Industry altered by host of deals; stocks are the lucre for Sterling, Microsoft, D&B - users see benefits - software merger mania

Software Magazine, Dec, 1994 by Colleen Frye

Feedback from the Pilot user community has been positive, Friend said. "Any big company we do business with would much rather do business with a company they know is going to be around in five years. D&B has committed to making significant investments in Pilot. There will be no change to the way Pilot is run other than the fact we have a new shareholder."

Pilot Lightship user Ken Schaub, assistant director, information systems, at Loma Linda University Medical Center, Loma Linda, Calif., said he thinks the purchase of Pilot's should help the product line. "[Pilot's] products are right on the money, but they probably needed the marketing muscle." Schaub said his only concern is whether D&B Corp. will let Pilot proceed with product development.

A healthy acquisition market is good news for users like Schaub, said Broadview's Ellison. "It all bodes well for the continued innovation and development of new products," he said. For smaller firms, with good products, there is the potential reward of a very big financial pay day.