Ramco Systems Delivers Groundbreaking Model-Based Architecture

    LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J., Feb. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ramco Systems, a
 global provider of enterprise solutions and services that close the gap
 between business needs and IT capabilities, today announced delivery of its
 groundbreaking model-based application development and delivery platform
 called Ramco VirtualWorks(TM).  Ramco VirtualWorks includes a model-based
 architecture, a complete web-enabled set of workbenches for the application
 development lifecycle, as well as methodologies for all stages of
 implementation.  An "extreme productivity platform," Ramco VirtualWorks allows
 faster and higher quality application design, development and delivery than
 the current generation of enterprise-class software.
     "The reality is that the current generation of enterprise applications
 wasn't designed to easily accommodate change on-demand in response to changing
 business needs," said P.R.Venketrama Raja, vice-chairman and managing director
 of Ramco Systems.  "Ramco VirtualWorks establishes a completely different way
 to build, implement and evolve enterprise applications that fundamentally
 improves the time, cost, quality and flexibility of solution delivery."
     Ramco's unique model-based approach is centered on a unique, comprehensive
 model of granular business processes, representing 70 different industries.
 These components can be combined and re-combined dynamically according to
 supporting rules.  The architecture was developed in a technology-neutral
 environment, and proven on IBM, J2EE and .NET platforms, making it "future-
 proof" for customers' technical environments.
     Ramco VirtualWorks enables the company's two core offerings:  Ramco
 Enterprise Series(TM), next-generation application suites; and Ramco
 Enterprise Custom Solutions(TM), custom development services through its
 "collaborative development centers" which are designed to meet individual
 customer's exact requirements.  In addition, VirtualWorks is used to form
 "composite" applications -- integrating a customer's existing third-party
 applications with VirtualWorks business components to create seamless business
 processes.
     Ramco VirtualWorks serves as the platform of Ramco Enterprise Series, the
 company's next-generation of enterprise applications.  Based on a
 comprehensive model of business processes and rules, the Ramco Enterprise
 Series application suites have been tailored to meet the specific vertical
 industry requirements for process manufacturing, discrete manufacturing,
 asset-intensive industries and aviation; horizontal solutions in human
 resources and business intelligence; and back-office solutions for finance and
 distribution.
     To develop custom solutions for a company's unique requirements, Ramco
 Custom Solutions offering uses VirtualWorks to generate 80% of the new
 application code automatically from the model and route the additional 20% of
 the coding to development personnel.  Because the architecture is entirely
 web-based, the coding requirements can easily be routed to Ramco's offshore
 development site.  The result is an extremely cost-effective, tailored,
 company-specific solution that can also integrate other systems.
     In addition, companies can integrate other applications from providers
 such as SAP and Siebel or legacy systems and "fill the gaps" in their existing
 applications portfolio with Ramco's solutions.  Ramco VirtualWorks is
 architected as business processes that are dynamically linked to the
 supporting software components.  This not only provides superior software
 functionality, but also integrates other applications (both technically and
 from a business process management perspective) into a single business process
 supported by the resulting "composite" application.
     In a recent AMR Research Alert dated December 11, 2002, John Bermudez,
 senior vice president, wrote: "The application framework approach
 distinguishes Ramco Systems; the company has the critical attributes of a
 long-term winner: patience, conviction, and vision."  The introduction of the
 Ramco System's groundbreaking architecture and applications represents an
 investment of 1,500 person-years.
     Ramco's solutions address the need for companies to change and
 continuously align their enterprise solutions over time in response to
 changing business issues.  Ramco VirtualWorks' model-based design gives
 business analysts the control and ability to quickly visualize, identify and
 alter the way the application behaves on a functional level, and then
 automates a controlled implementation of that change.  The common model
 ensures that all changes are well defined and traceable which provides greater
 control and maintainability.  This allows customers to attain the benefits of
 tailoring the software -- without complex software code and configuration
 "switches" -- resulting in both increased quality and reduced cost.
     See related releases "Ramco Systems Delivers Next-Generation Enterprise
 Applications," "Ramco Systems Rolls Out Innovative Custom Solutions Service"
 and "Ramco Systems Penetrates US Market with Major Customer Acquisitions."
 
     About Ramco Systems
     Ramco Systems Limited (http://www.ramco.com), established in 1989, is a
 global provider of enterprise solutions that close the gap between companies'
 IT capabilities and business objectives.  Ramco Systems' solutions include
 Ramco Enterprise Series, packaged application suites; Ramco Enterprise Custom
 Solutions, for unique customer requirements; and Ramco VirtualWorks, a
 groundbreaking, model-based development and delivery platform.  More than
 1,400 employees serve 1,000 customer sites in 70 industry segments worldwide,
 including Bemis, Cisco, Columbia Helicopters, Ericsson, Hyundai, MJB Woods,
 Philips and Swatch.  Based in Chennai, India, Ramco Systems is part of the
 Ramco Group, one of India's most respected organizations and in business for
 63 years.  The company is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange, National Stock
 Exchange and the Madras Stock Exchange.  Ramco Systems serves more than 140
 customers in the U.S. and has offices in Lawrenceville, NJ, Lisle, IL and
 Milipitas, CA.
 
     Ramco Systems.  Where Enterprise Solutions Meet Business Reality(SM).
 
     All products mentioned are the trademarks of their respective owners.
 
 

SOURCE  Ramco Systems