Simplify complexity. From Baan to Blades to BMC, that's what OST is all about.

OST has been named to CRN's 2006 Fast Growth 100 (http://www.crn.com/sections/fastgrowth/fg_overview.jhtml;jsessionid=BG) :), a listing of the fastest growing technology solution providers from a variety of specialties and business models. (CRN's OST Profile (http://crn.com/sections/special/fastgrowth/2006profiles.jhtml?c=41))

It's worth noting that our first appearance on this list puts us better than halfway up the rankings amid some very tough competition. CRN magazine said it best. "How did (the winners) achieve such stellar growth rates? Interestingly, ... the answer lies not so much in what the Fast Growth 100 do, but rather how they do it. When you look under the hood of any of these top companies, what you find most responsible for their galloping growth is their unique value proposition: Time and time again, it's their ingenuity and the investments they make in their people, their infrastructure and their customer relationships that earned them a place on the list of top performers."

Thanks to our existing customers. For those of you we haven't worked with, feel free to contact us through our website (http://www.ostusa.com) for your SSA Baan needs (or anything else we can help you with).

Such direct advertisement should be prohibited on this site.:)

Such direct advertisement should be prohibited on this site.:)

I agree.

This may be just another hoax. However, I trust that members will avoid/abstain from dealing with the company anyway.

If this (CRN) outfit was credible and competent it would not need to stoop to level of trying for free publicity.

OST sponsors the Development Forum. So I think the baanboard community has somewhat of a vested interest in their success.

Dave

Mind you that the General Discussion & Chat forum is for "Education, training, links, advertisements and chit-chat.".
So this post should not be a problem in this forum and we should not become too concerned about some commercial activity on BaanBoard.
If there were no sponsors Patrick, the owner of BB, would have pulled the plug on BaanBoard already. It would have been too costly for him where almost all members only try to benefit from the site but do not give something in return like sharing information more freely.
I know personally this is his biggest disappointment about the BB community.

Regards,

Edwin

Any good news about OST is good news for the board. So I agree with Edwin.

...If there were no sponsors Patrick, the owner of BB, would have pulled the plug on BaanBoard already...I know personally this is his biggest disappointment about the BB community...

If OST are sponsor them I admire them and think that fact should be recognised by all of us. I was unaware of that and can not see an obvious reference on the board (but can see Nazdaq, Otris, Bridgelogix and HP)

I do understand Patrick's disappointment but I personally did not renew my contribution when I found that there were not very many of us who prepared to contribute $$.

I would be perfectly happy for a subscription fee to be levied to gain other than cursory access to the board and I would willingly contribute again.

As for OST, I wonder how relevant their services are for most of us. The CRN listing shows them as focusing on the midwest of USA and having SSA Baan Software as just one of the products/areas they deal with.

Should we be cussing OST as a Baan-reseller, for not putting Baan back where it belongs at the top of the ERP market (or stopping the fall from number 3 spot)?

If OST are sponsor them I admire them and think that fact should be recognised by all of us. I was unaware of that and can not see an obvious reference on the board (but can see Nazdaq, Otris, Bridgelogix and HP)


OST sponsors the Tools forum - I see the logo everytime I click on the forum.

Wrong, advertisements like these *are* allowed - always were and alway will be - in this particular forum. By sponsoring the forum, OST also helps our community as Edwin and Mark already pointed out. But even so, the forum rules apply for every one, sponsor or not.

Terry: thanks for your commitment to a paying access scheme. However, I do believe that Baanboard can reach more people in Baan community by sharing resources on a free-to-use basis and this is how it will be as long as financially feasible :)

Suggest to put an indicator on such advertisements, to let the members judge on themselves. I don't against advertisement. This is a commercial world. I would suggest Patrick to charge on the advertisements, just like Google sponsor links.

I don't agree with Edwin that Patrick need to rely on such sponsors or membership fee to keep the forum running. :D

In my defense, the subject line was a pretty good indication that it was promotion for a company...

Charging on individual advertisements would be totally unpracticable. And let's not exaggerate, posting 1 press release hardly disrupts the forum. If I had to charge SSA Global for all the publicitly this site has generated for them, I'd be taking another couple of holidays each year.

I don't agree with Edwin that Patrick need to rely on such sponsors or membership fee to keep the forum running. :D

I never mentioned anything about a membership fee as I do not believe in that either.
However, in order to keep this forum up and running costs are involved and without the sponsors this forum would not exist.
Unfortunately almost all members come to the forum to take information but not to share. Ultimately this lack of balance in information sharing is the greatest danger for the survival of BaanBoard.

Regards,

Edwin

Vince, no justification required from your part. Your post was and is valid and will stay.

Although not intended, the early comments by tritonbaan and myself have certainly lead to an increase in awareness of OST and recognition for their financial support of this board/forum.

Whilst it would not be unreasonable for each of us to pay a fee to gain the benefit of this forum, there would be logistic problems collecting the dough, anoyances with suspected free-loaders and issues with capacity to pay verus willingness to pay verus benefit from the wide community.

We are all indebted to Patrick, the moderators and those organisations who provide financial and other assistance that make this forum viable. Well done guys, please keep it up.

Terry

Ok, enough over-indulging here. Back to business :)