GoExplore.net viert het beste van het web

GoExplore.net viert het beste van het web

ESET®, de wereldleider in proactieve digitale bescherming, kondigt de lancering aan van GoExplore.net. Het nieuwe internetinitiatief bundelt de beste content van het web en moedigt mensen aan om het web veilig te verkennen.

Het World Wide Web is in 2014 precies 25 jaar jong. Met GoExplore.net wil ESET alle internetgerelateerde dingen vieren. De site creëert een webportaal voor iedereen die het online universum wil verkennen, die interessante content wil uploaden en die content wil aanreiken aan de andere websurfers.

GoExplore.net zal exclusieve interviews bieden met bekende internethelden, how-to artikelen, infografieken en video, naast enquêtes en resultaten van polls.

“Onze nieuwe site GoExplore.net brengt het allerbeste van het web samen”, zegt Ignacio Sbampato, fan van GoExplore.net en Chief Sales & Marketing Officer bij ESET. “We zijn erg verheugd dat we mensen samenbrengen die genoeg zelfvertrouwen hebben om ook voorbij de eerste pagina zoekresultaten te kijken en die willen bijdragen aan de sterke content die we voor iedereen op GoExplore.net aanbieden. Bij ESET is het onze missie om mensen te laten genieten van veilige technologie. Onze beveiligingssoftware is ontwikkeld om de consument online te beschermen en hem toe te laten het internet met vertrouwen te verkennen. Maar uiteraard kunnen zelfs wij geen mensen beschermen die hun smartphone gebruiken terwijl ze rijden.”

Recent onderzoek van GoExplore.net toont enkele interessante bevindingen rond gedrag op het web. Via een enquête bij 2.000 mensen in de Verenigde Staten en Groot-Brittannië bracht GoExplore.net in kaart welke risico’s mensen nemen wanneer ze op het web surfen. De studie bracht ook verrassende verschillen in het gedrag van mannen en vrouwen aan het licht.

Volgens het onderzoek van GoExplore.net geeft bijna een kwart van de Amerikaanse mannen (23,1%) tussen 25 en 34 toe het internet te gebruiken achter het stuur van een wagen. In Groot-Brittannië gaf 7% toe te surfen op het web tijdens het rijden. Britse vrouwelijke chauffeurs uit dezelfde leeftijdscategorie surfen zowat dubbel zo veel (14,3%) achter het stuur.

Meer bevindingen van GoExplore.net:

·         Amerikanen gebruiken hun smartphone bijna drie keer meer (2,8%) dan Britten bij begrafenissen of religieuze vieringen. Amerikaanse vrouwen surfen zeven keer meer dan Britse vrouwen tijdens een religieuze viering.

·         10% van de internetgebruikers hebben het moeilijk om op het net te vinden wat ze zoeken.

·         12,3% van Amerikaanse mannen tussen 25 en 34 nemen hun smartphone mee naar douche of bad.

About GoExplore.net

GoExplore.net is een internetinitiatief van beveiligingsbedrijf ESET. Vier mee op http://goexplore.net

SOFTWARE AG: LARGEST BUSINESS LINE STAYS ON GROWTH TRACK

·         BPE: Q1 revenue up 11 percent

·         ETS: Steady margin, performance in line with expectations

·         Consulting: Sale of SAP service operations agreed

·         Currency exchange rates burden total revenue

·         Full-year forecast confirmed

[Note: All percentages contained herein are rounded and at constant currency]

May 2014 - Software AG (Frankfurt TecDAX: SOW) reported a continued positive performance in the first quarter of 2014 for its largest business line Business Process Excellence (BPE) with a growth of 11 percent (at constant currency). The company set its dynamic growth course through the targeted expansion of sales and placing new products in key future markets in 2013. Software AG expects further dynamic growth in BPE over the course of fiscal 2014 and has confirmed its outlook for the year.

Karl-Heinz Streibich, CEO of Software AG, states, “The two-digit BPE growth confirms the direction of our transformation strategy. More and more customers are investing in innovative software to fuel the digitization of their businesses with new process management and integration solutions.”

Arnd Zinnhardt, CFO of Software AG, adds, “As a pure software product vendor, we can now focus on our own portfolio and achieve a higher margin than with third-party product consulting services. The sale of our SAP service activities was therefore a logical step.”

Business line development

The Business Process Excellence (BPE) line achieved revenue growth of 11 percent at constant currency to total €95.3 million (2013: €90.3 million). Of that, license sales rose 10 percent to €43.7 million (2013: €41.9 million). Maintenance revenue grew by 11 percent to €51.6 million (2013: €48.4 million). In total, BPE revenue accounted for almost two-thirds (2013: 58 percent) of Group product revenue, which reflects a further improvement to Software AG’s revenue mix in favor of this high-growth future-oriented business line. This development verifies the impact of the strategic growth measures which were taken last year—including the expansion of the sales force and the establishment of Software AG Government Solutions, a U.S. subsidiary, which focuses on public sector customers. Based on its current sales pipeline, Software AG is optimistic about the upcoming quarters and expects BPE license revenue to continue to rise over the course of the year.

In line with expectations, the traditional Enterprise Transaction Systems (ETS) database business generated €51.1 million (2013: €64.5 million) in revenue in the first quarter of 2014.  Of that, ETS license sales were down to €13.3 million (2013: €21.1 million).  As more ETS software licenses were sold already in the fourth quarter of 2013 than originally expected, fewer deals were closed in the first quarter of 2014. Software AG was however able to maintain the segment contribution’s margin through effective cost management.

The Consulting business line posted first-quarter revenue of €62.5 million (2013: €70.1 million).  The decline is primarily due to the consolidation of SAP-related consulting operations. As part of that, operations in North America and Eastern Europe were disposed in 2013. This was followed by the sale of SAP consulting in Germany, Austria and Switzerland (approx. 500 employees and €64 million in annual revenue) to the Scheer Group of Saarbrucken, Germany, in March 2014. The transaction successfully concluded the refocus of Software AG’s consulting activities.

Software AG's global total revenue was €208.9 million (2013: €224.9 million). The negative effects of exchange rates totaled €9.7 million; and consolidation of the SAP consulting business decreased Consulting revenue by €7.6 million to €62.5 million (2013: €70.1 million).  First-quarter product revenue (licenses + maintenance) for the core BPE and ETS business lines was €146.2 million and therefore at last year's level at constant currency. BPE growth fully offset the anticipated decline in ETS.

Earnings performance

First-quarter operating earnings (non-IFRS) were €43.0 million (2013: €48.9 million); accordingly the operating profit margin (non-IFRS) was 21 percent (2013: 22 percent). EBIT totaled €30.5 million (2013: €41.6 million) as a result of investments. Net income after taxes totaled €18.6 million (2013: €27.2 million).  

Software AG's equity ratio as of March 31, 2014 was still high at 47.4 percent of total assets, despite the successfully concluded share buyback program. The company acquired 4.1 million treasury shares for a total price of €110.0 million during the period from November 2013 to February 2014. Software AG currently holds 8.1 million treasury shares, which represents 9.3 percent of the company's share capital.

Outlook 2014

Software AG anticipates further positive performance and confirms its outlook. Accordingly, the company expects an increase in BPE revenue of between 12 and 18 percent (at constant currency) for fiscal year 2014. Revenue in the traditional ETS database business is likely to fall by 16 to 9 percent (at constant currency). Software AG expects an improved Group operating profit margin for fiscal 2014 as well as operating earnings (non-IFRS 2013: €260.7 million) growth between 2 and 7 percent.