Movers and shakers

The major overseas IT news last week was the acquisition of Orange by Mannesmann, the buy-out of Clarify by Nortel Networks (the second customer relationship management company to be acquired in the last two weeks!) and the various moves by Deutsche Telecom.

Locally the big stories included the overseas acquisition by Datatec, the three new IT listings, and the various interim and full-year results.

On the local front the unsuccessful listing of Auto Space Age Systems in the IT sector; the satisfactory listing of Prada Technologies in the venture capital sector; the uneventful "new" listing of C-Tech (ex-Mashold Consolidated Investment Holdings) in the IT sector; very good year-end results from MB Technologies; excellent half-year numbers from Synergy Holdings; and disappointing interim figures from IST (as per cautionary).

[Local]

Local acquisitions, mergers, investments etc (see attachment).

Local Cautionary Notices (see attachment).

Local Listing calendar (see attachment).

Other local news included:

.         restructuring of Brainware`s board; formation of a "new" JDE implementation company by Deloitte & Touche; hiving-off to Solit of Dimension Data`s enterprise resource planning units (Lawson and Marcam), as predicted last week;

• and re-naming of Training Connections as Torque, following its sale to the Mustek Group.

Dimension Data`s results are due on Tuesday, and maybe following that we will see the unfolding of the group`s restructuring together with its overseas initiatives, some of which could be with Comparex.

There was also the appointment of Aletha Ling as the new CEO of the CCH group and Chris van der Sande as the new ATIO group MD.

• NTT will shed some 2 000 jobs over the next three years; Lawson Software will go public next year; rumours that international-leveraged buy-out specialist, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co, is looking to a possible buy-out of Robert Bosch GmbH`s telecoms equipment business, following its acquisition of Nixdorf`s retail and banking business; and Vodafone AirTouch is considering a bid for Mannesmann, hot on the heels of the latter`s take-over of Orange, one of Vodfone`s main competitors.

[International]

acquisitions, mergers, joint ventures etc (see attachment).

We saw excellent figures from Alliance Semiconductor (back in the black), America Online, ARM Holdings, BroadVision, Citrix Systems, Clarify, Cognex, Genesis Microchip, I-Cube, Lam Research (back in the black), Legato Systems, Loronix Information Systems, Mercury Computer Systems, Micromuse, MicroStrategy, Nokia, Razorfish, RF Micro Devices, SCM Microsystems, Siebel Systems, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, TSI International Software, Verisign (back in the black), Viant (back in the black) and Zomax.

Losses came from ACT Manufacturing, Aetrium, Allegiance Telecom, Ancor Comms, Applied Microsystems, Ariba, Art Technology Group, Aspect Comms, Asyst Technologies, Auspex, Axent Technologies, Baan, BackWeb, Brio Technology, California Micro Devices (just), Canbras Comms, Cirrus Logic, Clarus, CNET, Com21, Commerce One, Concentric Network, Concentrex, Covad Comms, CyberSource, Documentum, E.Piphany, Earthlink Networks, Efficient Networks, Epicor, Evans & Sutherland, Excite At Home, Exodus, HIE, Ilog, Information Resource Engineering, Infonautics, Inktomi, Insignia, Interactive Intelligence, Intermost, internet.com, IXC Comms, Juniper Networks, L3 Comms, Larscom (just), Lattice Semiconductor, Komag, Marimba, Micro Linear, Mindspring Enterprises, Network Computing Devices, Network Peripherals, New Era of Networks, Netro, Network Access Solutions, Network Associates, Nextel Comms, Oak Technology, Omtool, Open Market, Orckit Comms, PageMart Wireless, Phone.com, Primix Solutions, Prodigy Comms, Ramp Networks, Rogers Cantel Mobile Comms, SalesLogix, Secure Computing, SGI, TMSSequoia, Smith Micro, Tower Semiconductor, Tumbleweed Comms, Tut Systems, US Interactive, Vantive, VerticalNet, Vignette, Viisage Technology, Vitria Technology and Western Digital.

Good numbers were recorded by ACI Telecentrics (back in the black), ACS, ACT Teleconferencing (back in the black - just), Adaptec (back in the black), Advanced Fibre Comms, Advantage Learning Systems, Advent Software, AMS, Applix, Ardent Software, Artesyn Technologies, Atmel, BellSouth, Best Software, Business Objects, CACI, Celestica, Check-Point Software, Cognizant Technology, CompuCom Systems, Compuware, Cryptologic, Cypress Semiconductor, Deltek Systems, Diamond Technology Partners, Digital Microwave (back in the black), DSP Group, EMC, Entrust Technologies, Equinox, ESS Technology (back in the black), Extreme Networks, Gateway, Genesys Telecomms, Informix, Integrated Measurement Systems (back in the black), ISS, L-3 Comms, Lexmark, LSI Logic, Microsoft, MSC Software, Pericom Semiconductor, Pervasive Software, Philips Electronics, Polycom, Proxicom (back in the black), Proxim, RealNetworks (back in the black), Sanchez Computer Associates, Sapient (back in the black), Spyglass, STMicroelectronics, Sybase, Symbol Technologies, Symantec, TeleTech Holdings, Tellabs, Teradyne, TriQuint Semiconductor, Tyco International, Vitesse Semiconductor, Xilinx, Xircom and Zilog (back in the black).

Satisfactory figures came from Activision (back in the black), Ansys, ATI Technologies, Bell & Howell, Bell Microproducts (revenue well up), Cadence Design Systems, Ceridian, Computer Associates, Deltek, Diebold, Encad (back in the black), Equifax, Ericsson, First Data, GTE, Mentor, NCR, Onyx Software (back in the black), Pitney Bowes, RealNetworks, Rogers Comms (back in the black), Sabre Holdings, Sagent Technology (back in the black), SBS Technologies, Symix, Syntellect (back in the black), Tandy (back in the black), TelCom Semiconductor, Texas Instruments, Tricom and Xicor (back in the black).

Mediocre returns came from Bell Atlantic (back in the black), Benchmark Electronics, Brooktrout, C-Cube Microsystems, Chromaline, Ciber, Dassault Systemes SA, Eastman Kodak, HNC Software, Hyperion Solutions (back in the black), IBM, Keane, Micro Component Technology (back in the black-just), PeopleSoft, Quintel Comms, Rottor Industries, Safeguard Scientifics, Saga Systems, SAP, Sipex, Sprint, Tangram Enterprise Solutions, Tekelec, TeleSpectrum Worldwide, Ultrak, US West, Viacom and Xerox.

Very poor results came from Communication Systems International, EFI Electronics, Gentia (back in the black-just), Harris, JDA Software, Landmark Systems, Mechanical Dynamics (but back in the black), Nashua, Overland Data, SRDC and Viasoft (just in the black).

Other financial news included profit warnings from Ciber, Computer Horizons (loss predicted), Dell, Fujitsu, Genicom, IBM, Lexmark and Ramp Networks; share split announcements from Diamond Technology Partners, phone.com and Verity; and successful IPOs from Aether Systems and Sycamore Networks.

Locally

CIH (-33.3%)

Conlog (+57.8%)

Connection Group (+33.3%)

I-Solution (-34.5%)

IST (-25.9%)

ITech (-23.3%)

Jasco (+25%)

OSI (+21.5%)

Paradigm (+27.6%)

Reunert (-35.5%)

Internationally

Ardent Software (-35.5%)

Business Objects (+26%)

Check Point Software Technologies (+24.7%)

Clarify (+59.4%)

Conexant Systems (+30.4%)

Consolidated Graphics (-41.4%)

Epicor (-28.1%)

Olicom (-27.5%)

Pervasive Software (-66.9%)

VerticalNet (+30.1%)

PC Magazine`s latest list of the 100 technology companies that are changing the world has been published, with Microsoft retaining its number one slot and with America Online coming in at second place and Intel slipping from number two to number three. Some of the major movements were Amazon.com up to six from 33; Compaq down to 12 from four; eBay a new entry at 16; and AT&T up to 17 from 45.

Finally, another snippet from the UK survey endorsed by the UK Institute of Directors that I mentioned last week. The survey found that less than half of UK directors believe the Internet to be secure enough for e-commerce, more than 30% believe the Internet will "overload" within two years, and 40% believe the Internet is not a suitable tool for customer support.