Q & A Repository

Subject: Re: Wang Systems

Posted By: Thomas Junker
Date: 7/14/02 at 10:54 p.m.

In Response To: VS SURVIVAL (Thomas Junker)

Subject: Re: Wang Systems

Date: Wed, 15 Oct 1997 02:18:23 -0500

On 7 Oct 97 at 22:43, xxxx wrote:

> Just found this site. Great info. I am Director of Technical Services
> for a major [...] company. I am responsible for our current remote systems in our
> hospitals which consist of about 74 VS5460's, 3 VS8430's and handful at
> our corporate office in [...].

Very nice! Your 84XX systems can accept the VS16000 upgrades, you know.

> We first started using Wang in 1989 installing then, the VS65's
> with OS 6.40.xx. We have come along way since then and can't seem
> to get off the wang. Upper management keeps pushing, for what
> reason, I do not know.

It's very nice to hear about people actually using their VS systems the way you are.

Many robust VS sites find that the work their VS's do is very understated until they assess what would have to be done on other platforms to replace the VS. Not all such migration projects succeed, either. I know of one that crashed and burned so badly that the unix platform vendor was invited to pack up and leave and, "Oh, by the way, buy us a new VS on your way out the door."

Upper management pushes to get off the VS because upper management seldom has a technical clue about anything. They should quit trying to micromanage the technical parts of their companies that they are totally unqualified to judge.

> I would like some input on how to keep them interested in keeping
> the systems.

Of course they don't want to hear what I wrote above. The hottest thing in the VS world right now, though, and one that can go a long way to convincing technically illiterate upper management (what planet do those people come from, anyway?) is to include TCP/IP connectivity in your VS plans. Every executive knows what a web browser is (after all, they all subscribe to AOL, don't they?), and when you can show them retrieval of VS data at a desktop running nothing more than Win95 with TCP/IP they fall over in a faint.

Do you have even one VS equipped with 802.3? Do you have TCP/IP on that VS? Are you willing to get the 802.3 LAN Controller and/or TCP/IP on a "try and buy" test drive from Wang? Are you willing to wait until 1Q98 to see if Wang decides to bundle TCP/IP?

If all those were "No," you can still show management a genuine VS Web Server running live on the Internet at those times I am able to put it on line.

ODBC, which I will be looking at after completing the web server, will allow all the usual suspects such as Excel to access VS data.

As far as generally opening management's eyes, you could point out that not only is Wang here to stay, but they have introduced new models of VS in 1996 and will likely announce yet another, bigger VS sometime in 1997. They have a Y2K compliant OS (7.53.xx) and their VS business is about $350 million/yr. Wang is now debt-free and has $200 million in the bank. Overall corporate revenues are running at about $1.3 billion according to statements made at InterACTION 97 last week. Joe Tucci, CEO, also stated unequivocally that Wang remains committed to the VS and that as long as customers continue to demand VS hardware and software Wang will continue to supply it. Nor is the product line static. In addition to the new, faster models of VS which can be retrofitted in all large cabinet VS models from VS300 to VS12650 (with the exception of the VS10000 cabinet) Wang has introduced new products in both hardware and software to address customer needs in the PC / LAN / Internet age. Wang now offers RAID 7, too.

What do you think?

Regards,

Thomas Junker

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