendors NCR says that by the middle of next year its key Bynet interconnect for linking multiple SMP servers into massively parallel processing engines to handle the largest warehousing tasks will be available for Intel-based NT systems by mid-1999. NCR has tightly integrating Teradata with Microsoft’s SQL Server at the low-end so that it can take advantage of and co-market Microsoft’s Site Server, Internet Information Server and other Back Office components. NCR says it hasn’t compromised Teradata through the integration process with SQL, keeping it very similar if not identical to Unix versions. It hopes to lay rest to criticism that Teradata is proprietary technology, and pitch it into more direct competition with the likes of Oracle Corp and Red Brick Systems Inc. NCR has bagged alliances with integrators such as Acxiom, Cap Gemini, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Sapient. It already has Bull, Coffing, Strategic Technologies and Solutions, Synectics Solutions and Tanning Technology. NCR has the leading market share in data warehousing. Palo Alto Management Group figures the $15bn 1997 market will be worth a whopping $113bn by 2002. NCR also palns to buy some additional brand recognition with a new advertising campaign. Merrill Lynch & Co figures times are gonna get worse before they get better for NCR, estimating revenue will fall 2% for 1998 before rising 6% in 1999. The company’s saying it will be looking to spend some of its $700m cash pile on buying consulting and software companies. It told Merrill Lynch it is thinking about getting shot of its $500m Systemedia division.
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