Aras Delivers Microsoft-Based Open Source Enterprise Solutions.Proven Enterprise Solutions Provide Flexibility and Control to Simplify Complexity LAWRENCE, Mass. -- Aras([R]) Corporation, leading Microsoft enterprise open source software solution provider, today announced the immediate availability of the Aras Innovator([R]) open source solution suite. The version 8 release offered exclusively on the Microsoft .NET See .NET. platform includes business ready enterprise solutions along with a solution studio for customization, extension, and integration. The free download, additional open source solution projects, and further information are available at www.aras.com. "The desire to reduce complexity is a ubiquitous theme running through the business community. You know you have a complexity crisis when your customers think it is too costly to do simple things," asserted Anthony Picardi, Senior Vice President of Global Software at IDC. "When the complexity of a market exceeds the ability of the current players to meet demands, new players emerge." [Software Companies of the Future, June 2005] Aras simplifies enterprise software solution licensing and technology by delivering Aras Innovator as a commercial open source offering on the Microsoft platform. Companies can now take advantage of existing Microsoft skill sets and infrastructure while realizing the licensing flexibility and IT control of open source. Aras Innovator Enterprise Open Source Solutions Highlights Aras Innovator enterprise open source solutions address strategic business processes such as new product introduction [NPI NPI National Provider Identifier, see there ], advanced product quality planning Advanced Product Quality Planning (or APQP) is a framework of procedures and techniques used to develop products in industry, particularly the automotive industry. It is quite similar to the concept of Design For Six Sigma (DFSS). compliance [APQP APQP Advanced Product Quality Planning ], and enterprise product lifecycle Product lifecycle or product life cycle is the course of a product's sales and profits over time. The five stages of each product lifecycle are product development, introduction, growth, maturity and decline. management [PLM (Product Life cycle Management) A comprehensive information system that coordinates all aspects of a product from initial concept to its eventual retirement. Sometimes called the "digital backbone" of a product, it includes the requirements phase, analysis and design ]. Solutions include: * Program Management - Phase-gate project management of milestones and deliverables for executive visibility and team collaboration * Quality Planning - Failure mode & effects analysis and closed-loop actions for mitigating risks and achieving compliance * Product Engineering - Bill of materials The list of components that make up a system. For example, a bill of materials for a house would include the cement block, lumber, shingles, doors, windows, plumbing, electric, heating and so on. , document management, and change management workflows for development control and cost tracking In addition, the comprehensive functionality of the solutions can be tailored to support a range of other enterprise lifecycle processes such as project lifecycle management, asset lifecycle management, and service lifecycle management. Aras Innovator solutions are designed to operate either as stand-alone enterprise applications or as an integrated complement to existing systems. "Aras brings a new value proposition to the enterprise software solution market by delivering direct customer benefits to companies running Microsoft technologies," said Bill Hilf Bill Hilf is General Manager of Platform Strategy at Microsoft, and director of Microsoft's work with open-source projects. Hilf previously worked at IBM[1] where he led their Linux technical strategy. , general manager of Platform Technology Strategy at Microsoft Corp. "We are supportive of Aras' move to offer enterprise open source solutions on the Microsoft stack, and we continue to see tremendous growth in the Microsoft partner ecosystem as a variety of industry partners are finding innovative ways to take advantage of the value of the Microsoft platform under a wide range of licensing models." "Aras recognizes the urgent need to simplify enterprise software complexity and reduce risks," said Peter Schroer, President of Aras Corporation. "By delivering the Aras Innovator solutions as enterprise open source on the Microsoft platform we provide software licensing simplicity and align with the technologies that companies already have and understand." Aras Innovator Specifications Developed exclusively on the Microsoft .NET platform, Aras Innovator's proven application framework technology is a unique model-based, service-oriented architecture [SOA (1) (Start Of Authority) The first record in a DNS zone file. See DNS records. (2) (Service Oriented Architecture) The modularization of business functions for greater flexibility and reusability. ] that delivers unmatched flexibility enabling companies to deploy quickly and adapt easily while maintaining upgradeability. Aras Innovator requires minimal infrastructure to run: * Microsoft Windows Server 2003 with .NET 2.0 * Microsoft SQL Server A relational DBMS from Microsoft that is a major component of the Windows Server System. It is Microsoft's high-end client/server database and is closely integrated with Microsoft Visual Studio and the Microsoft Office System. 2005 Aras Innovator supports Windows Vista and Internet Explorer 7 and provides configuration options [not required] for: the 2007 Microsoft Office system; Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 or SharePoint Portal Server; Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007 or Business Scorecard Manager; Microsoft BizTalk Server Microsoft BizTalk Server, often referred to as simply "BizTalk", is a business process management (BPM) server. Through the use of "adapters" which are tailored to communicate with different software systems used in a large enterprise, it enables companies to automate and integrate 2006; and Active Directory. Aras Innovator is based on open standards, including XML XML in full Extensible Markup Language. Markup language developed to be a simplified and more structural version of SGML. It incorporates features of HTML (e.g., hypertext linking), but is designed to overcome some of HTML's limitations. / SOAP Web services, for simplified integration with conventional enterprise systems such as SAP, Oracle, UGS UGS In currencies, this is the abbreviation for the Uganda Shilling. Notes: The currency market, also known as the Foreign Exchange market, is the largest financial market in the world, with a daily average volume of over US $1 trillion. , PTC (PTC, Needham, MA, www.ptc.com) Long a world leader in mechanical computer-aided design, manufacturing and engineering software, PTC, through acquisitions and reorganization, has transformed itself into a leading provider of Internet-based B2B solutions for discrete manufacturers. , Dassault, and Infor legacy applications; enterprise application integration suites; or enterprise service bus [ESB (Enterprise Services Bus) A message broker that supports Web services. See message broker, messaging middleware and Web services. ] products. Aras Innovator open source projects for new solutions, solution extensions, Microsoft Office clients, and system integrations are hosted on the Microsoft CodePlex collaborative development site at www.codeplex.com. Availability and Pricing Aras Innovator version 8 is immediately available. Aras provides unlimited user access to all the solutions. Because there is no charge for the enterprise production-ready software Aras removes the need for up-front capital and eliminates expensive software licensing requirements for users, modules, and servers. Aras sells enterprise-class support subscription packages. Standard package prices are $8,300 / month for the Enterprise Edition and $4,100 / month for the Small Business Edition. Implementation consulting services and training are also available. Support subscription packages are purchased directly from Aras, for details visit www.aras.com. Aras customers include Lockheed Martin, Motorola, Delphi, Ingersoll Rand, Rolls-Royce, ACCO ACCO American College of Chiropractic Orthopedists ACCO Association of County Commissioners of Oklahoma ACCo American Cyanamid Company ACCO Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma Organization ACCO American Clip Company ACCO Assistant Central Control Officer Brands, Freudenberg, Fox Electronics, Mega Brands, Structural Concepts, University of Washington and the US Army. About Aras Corporation Aras([R]) Corporation is the leading Microsoft enterprise open source software solution provider for companies that want the control and flexibility of open source and have Microsoft skill sets and infrastructure. Aras delivers the Aras Innovator([R]) suite of solutions providing an alternative to conventional enterprise applications. The Aras Innovator application framework technology is a next generation model-based, service-oriented architecture [SOA] in Microsoft .NET with unmatched flexibility enabling companies to deploy quickly and adapt easily while maintaining upgradeability. Customers include Rolls-Royce, Freudenberg, Ingersoll Rand and ACCO Brands. Aras is privately held and headquartered in Lawrence, Mass. For additional information visit www.aras.com Disclaimer: The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners. |
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