BEDFORD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 31, 2008--DataDirect Technologies, the unparalleled leader in data connectivity and mainframe integration and an operating company of Progress Software Corporation (Nasdaq: PRGS), today announced that Peter Schaeffer returns to DataDirect Technologies as principle architect of the DataDirect® Shadow® mainframe integration platform. An acclaimed software architect and entrepreneur, Schaeffer is credited with founding NEON Systems and building the original Shadow ODBC to DB2 data connectivity product - the first viable middleware for direct mainframe data connectivity. NEON Systems was acquired by Progress Software in 2006 and is now part of the DataDirect Technologies operating company. Schaeffer brings to DataDirect Technologies an unparalleled understanding of mainframe integration, technical innovation and proven leadership skills.
As principal architect of the Shadow product, Schaeffer joins a first-rate product development team comprised of the industry's foremost experts in mainframe SOA enablement and data connectivity. This group includes recently hired senior director of research and development, Asher Aremband, who came to DataDirect from CA where he held various titles including architect and chief architect for OPS/MVS and Shadow chief architect Gregg Willhoit, who along with Schaeffer was responsible for architecting several commercially successful software products including the ShadowDirect® ODBC-to-mainframe data product for DB2, IMS, VSAM, CICS and Adabas. Together, these accomplished and highly regarded industry innovators will apply their vast experience, superior skills and deep understanding of mainframe systems to ensure the continued growth and technical leadership of the Shadow product.
"I'm delighted to be back with the Shadow team at such an exciting time for the product," said Peter Schaeffer. "The team is stronger than ever and we're extremely well positioned to continue reshaping the landscape for mainframe integration. This will be incredibly rewarding both personally and professionally."
A successful entrepreneur, Schaeffer co-founded MVS Software, a privately held software development company and an industry leader in systems automation. There, Schaeffer served as vice president of technology responsible for authoring OPS/MVS. The company was later acquired by Goal Systems International, Inc. where Schaeffer authored the second-generation version of a mainframe workload automation restart and tracking software package. He left Goal Systems International Inc. in 1991 to begin NEON Systems Inc., a leading provider of enterprise access and integration software where he served as founder, president and CEO for the first five years before moving into the role of CTO. Most recently, Schaeffer has held the position of fellow at the venture capital firm JMI, Inc.
"Schaeffer's remarkable career and outstanding reputation as a leading mainframe architect is an invaluable addition to the company," said John Goodson, vice president and general manager of DataDirect Technologies. "His vast mainframe knowledge and creative spirit will without a doubt propel the Shadow product to the next level. We are delighted to have him on board."
With a 20-year history and position as the world leader in data connectivity and mainframe integration, DataDirect Technologies recruits and retains the most sought-after and respected talent in the mainframe and data access disciplines. Adding to its marketing team, DataDirect has appointed Jeff Overton, senior product manager for the Shadow product line. Overton started his career on the technical side as a mainframe programmer, analysts and database administrator before moving into product marketing. He has held positions with BEA Systems, Quest Software, BMC Software, NEON Systems and most recently RenewData Corp.
DataDirect Shadow offers a single, unified integration architecture that allows organizations to redeploy and reuse existing mainframe assets. The product supports all major industry standard requirements for integrating mainframe data, business logic and screens with service-oriented architecture (SOA) and composite application initiatives. Version 7 of the DataDirect Shadow product incorporates new patent-pending technology that uniquely exploits IBM's specialty engines to provide users with the ability to dramatically reduce mainframe total-cost-of-ownership (TCO) and significantly improve SOA performance.
About DataDirect Technologies
DataDirect Technologies is the software industry's only comprehensive provider of software for connecting the world's most critical business applications to data and services, running on any platform, using proven and emerging standards. Developers worldwide depend on DataDirect® products to connect their applications to an unparalleled range of data sources using standards-based interfaces such as ODBC, JDBC and ADO.NET, XQuery and SOAP. More than 300 leading independent software vendors and thousands of enterprises rely on DataDirect Technologies to simplify and streamline data connectivity for distributed systems and to reduce the complexity of mainframe integration. DataDirect Technologies is an operating company of Progress Software Corporation (Nasdaq: PRGS). For more information, www.datadirect.com.
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