November 21

• World's largest display of business process technology in seven exhibition halls
• More services designed to meet the needs of SMEs

One of the main display categories at CeBIT 2006 (9 – 15 March) is “Business Processes” in Halls 1 and 3 – 8, which brings together the world's largest array of IT-based solutions and services for the development and management of modern business processes. This is the only trade fair that provides comprehensive in-depth and across-the-spectrum coverage of this growing market sector. CeBIT 2005 boasted 2200 exhibitors from over 60 countries in this one category alone, presenting solutions and service-oriented architectures for the flexible management of IT-based business processes on a total display area of 69,000 m2 . The exhibits were viewed by a total of 318,600 visitors from more than 83 nations.

In Halls 1 and 3 CeBIT 2006 charts the future of “Information Management” with a unique concentration of exhibits. Here the focus is on document management systems (DMS), storage solutions and software tools/solutions for the efficient management of all business-related data and information. The individual displays cover topics such as storage and archiving, invoicing, workflow management, scanners, enterprise content management, electronic signature, input/output and knowledge management. Located at the heart of the dedicated DMS area in Hall 1 is the “DMS Forum”, which offers a packed program of lectures and discussions on all aspects of IT-based document management.

In Hall 3 visitors can learn all about intelligent business management systems in a separate Forum, which is hosting its own seven-day congress on the themes “Business Intelligence (BI) and Enterprise Information Integration (EII)”. The Forum consists of a group presentation by leading suppliers of software tools and solutions for the extraction and evaluation of business data , and the conversion of those data into a suitable format for decision-making purposes. Featuring round-table discussions with industry experts, the congress is sponsored by a whole series of scientific partners, including the Fraunhofer Society (IAO), Stuttgart, the Institute for e-Management, Cologne, and the Meta Group, Munich.

With the COMiNFO Forum in Hall 3 Deutsche Messe AG is joining forces with the German Society for Information (DGI) to establish a professional centre of excellence with the focus on “Business Content & Electronic Publishing”. As well as the eponymous business content, the COMiNFO Forum also offers suitable solutions for data storage, search and analysis, enhancement and integration.

The fast-growing complexity of networks, platforms, IT environments and applications calls for systems with a high degree of reliability and availability. So the exhibits in the section “System Management & IT Services” in Hall 3 will be of particular interest to many. These cover everything from operating systems, software tools, data base management systems, network management, middleware and open source to IT services, systems integration, outsourcing and consulting. The new “Software & Systems” Forum, which is being organized in association with computer magazine publisher Heise in Hall 3, is concerned with the professional selection, development, distribution and administration of applications and systems.

The section “Enterprise Applications & Services” showcases solutions for integrated standard business software along with industry-specific services and professional software support. In Halls 4, 5 and 6 suppliers will be presenting customized software solutions for logistics and warehousing (supply chain management, enterprise resource planning, stock management systems), sales (CRM, call centre, help desk) and administration (financial bookkeeping/accounting). At the “Enterprise Applications” Forum in Hall 5 a series of independent experts will be talking about current market trends and developments in the software market.

Small and medium-sized enterprises are one of the key visitor target groups for CeBIT, and Deutsche Messe AG has been working hard to make the event even more attractive for this sector of industry. As well as a dedicated CeBIT portal for SMEs ( www.cebit-mittelstand.de ), decision-makers, managers, politicians and journalists can now use the new “CeBIT SME Forum” in Hall 5 as a handy drop-in point at the show. A major crowd-puller at the Forum will be the special presentation “CeBIT Business Solutions”, featuring a wealth of products and solutions specifically aimed at the SME sector. Visitor statistics for CeBIT 2005 show that a total of 263,400 visitors came from small and medium-sized enterprises employing up to 500 people.

In the segment “Human Resource, Safety & Production Management” in Hall 6 the focus is on labour and human resources as a factor in production and competitive performance. On display here will be new hardware and software together with programs and concepts for the world of work. The “CeBIT HR Forum” will host a changing daily program of talks on current issues in human resources, with a line-up of well-known experts from the worlds of business, science and politics. The themed presentation “eWorld – future of working, learning & performance” in Hall 6 shows how the increasingly close links between these three areas can give a boost to business productivity and growth. Also located in Hall 6 is the “CeBIT Job & Career Market”, where recruitment professionals, job centres and universities will be providing information about the latest trends in the job market and giving tips on personal career planning.

One of the highlights at next year's CeBIT will be the new display category “Auto ID/RFID (Radio Frequency Identification)” in Hall 6. As well as all the latest trends, the exhibiting companies in this section will be showing solution scenarios and examples of existing applications in the field of automatic identification. Many of the displays will be concerned with bringing RFID technology to a wider audience, demonstrating its practical applications for the contactless identification of objects. The “CeBIT Auto ID Forum” will be presenting a series of lectures on technical aspects as well as panel discussions.

Another keynote theme at CeBIT 2006 will be security in IT and communications technology. The display section “Security” in Hall 7 has now been extended for the first time into the southern end of Hall 6 in order to accommodate the growing number of exhibits. Here CeBIT will focus on the industry-specific security requirements of modern businesses, with coverage of topics such as virus and spam protection, firewalls, biometrics, card technology and computer centre security. The special presentations “CefIS – Centre for Information Security” and “Security Software Area” in Hall 7 are geared to business users across the board, and address all aspects of the availability, integrity and continuity of IT resources and data in business environments.

The future of “IT Outsourcing Services” is the theme of a separate presentation in Hall 8, with the main focus on the needs of the SME sector. The accompanying “IT Outsourcing Solutions Forum”, organized in association with BITKOM, Gartner and Information Week, supplies authoritative commentary and analysis. Exhibitors will report on international trends and developments in the outsourcing market, outsourcing strategies and models and the management of strategic partnerships.

In addition to “Business Processes” there are two other principal display categories that form the backbone to CeBIT 2006: “Digital Equipment & Systems” in Halls 1 – 2, 19 – 25 and 27, which features computers, data storage technology, digital entertainment and office solutions; and “Communications” in Halls 11 – 16 and 26, with displays of fixed-line telephony, mobile telephony and networks.

Other themed presentations include “Banking & Finance”, with equipment and technical systems for banks and complete solutions for the finance and banking industry; “future parc”, which showcases new ideas from the world of science and research; and “Public Sector Parc”, with e-government solutions for local and central government and public-sector agencies. Next year's show also sees once again “Planet Reseller”, the trade-only platform specifically geared to the needs of dealers and retailers in information technology, telecommunications, consumer electronics, photography and office equipment.

More information about CeBIT 2006 in general and about the individual display categories can be found on the Internet at www.cebit.de .