LightBase Windows ­ World-wide Partnership

In a new and interesting development, computer software firms from Brazil and Goa, India have announced plans to work together to explore the world market together. Both sides have announced that a deal has already been arrived at, and is to be shortly signed.

This marks the culmination of efforts by Brazilian software industry to locate partners to attain ambitious targets for software exports. Goa, a former Portuguese colony, has been identified as an ideal place for teaming-up on software by the Brazilians, whose products are entirely in Portuguese.

Both sides hope the synergy from this new alliance will help the 2500+ Brazilian world class products get a wider share of the English-dominated software global market. In India, the alliance is seen as a positive opening-up for domestic software companies, from a country whose software skills has already been recognised, to form alliances with the over 700+ interested Brazilian companies.

In the first such deal of its kind, Light Infocon, a Brazilian company based in Campina Grande, Parieba and Online Productivity Solutions Private Limited of Goa are to work on a joint software project, for the Indian and world-wide English- speaking markets.

From all initial signs, the distant software links -- being propelled forward by the SoftEx nucleus of the Brazilian software industry, CGSoft -- offers promising scope for a large number of software companies in Goa and the rest of India, besides opening up new markets in India for world-class Brazilian software.

SoftEx, the apex body to promote the exports of Brazilian software to the global markets, also supported the building of these Indo-Brazilian links, through its two-year long efforts to bring Indian and Brazilian software industries closer.

In November last, a delegation from Brazil specially undertook a visit to Goa and India, where prolonged discussions were held between the two sides, and followed-up by friendly but businesslike negotiations over the Internet. Software was down- loaded, reviewed and comments sent and received.

It is currently expected that the relationship between Online and Light Infocon will not be limited to localization. Online will be engaged in co-development, documentation, technical support world-wide through the Internet (in English) and will be using Light Infocon's LightBase for Windows as a development platform for some of its applications and corporate solutions.

Besides, Online will be distributing LBW in India and in other potential markets and offering customers customised corporate training in LBW as well.

Established in 1983, Light Infocon Tecnologia S A (Campina Grande, PB, Brazil) is a leading provider of client-server, full text-retrieval database technology and solutions for Windows platforms. Its core technology is LightBase for Windows (LBW) which includes text and multimedia-retrieval, Rapid Application Development, using programming by form designing and Intranet and Internet access facilities to the corporate database.

Light Infocon, an important player in the Brazilian software scene is being funded by major Brazilian banks and investment agencies. The company has offices in major cities in Brazil and in the US. It also operates in Europe and Asia through partnership agreements with local distributors and SoftEx - The Brazilian Software Export Program.

Online Productivity Solutions Pvt. Ltd. is a Goa-based corporate consultancy, solutions, software development and training outfit. This young and ambitious firm is already making its mark on the Goan computer horizon.

Online's team comprises experienced Computer Professionals, with years of experience in the fields of corporate consultancy, training, hardware and software support, office automation and customised software development.

Initially, the two companies have agreed to localise Light- Infocon's flagship product, LightBase For Windows, an impressive Brazilian textual database for Windows-95 and Windows NT. This product will become one of the first products in India to allow ease of use coupled with very important features for textual storage, search and retrieval of documents.

More importantly, the English-language version of the product is seen as having great potential in the US and European markets.

"We feel that the product will open up vast scope for professionals like doctors, lawyers, or government offices, who have so far not used databases since their main paperwork consists of documents, and can now store their large documents which can then be searched and retrieved," says Ricky Noronha, director of Online.

The Indian team also praised LightBase for Windows' Rapid Application Development, due to which the user need not know too much of programming as it is very easy to develop from mini-applications to fairly complex ones, quite easily with LightBase for Windows.

Interestingly, the software's built-in client server orientation and advanced security features makes it a "database tool for the future", Arvind Yadav, another director of the Goa-based Online commented.

LightBase's textual features make it a unique product, since it allows for storing unlimited formatted text in a document-type field, and allows for quick querying and querying by form. Multiple queries can be created and saved, for future use.

"In addition to its textual capabilities, the software is exciting because it allows for the storing of sound and images (in fields of these type) along-with each record, empowering the software with multimedia capabilities" commented Online director Cyntia Antao in Goa

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