License revenue for the September quarter dropped by 17.2 percent over the prior year, according to a preliminary statement issued by Exact Software. Exact said that was a lot better than the first half when the same source of income dropped by 30.4 percent over the first half of 2008.  However, the company, which is based in the Netherlands, said that business in North America remains to be the most affected by economic conditions while strong growth continues in its home country.  It did not provide any numbers for the regions. Total revenue dropped 8.6 percent to $81.3 million while EBITDA rose to about $19.2 million. (Percentages are calculated from the change in results as reported in euros.) That improvement stemmed from cost reduction and efficient improvement measures made in 2008. The company said it continues to focus on EBITDA protection and cash collection, but that it is also gearing up for an economic rebound. Read more...

This week's earnings reports has been an interesting chapter in salesmanship (Should that be salespersonship?) as CEOs trotted out their financial results via conference calls and ooh and aah about numbers that a year ago would have had them trying bungee jumping without a bungee cord. The bright spots do not seem to not be in the small and medium business market nor domestically, not that part of those segments aren’t improving in the United States.

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After nine years in channel programs, Michael Silmont, who served as national strategic alliances manager for CCH, is resigning to become COO of a Vancouver energy conservation software company. In his four years with CCH, Silmont was responsible for the reseller program for CCH’s sales-and-use tax initiatives, its first VAR channel.

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The four-city Convergence Europe series of conferences opened this week. But it was a quiet start. Microsoft issued a bland press release headlined ”Microsoft Reveals the Power of Dynamic Business at Convergence Europe,” about extending the Dynamics Business to Europe.

 

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