What is MultiValue?

MultiValue is a designation and a symbol given to the world's most widely used and experienced business software solutions. No matter how specialized your computing needs are, there is a MultiValue software solution that exactly matches your computing requirements. At nearly $3 billion annually, MultiValue is one of today's fastest growing segments of the business software solution market.  

Often referred to by insiders as the computer industry's "best kept secret", businesses and institutions frequently are hesitant to disclose the fact that they use a MultiValue solution since it is often at the core of their competitive edge. This is because MultiValue software is designed by business experts familiar with the most efficient way to handle the data processing needed by their specific industry and therefore costs less to maintain and operate than generic solutions. And because MultiValue business software is portable across all computer hardware and major operating systems.  

Who uses MultiValue business software?

Over 10 million people in companies around the world sign on to a MultiValue system every day when they arrive at work.  MultiValue business software solutions are available for over 300 major industries and institutions from the smallest company to companies with thousands of users. 

Collectively, the sellers or MultiValue business solutions represent a $2 billion plus annual market in software alone and have a staggering three million strong user base worldwide that has been accumulated over the past 25 years.

In the late 1990s, International Spectrum conducted a survey of over 500 active companies in the MultiValue market.  These companies were categorized as either a VAR, Software House, or Independent Consulting firm.

The survey revealed that the average MultiValue VAR generates $4.71 million revenue in the market annually.  The average MultiValue Software House reported $2.04 million annual revenue and the average MultiValue Consultant generates $187K annually.  Those doing the best are those who know both the web and legacy MultiValue applications.

International Spectrum currently is aware of over 400 active MultiValue VARs, 182 active MultiValue Software Houses and approximately 2,000 independent consultants.  Based on the above survey, a simple linear extrapolation estimates the annual MultiValue market at $2.95 billion.

To gain a consumer image commensurate with the true collective market size of these database environments, International Spectrum spearheaded a drive in January 1996 to encourage the core providers, VARs, and end users in the market to refer to and label their products and systems as belonging to a common family of products through the use of a "Dolby Surround"-like symbol. With the assistance of a special Technical Advisory Board, the term "MultiValue" was deemed to have both technical and marketing significance and the MultiValue symbol was adopted.

The concept has been simple and effective. Any producer of software or services specifically designed for a MultiValue-identified database environment can use the MultiValue symbol in conjunction with those products and services.

For more information visit www.intl-spectrum.com.