Software AG

When was your company established?
Six young employees at the consulting firm AIV (Institut für Angewandte Informationsverarbeitung) established Software AG on June 30, 1969, in Darmstadt, Germany. One of the founders is Peter Schnell, who goes on to become the long-serving CEO of the company. Software AG has operated nationwide in the U.S. since 1973 through a fully-owned subsidiary, Software AG USA Inc., which is headquartered in the Reston area of Fairfax County.

What is the origin of your company name?
As one of the first “independent” software companies established in the 1960s, i.e., not also providing hardware, the company chose the name Software AG (basically Software Inc. or Software Ltd).

Who owns your company?
Software AG is a publicly traded company. The largest shareholder is the Software AG Foundation with about a 30 percent holding. About 50 percent is owned by known institutional investors, and the rest by unknown private and institutional investors.

What is your main business focus?
The Fairfax County office is responsible for corporate functions such as global marketing, and hosts Software AG’s second largest R&D center specializing in Business Process Management software. With more than 1,000 U.S.-enterprise customers and 700 employees, Software AG's U.S. operation contributes one-third of the company's total revenue and is Software AG's largest market presence and R&D location.

Who are your primary customers?
Software AG works with respected customers in key industries:

• Banking – (Credit Lyonnais/CLSA, Volkswagen Financial Services, Wells Fargo, etc.)
• Education – (Florida Community College at Jacksonville, Pennsylvania State University, Virginia Community College System, etc.)
• Government – (US Navy, Government of Asturias (Spain), New York City Department of Buildings, etc.)
• Insurance – (American Fidelity Assurance, Basler Securitas, etc.)
• Manufacturing – (Daimler AG,  Logitech, Nissan Europe, etc.)
• Retail – (7-Eleven, Corporate Express, Office Depot, etc.)
• Telecommunications – (Cable & Wireless, Motorola, Vodafone, etc.)

What sets you apart from your competitors?
Independence, innovation and financial stability. Software AG remains independent, providing a neutral voice, connectivity and automated business processes among the largest software vendors such as I B Software, Microsoft, SAP and Oracle.

For nearly 40 years, Software AG has been at the forefront of software innovation from the earliest available databases to integration technology in the 1990s and Service-Oriented Architecture and Business Process Management software in the first decade of the new century.

Software AG is financially stable and free from hostile takeover because the Software AG Foundation’s 30 percent interest in the company blocks such a takeover under German law. This is good news for customers that run their mission-critical systems using Software AG products.

What are the advantages of your Fairfax County location?

• This is one of the wealthiest counties in the U.S. with a good consumer market
• A highly educated workforce –- it leads the nation in advanced degrees
• Close to the federal government and significant research facilities
• Home to an International air hub (Washington Dulles International Airport) -– i.e. Frankfurt, Brussels or Paris are almost as close to DC as San Francisco

Fairfax County’s specific advantages to Software AG:

• Virginia is a well-known IT cluster
• It provides a large number of system integrators
• It has an abundant workforce with IT skills
• Support from Fairfax County (e.g. search for office locations)

Where do you see your business in five to 10 years?
Software AG plans to be the next €1 billion software company by 2011 and to double in size every five years after that. The company also plans to stay the independent market leader in  business infrastructure software.

Where is your company located?
Software AG, Inc. — North America Headquarters
11700 Plaza America Drive, Suite 700, Reston, Virginia 20190
Phone: 703-860-5050; Toll free: 877-724-4965; Fax: 703-391-6975; http://www.softwareag.com/us/

Software AG
Uhlandstrasse 12, 64297 Darmstadt, Germany
Phone: +49 6151 92-0; http://www.softwareag.com