By Cassandra Balentine
For the 2018 Software 500, our researchers continued with the same format as previous years to determine the ranking. The data for this year’s Software 500 looks at the 2017 fiscal year, comparing it to 2016 revenue data from both public and private software and services companies. To ensure consistency, the fiscal years recognized by Software Magazine for 2017 include period ending dates between March 31, 2017 to February 28, 2018 and March 31, 2016 to February 28, 2017 for the 2016 fiscal year.
In the 2018 report, total software and services revenue came to $867.8 billion compared to $813.6 billion in the 2017 report. This shows a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.8%.
Changes at the Top
The top two Software 500 companies remained the same compared to last year, with IBM at number one, Microsoft number two. The number three slot goes to Accenture, which is up two spots from the 2017 ranking; Oracle also moves up to four from six; SAP to five from eight; and Apple Inc. comes in at six, up from nine.
Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) goes down to seven, a drop from its number four slot last year. Ericsson goes down one slot to eight.
Dell comes in at nine. Due to how the company categorized its revenue the past several years, Dell was not eligible for the Software 500 ranking. However, after looking at how the company structured its software and services this year, they were included, making the top ten.
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) maintained its number ten position.
It is also worth noting that HP Inc. does not make an apperance in this year’s Software 500 ranking. This is because, after its divesture of Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company (HPE), remaining segments focus on personal computing and other access devices, imaging, and printing products, and related products.
Here are company highlights from the top ten contenders on the 2018 Software 500.
IBM is a multinational information technology company with operations in over 170 countries. The company has an interest in a variety of technologies, including developer tools, enterprise technology, artificial intelligence (AI), the cloud, blockchain, security, and Internet of Things (IoT).
This Fall, IBM announced its decision to acquire Red Hat, making it a top hybrid cloud provider worldwide.
Microsoft enables digital transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud and an intelligent edge.
Earlier this year, the CEOs of Adobe, Microsoft, and SAP introduced the Open Data Initiative at the Microsoft Ignite conference. Together, the three longstanding partners are reimagining customer experience management by empowering companies to derive more value from their data and deliver world-class customer experiences in real time.
Accenture is a professional services company, providing a range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology, and operations. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries and all business functions, Accenture works at the intersection of business and technology to help clients improve performance and create sustainable value for stakeholders.
The company recently announced the development and testing of technology solutions that enable two or more blockchain-enabled ecosystems to integrate, addressing a major challenge hindering the ability for blockchain to reach its potential. The two solutions show that blockchain platforms from Digital Asset and R3 as well as Hyperledger Fabric and Quorum are capable of integrating to securely orchestrate business processes.
Oracle focuses on AI, blockchain, the IoT, machine learning, and other emerging technologies. The company helps customers develop roadmaps, migrate to the cloud, and take advantage of emerging technologies from any point—new cloud deployments, on premises environments, and hybrid implementations. Oracle’s approach makes it easy for companies to get started in the cloud and even easier to expand as business grows.
The company recently announced the availability of digital assistants for the enterprise. Built on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, Oracle Digital Assistant enables companies to build personalized digital assistants to help employees work smarter and more productively.
SAP is a cloud company powered by SAP HANA and provider of enterprise application software. Its machine learning, IoT, and advanced analytics technologies are designed to turn its customers’ businesses into intelligent enterprises. SAP gives people and organizations deep business insight and fosters collaboration that helps them stay ahead of the competition.
Among its many recent announcements, SAP introduced advancements in the SAP Cloud Platform, which allows customers to connect demand chain to their supply chain, meet new privacy and security regulations, and provide an exclusive cloud environment for their critical applications.
Apple is known for its sleek computers and its revolution of the cellular phone. In addition to its hardware, Apple’s four software platforms—iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS—provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices.
Apple and Salesforce recently announced a strategic partnership that brings together Salesforces’ CRM and its iOS to enable new mobile applications for business.
HPE is a global technology company focused on developing intelligence solutions that allow customers to capture, analyze, and act upon data seamlessly from edge to cloud.
HPE recently completed the separation and merger of its Enterprise Services business with Computer Sciences Corporation. The Everett Transaction was accomplished by a series of transactions among CSC, HPE, Everett SpinCo, Inc., and New Everett Merger Sub Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Everett. The company transferred its Enterprise Services business to Everett and distributed all of the shares of Everett to HPE stockholders. Following the distribution, the Merger Sub merged with and into CSC, which became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Everett. At the time of the merger, Everett changed its name to DXC Technology Company.
Ericsson enables communications service providers to capture the full value of connectivity. The company’s portfolio spans networks, digital services, managed services, and emerging business and is designed to help its customers go digital, increase efficiency, and find new revenue streams.
This Summer, Ericsson UDN and Mode announced an edge compute ecosystem partnership. Fortune 500 businesses face the task of trying to manage multiple networks to achieve the right combination of reliability, flexibility, and affordability. These enterprises are looking for a lower-cost option that maintains the reliability and security of a traditional Multiprotocol Label Switching network but provides the flexibility of a cloud service. To address this opportunity, Ericsson UDN and Mode have announced an edge compute ecosystem partnership to deliver a new category of global enterprise network. Ericsson’s Unified Deliver Network, known for its Content Delivery Network solution, also offers powerful edge computing capabilities. These capabilities, combined with Mode’s unique routing algorithms, produce an efficient private core network offered as a cloud service. This self-service cloud private network enables enterprises, security providers, network optimization providers, and other service providers to overcome some of the performance issues of the open internet, as well as the costs and inflexibility of traditional private networks.
Dell Inc., a part of Dell Technologies, provides customers of all sizes with a broad, innovative portfolio from edge to core to cloud. Dell Inc. comprises of Dell client as well as Dell EMC infrastructure offerings that enable organizations to modernize, automate, and transform data centers while providing the modern workforce and consumers what they need to securely connect, produce, and collaborate from anywhere at any time.
The company recently announced additional leading capabilities to its broad portfolio of VMware solutions, spanning from the edge to the core to the cloud. These new solutions and enhanced integrations are designed to help customers achieve IT transformation goals with a unified, seamless experience across PC and mobile devices, software-defined data centers, hyper-converged infrastructures, and multi-cloud platforms.
TCS is an IT services, consulting, and business solutions organization that partners with many of the world’s largest businesses in their transformation journeys for the last 50 years. TCS offers a consulting-led, cognitive powered, integrated portfolio of IT, business and technology services, and engineering. This is delivered through its unique location independent agile delivery model.
The company is doing a lot with blockchain. TCS announced the successful completion of a Proof of Concept (PoC) around a blockchain-based, non-exchange trade settlement using TCS’ Quartz Blockchain Solution. Developed in collaboration with the Canadian Depository for Securities, a wholly-owned subsidiary of TMX Group, the PoC is part of a large market infrastructure transformation program leveraging TCS BaNCS for Market Infrastructure, aimed at the modernization of depository, clearing, and settlement services in Canada. The PoC helped demonstrate how delivery versus payment trade settlement can be completed using tokenized assets held on the Quartz blockchain ledger. It used a unique co-existent architecture comprising conventional and blockchain technologies, leveraging TCS’ Quartz Blockchain Solution’s support for co-existence and a choice of messaging standards, including ISO/FIX/FIXML for data exchange with the ledger.
Public/Private
The 2018 Software 500 has 31 private and 469 public companies. Therefore, the vast majority—nearly 94%—are public companies. This is down from last year, when 47 companies were represented in the 2017 Software 500. The Software 500 is open to public and private companies, but our researchers cannot include private companies that do not submit their data or release an annual report.
Revenue Growth Leaders Over $1B
The following sections highlight stand out companies in each revenue segment. The Software 500 ranks by highest software and services revenue, which is reflected below.
Ranked 102, Momo Inc. reports $1.3 billion and 138.3% growth compared to 2016. Momo Inc. is a mobile social networking platform in China. The company utilizes location-based features, enabling users to connect with each other. Its platform includes the Momo mobile application, the Hani mobile application, and a variety of related features, functionalities, tools, and services that it provides to users, customers, and platform partners.
Ranked 9, Dell Inc. reports $19.9 billion and 53.5% growth compared to 2016. Dell Technologies is a privately-controlled technology company that provides the essential infrastructure for digital business and IT transformation through its family of strategically aligned businesses. Built on the combined capabilities of Dell, Dell EMC, VMware, Pivotal, Secureworks, RSA Security, and Virtustream in one company, Dell Technologies is positioned to address its customers’ critical IT needs in the data center.
Ranked 114, Palo Alto Networks reports $1.0 billion and 48.7% growth compared to 2016. The cybersecurity company is focused on protecting life in the digital age by preventing successful cyberattacks. Its pioneering Security Operating Platform safeguards digital transformations with continuous innovation that combines the latest breakthroughs in security, automation, and analytics.
Growth Leaders $100M to $1B
Ranked 119 LogMeIn reports $898.8 million, a 194.52% growth. The company simplifies how people connect with each other and the world around them to drive meaningful interactions, deepen relationships, and create better outcomes for individuals and businesses.
Ranked 118, Alibaba Group Services Limited reports $990.3 million, a 129.35% growth. The company’s businesses are comprised of core commerce, cloud computing, digital media and entertainment, and innovation initiatives.
Ranked 235, Square Inc. reports $252.7 million, a 95.33% growth. Square, Inc. creates tools that help sellers start, run, and grow their businesses. It enables sellers to accept card payments and also provides reporting and analytics, next-day settlement, and chargeback protection. Square’s point-of-sale software and other business services help sellers manage inventory, locations, and employees; access financing; engage buyers; build a website or online store; and grow sales.
Growth Leaders $50M to $100M
Ranked 360, Finjan Holdings reports $50.5 million and 174.7% growth. Finjan is a technology company committed to enabling innovation through the licensing of its intellectual property through its subsidiaries Finjan, Inc, Finjan Mobile, and Finjan Blue. The company’s engineers and developers pioneered behavior-based, real-time detection of online threats by identifying patterns and expected behavior of code and content rather than relying solely upon signatures of existing and already known threats. Finjan’s commitment to innovation in the security space continues through its investments, which have culminated in the development of mobile applications through Finjan Mobile; the launch of Finjan’s consulting services business, CybeRisk; and incubation of up-and-coming technology startups pioneering a new generation of security technologies through its investment in Jerusalem Venture Partners Fund VII’s Cyber Labs.
Ranked 333, Microgen plc reports $80.7 million and 38.55% growth. Microgen is the owner of two leading software businesses, Aptitude Software and Microgen Financial Systems. With a Premium Listing on the London Stock Exchange, Microgen is a financially strong group providing innovative software solutions. Aptitude Software serves enterprise CFOs in a range of industries, helping them streamline finance operations, address regulatory requirements, and deliver strategic insights to their business leaders. Microgen Financial Systems offers a variety of financial services technology systems focused on the global Wealth Management sector and also provides Application Management services.
Ranked 341 Citadel Group reports $73.2 and 34.3% growth. Citadel is an ASX-listed software and technology company that specializes in secure enterprise information management in complex environments. The company provides secure information to support real-time decisions across the health, national security, defense, and other enterprises.
Ranked 371, Senior Solutions S.A. reports $42.3 and a growth of 73.4%. The company has operated for more than 21 years in the Brazilian IT industry and is a provider on the development and commercialization of software applications for the financial industry in Brazil. According to the company, it developed the first application to Brazilian banks with the concept of full banking system.
Ranked 362, Asure Software reports $49.7 and 56.7% growth. The company offers the only human capital management (HCM) platform empowering clients with measurable insight into the productivity of their employees. HCM is an all-encompassing tool providing businesses with payroll and tax solutions, benefits administration, human resources, talent management, and ACA healthcare reform software solutions.
Ranked 366, Mitek Systems reports $45.4 and 30.8% growth. Mitek is a global provider of mobile capture and digital identity verification solutions built on the latest advancements in AI and machine learning. Mitek’s identity verification solutions enable an enterprise to verify a user’s identity during a digital transaction, which assists financial institutions, payments companies, and other businesses operating in highly regulated markets in mitigating financial risk and meeting regulatory requirements while increasing revenue from digital channels.
Growth Leaders $10M to $30M
Ranked 438, WISeKey International reports $12.6 million with a growth of 391.8%. The company is a leading global cybersecurity company headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland and currently deploys large-scale digital identity ecosystems with a patented process. WISeKey’s Swiss-based cryptographic Root of Trust provides secure authentication and identification in both physical and virtual environments for the IoT, blockchain, and AI.
Ranked 417, WANdisco reports $19.64 million and a 72.6% growth. The company is shaping the future of data infrastructure with its groundbreaking Live Data platform, enabling companies to put all their data to work for the business—all the time, at any scale. WANdisco makes data always available, accurate, and protected, delivering hyperscale economics to support exponential data growth with the same IT budget.
Ranked 439, AGM Group Holdings Inc. reports $12.23 million and 72.57% growth. AGM Group Holdings focuses on financial technology and investment areas, and combines a group of companies that together can service all parts of your business needs and grow your business. AGM Group is committed to exploring new formats of trading technology to meet the ever changing markets.
Growth Leaders Less than $10M
Ranked 497, 01 Communique Laboratory Inc. reports $390 thousand and a growth of 681.9%. 01 Communique is a provider in the new realm of Post-Quantum Cyber Security. Blockchains have taken the world by storm because they have taken cyber security to a new height. While blockchains are poised to disrupt many industries, from their operations to business models, quantum computing is poised to disrupt virtually the whole cyber security as we know today.
Ranked 496, Mobetize Corp. reports $470 thousand and a growth of 271.2%. From payments to lending to mobile wallets, Mobetize collaborates and empowers leading financial institutions and telecom companies to revolutionize how financial services are delivered and consumed in the digital world.
Ranked 482, AudioEye Inc. reports $2.7 million and a growth of 175.52%. The company’s suite of products and services are designed to enable equal access, enhance the user experience for all, and provide sustainable, results-driven accessibility solutions for any enterprise with an online presence.
Top Categories
The most popular category in the Software 500 is Security Tools/Systems, which is comprised of 45 companies. Within this category is cybersecurity, which represents a major part of the overall global IT landscape.
According to a recent study by MarketsandMarkets, Cybersecurity Market by Solution, Service, Security Type, Deployment Mode, Organization Size, Industry Vertical, and Region – Global Forecast to 2023, the global cybersecurity market size will grow from $152.71 billion USD in 2018 to $248.26 billion USD by 2023, at a CAGR of 10.2% during the forecast period.
The report states that an increase in the frequency and sophistication of cyber threats, stringent data protection regulations for information security, and rise in the number of supply chain-based attacks exploiting the software supply chain drive the cybersecurity solutions and services.
According to MarketsandMarkets, the cybersecurity market by solution is segmented into identity and access management, risk and compliance management, encryption, data loss prevention, unified threat management, firewall, antivirus/antimalware, intrusion detection system/intrusion prevention system, security and vulnerability management, disaster recovery, distributed denial of service mitigation, web filtering, and others—application whitelisting and patch management.
The second ranking category in the Software 500 is IT Consulting/Staffing, which is made up of 30 companies. In its IT Staffing report published this Spring, Staffing Industry Analysts (SAI) reported that global IT staffing generated $59 billion in revenue in 2016, representing more than 15% of the total global temporary staffing market.
SAI also notes that about half of IT staffing is derived from the U.S., where we forecast revenue to maintain a 4% growth trajectory in 2018. However, the analyst firm says it is a growing but complex industry.
The research report says secular trend of an increasing contingent share of the workforce remains intact, driven by buyer demand for flexibility, scalability, and reduced risk. Digital disruption has intensified the flexibility factor, specifically for IT talent, as an accelerating pace of technological innovation and a more rapidly evolving business environment have fueled demand for shorter-term projects requiring more specific IT skill sets.
According to SAI, the same demand drivers also generate an increase in demand for the provision of projects and managed services under statement of work, which are becoming an increasingly prevalent supplemental layer of service offerings within traditional staffing firms, particularly among the larger IT staffing operators.
In the IT staffing update, Brian Wallins, senior research analyst, SAI, points out that a constrained labor supply is a barrier to growth. “While the shortage of high-level IT talent has the benefit of enhancing the value of staffing services, it also creates recruiting challenges. As unemployment rates for IT occupations continued to tighten in 2017, we believe the labor shortage pendulum has swung to a point where the challenges outweigh the benefits.”
Healthcare and E-Business Applications, Services, and Tools tie for the third most popular category with 23 participating companies in each category.
According to Allied Market Research, the Healthcare IT (HCIT) market is expected to reach $297 billion, globally, by 2022. In its Healthcare IT Market or Healthcare Information Technology Market Overview, the research firm suggests the global HCIT or healthcare information technology market was evaluated at $125 billion in 2015, and is estimated to reach $297 billion by 2022, with a CAGR of 13.2%. The HCIT solutions and services defined in this report automate, manage, and control the different tasks and processes in healthcare organizations. This market growth is attributed to the rising demand for patient safety and data accuracy, need to curtail healthcare cost, and implementation of various healthcare policies promoting the use of HCIT in healthcare facilities.
The firm says the healthcare IT market is broken up by several products, including healthcare provider solutions, clinical solutions, and non-clinical solutions; healthcare payer solutions; and healthcare outsourcing solutions, including provider HCIT outsourcing services and IT infrastructure management services; according to its study, Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2014 to 2022.
E-Business Applications, Services, and tools encompasses the sale of physical goods via a digital channel to a private end user, according to Statistica.
Reports from the market and consumer data Statistica on eCommerce indicate that revenue amounts to $1,785,733 million USD in 2018. Further, revenue is expected to show an annual growth rate—CAGR 2018 to 2022—of 9.7%, resulting in a market volume of $2,590,254 million USD by 2022. The market’s largest segment is fashion with a market volume of $524,872 million USD in 2018. User penetration is 54.9% in 2018 and is expected to hit 60.9% by 2022. Finally, the Statistica website says the average revenue per user currently amounts to $633.69 million USD.
Editor’s Note
The companies represented in today’s Software 500 fuel the changes towards the next industrial revolution. From cloud adoption to machine learning, the IoT, and blockchain technology, there are a lot of trends to watch within the software industry. SW
Nov2018, Software Magazine
