NetManage

NetManage Inc. was a software company founded in 1990 by Zvi Alon, an Israeli engineer who had studied at the Technion–Israel Institute of Technology and moved to Silicon Valley during the 1980s. The company was headquartered in Cupertino, California, while maintaining a major development center at the MATAM technology park in Haifa, Israel. It operated during the formative years of commercial TCP/IP networking and enterprise connectivity, developing software intended to connect personal computers and Windows workstations with Unix systems, mainframes, minicomputers, and corporate email environments. NetManage was among the early software vendors to commercialize TCP/IP networking and cross-platform email tools. Its portfolio expanded beyond basic communications utilities into terminal emulation, host integration, application modernization, service-oriented architecture planning, and personal information management. Products such as Chameleon UNIX Link helped Windows users access Unix resources, while RUMBA provided terminal emulation and connectivity to IBM mainframes, IBM iSeries systems, Hewlett-Packard computers, Unix environments, and VAX systems. The company also marketed OnWeb, a legacy-modernization and webification platform designed to expose command-line applications through graphical and web-based interfaces without rewriting their underlying business logic. The company grew through a combination of internal development and acquisitions. During the 1990s it acquired ServiceSoft, Arabesque Software, Syzygy Communications, AGE Logic, MaxInfo, NetSoft, FTP Software, Relay Technology, Wall Data, and Simware. The Wall Data transaction strengthened NetManage's position in terminal emulation through the RUMBA product line, while the Simware acquisition added OnWeb and related application-modernization capabilities. NetManage also acquired Librados in 2004, adding a Java Connector Architecture application-integration adapter to its portfolio. Its product history additionally included Z-Mail, acquired from Network Computing Devices, Relay Gold, Ecco Pro, and SOA Planner. NetManage became a public company whose shares traded on NASDAQ under the symbol NETM. During the dot-com boom, it reported annual revenue above $100 million for the year ended December 31, 2000, and was described as serving approximately 10,000 customers worldwide, including a majority of Fortune 500 companies. The company did not sustain that level of revenue in subsequent years, as demand and technology priorities changed and enterprise customers gradually moved toward newer integration and web architectures. NetManage was also associated with the launch of NetVision, described as one of Israel's first Internet service providers. This connection reflected the company's broader role in the development of Israel's early commercial Internet and software ecosystem, although NetManage's principal business remained enterprise software rather than consumer Internet access. Helder Antunes served as Director of Engineering from 1993 to 1998. In June 2008, Micro Focus International, a British enterprise-software company headquartered in Newbury, Berkshire, acquired NetManage. The transaction ended NetManage's existence as an independent public software company and brought its legacy connectivity and modernization technologies into Micro Focus's enterprise-software portfolio. NetManage is therefore best understood historically as a defunct enterprise software brand whose products addressed the long transition from host-based computing and command-line applications to Windows, web, and service-oriented environments.

NetManage was established in 1990 by Zvi Alon, an Israeli engineer and Technion graduate who had immigrated to Silicon Valley in the 1980s. The company developed in the early commercial networking era, when businesses were connecting personal computers and Windows workstations to Unix machines, mainframes, minicomputers, and emerging Internet infrastructure. Its early portfolio included TCP/IP networking software and cross-platform email products, making the company part of the first generation of vendors focused on practical enterprise connectivity. The company maintained its corporate base in Cupertino, California, and operated a development center at the MATAM technology park in Haifa, Israel. Its engineering and product strategy centered on allowing users to work with established host systems without replacing those systems outright. Chameleon UNIX Link supplied utilities for connecting Windows computers to Unix environments, including an X server, NFS functionality, and terminal emulation. NetManage also developed or acquired email and communications products such as Z-Mail and Relay Gold. During the 1990s, NetManage expanded through acquisitions. It acquired ServiceSoft and Arabesque Software in 1994, followed by Syzygy Communications and AGE Logic in 1995, MaxInfo in 1996, NetSoft in 1997, FTP Software in 1998, and Relay Technology, Wall Data, and Simware in 1999. Wall Data brought the RUMBA terminal-emulation business, while Simware contributed OnWeb, a platform for converting legacy command-line applications into graphical and web-accessible interfaces. These acquisitions broadened NetManage from a networking-utility vendor into a provider of enterprise host access, application integration, and modernization software. NetManage's RUMBA product became one of its principal enterprise offerings. It provided Windows-based access to IBM mainframes, IBM iSeries or AS/400 systems, Hewlett-Packard computers, Unix systems, and VAX environments. OnWeb addressed a related modernization problem: organizations could present older applications through web interfaces and reuse existing business logic without undertaking a full rewrite. The portfolio later included Librados, a Java Connector Architecture application-integration adapter acquired in 2004, as well as SOA Planner, Ecco Pro, and other communications and productivity products. The dot-com period brought substantial scale. NetManage reported revenue exceeding $100 million for the year ended December 31, 2000, and was described as having about 10,000 customers worldwide, including a majority of Fortune 500 companies. Its shares traded on NASDAQ under the symbol NETM. In the following years, however, the company did not maintain the same revenue level. Enterprise technology priorities were shifting toward browser-based applications, newer integration architectures, and broader platform consolidation, while portions of NetManage's historical product base served mature or declining host-computing environments. NetManage was also connected with the emergence of Israel's Internet sector through its involvement in launching NetVision, described as one of Israel's first Internet service providers. This activity complemented the company's software development presence in Haifa, although NetManage remained principally an enterprise software company. Helder Antunes was Director of Engineering from 1993 through 1998. In June 2008, Micro Focus International acquired NetManage. The acquisition ended the company's independent corporate and stock-market identity and transferred its products and technologies to a larger enterprise-software group. NetManage's historical importance lies in its role in bridging legacy host systems with Windows, web, and service-oriented computing, particularly through RUMBA, OnWeb, and related integration technologies.

1. 2008Acquisition by Micro Focus International

   Micro Focus International acquired NetManage in June 2008, ending NetManage's status as an independent company.

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2. 2004Librados acquisition

   NetManage acquired Librados, associated with a Java Connector Architecture application-integration adapter.

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3. 2000Revenue exceeds $100 million

   For the year ended December 31, 2000, NetManage generated more than $100 million in annual revenue during the dot-com boom.

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4. 1999Expansion through three acquisitions

   NetManage acquired Relay Technology, Wall Data, and Simware. Wall Data was associated with RUMBA, while Simware was associated with OnWeb.

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5. 1998FTP Software acquisition

   NetManage acquired FTP Software, extending its networking and communications capabilities.

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6. 1997NetSoft acquisition

   NetManage acquired NetSoft.

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7. 1996MaxInfo acquisition

   NetManage acquired MaxInfo.

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8. 1995Syzygy Communications and AGE Logic acquisitions

   The company acquired Syzygy Communications and AGE Logic as part of its 1990s expansion.

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9. 1994ServiceSoft and Arabesque Software acquisitions

   NetManage expanded its software portfolio through the acquisitions of ServiceSoft Ltd and Arabesque Software.

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10. 1993Helder Antunes becomes Director of Engineering

    Helder Antunes served as NetManage's Director of Engineering from 1993 to 1998.

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11. 1990NetManage is founded

    Zvi Alon founded NetManage as a software company focused on networking, TCP/IP, email, and enterprise connectivity.

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Enterprise connectivity and legacy-modernization software for organizations integrating Windows and web users with mainframes, Unix systems, IBM iSeries platforms, VAX computers, and other established host environments.

• RUMBATerminal emulation and host connectivity

  RUMBA was NetManage's terminal-emulation and host-connectivity product family. It gave Windows users access to IBM mainframes, IBM iSeries or AS/400 systems, Hewlett-Packard computers, Unix systems, and VAX environments. Its functions included multiple sessions, printer emulation, file transfer, and local graphics support, helping organizations preserve access to established host applications while presenting users with a Windows-oriented working environment.

• OnWebLegacy application modernization

  OnWeb was a legacy-modernization and webification platform obtained through the acquisition of Simware. It converted command-line applications into graphical and web-based interfaces and allowed older business processes to be reused as components. Its central proposition was to modernize access and workflows without changing the underlying application logic, reducing the disruption and cost associated with a full system rewrite.

• Chameleon UNIX LinkUnix connectivity utilities

  Chameleon UNIX Link was a collection of utilities for connecting Windows computers with Unix systems. The suite included an X server, NFS client and server functionality, terminal emulation, and related communications tools. It addressed the need to use Windows workstations alongside Unix infrastructure during a period when mixed operating-system environments were common in corporate computing.

• Z-MailEmail client

  Z-Mail was a cross-platform, standards-based email client acquired by NetManage from Network Computing Devices. It represented the company's expansion beyond networking utilities into enterprise messaging and user-facing communications software.

• LibradosApplication integration2004

  Librados was associated with a Java Connector Architecture application-integration adapter. NetManage acquired the business in 2004, adding Java-based integration capabilities to a portfolio that already included host connectivity and legacy-application modernization tools.

• SOA PlannerService-oriented architecture planning

  SOA Planner was an intelligent service-modeling and planning solution associated with NetManage's effort to address service-oriented architecture and enterprise application planning.

• Ecco ProPersonal information management

  Ecco Pro was a personal information management software program included in NetManage's broader historical product portfolio.

• Relay GoldTerminal emulation

  Relay Gold was a terminal-emulation software program associated with NetManage's communications and host-access business.

• 2008Sale to Micro Focus InternationalM&A

  NetManage had built a portfolio around enterprise connectivity, terminal emulation, and modernization of legacy applications, but it did not maintain the revenue level reported during the dot-com boom.

  What changed. Micro Focus International acquired NetManage in June 2008.

  Aftermath. The transaction ended NetManage's existence as an independent public company and transferred its technologies into Micro Focus's enterprise-software business.

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• 2008NetManage is acquired by Micro Focus International

  Micro Focus International acquired NetManage in June 2008, ending NetManage's operation as an independent public software company and adding its enterprise connectivity and legacy-modernization technologies to Micro Focus's portfolio.

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1. NetManage