Jan Baan
Encyclopedia
Jan Baan is the Founder & Chairman, Chief Innovation Officer of Cordys
. He has over 25 years of entrepreneurial and business experience in the software sector and is internationally recognized for his key role in creating a worldwide market for Enterprise Resource Planning
(ERP) software.
in 2001 along with Theodoor van Donge. Before Cordys, Jan also founded The Baan Company
, a software company providing ERP solutions, in 1978, soon after attending Business College. With the development of his first software package in 1979, he commenced his career in the ERP industry. His brother, Paul Baan, joined him in the management of the company. Under Jan's stewardship, the company made good market in the field of Enterprise Resource Planning
(ERP) software and grew from a $35 million company in the early 1990s to $680 million in 1998. The Baan Company competed successfully with large companies like SAP
and PeopleSoft
and became the number 2 ERP player in the software industry. However, the company’s fall started in 1998 as the stocks started to dip and eventually in 2000 it was sold to the British company Invensys
. Jan Baan left the Baan Company in 1998.
After his efforts with the Baan Company, Jan became a venture capitalist and invested in companies like Top Tier and WebEx
and both were priced above $1billion. Top Tier was later sold to SAP
, while WebEx was sold to Cisco
. Often, Jan is called a serial entrepreneur. However, in an interview, he said that ‘…with WebEx
and Top Tier I was an investor. Baan
, and Cordys
, I do for life. I am not a serial entrepreneur at all.’
In 2005 Jan also wrote a book on his life as an entrepreneur, called The Way to Market Leadership.
is going to change the way companies operate and the ERP
solutions can’t manage such a situation as they were built much before the Internet. Besides, the ERPs have become more complex. His new company, Cordys, states that Jan's long experience with The Baan Company, TopTier, and WebEx, taught him that ERPs lacks flexibility and agility. However, big companies have already invested huge amounts of money in ERPs and they serve very specific yet valuable goals.This made him understand that the market needed a different approach, which would encapsulate the good elements of existing ERP behind the scenes and make use of what Internet has to offer as the front end. With this vision of taking the full advantage of the power of the Internet
, he founded Cordys
.
and social service. He is actively involved with Oikonomos foundation. The foundation declares that through Oikonomos, the Jan Baan family wants to contribute towards the fight against poverty throughout the world. Oikonomos participates in projects and programs of local partner organizations in Asia
, Africa
, and Latin America
.
Cordys
Cordys is a software company providing a unified cloud platform solution based on Service-oriented architecture, Business process modeling and composite applications development to different enterprises...
. He has over 25 years of entrepreneurial and business experience in the software sector and is internationally recognized for his key role in creating a worldwide market for Enterprise Resource Planning
Enterprise resource planning
Enterprise resource planning systems integrate internal and external management information across an entire organization, embracing finance/accounting, manufacturing, sales and service, customer relationship management, etc. ERP systems automate this activity with an integrated software application...
(ERP) software.
Overview
Jan founded CordysCordys
Cordys is a software company providing a unified cloud platform solution based on Service-oriented architecture, Business process modeling and composite applications development to different enterprises...
in 2001 along with Theodoor van Donge. Before Cordys, Jan also founded The Baan Company
Baan
Baan was a vendor of enterprise resource planning software that is now owned by Infor Global Solutions.Baan or Baan ERP was also the name of the ERP product created by this company.-History:...
, a software company providing ERP solutions, in 1978, soon after attending Business College. With the development of his first software package in 1979, he commenced his career in the ERP industry. His brother, Paul Baan, joined him in the management of the company. Under Jan's stewardship, the company made good market in the field of Enterprise Resource Planning
Enterprise resource planning
Enterprise resource planning systems integrate internal and external management information across an entire organization, embracing finance/accounting, manufacturing, sales and service, customer relationship management, etc. ERP systems automate this activity with an integrated software application...
(ERP) software and grew from a $35 million company in the early 1990s to $680 million in 1998. The Baan Company competed successfully with large companies like SAP
SAP AG
SAP AG is a German software corporation that makes enterprise software to manage business operations and customer relations. Headquartered in Walldorf, Baden-Württemberg, with regional offices around the world, SAP is the market leader in enterprise application software...
and PeopleSoft
PeopleSoft
PeopleSoft, Inc. was a company that provided Human Resource Management Systems , Financial Management Solutions , Supply Chain and customer relationship management software, as well as software solutions for manufacturing, enterprise performance management, and student administration to large...
and became the number 2 ERP player in the software industry. However, the company’s fall started in 1998 as the stocks started to dip and eventually in 2000 it was sold to the British company Invensys
Invensys
Invensys plc is a global engineering and information technology company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It was formed in 1999 through the merger of BTR plc and Siebe plc. It has offices in more than 50 countries and its products are sold in around 180 countries.Invensys is organised into...
. Jan Baan left the Baan Company in 1998.
After his efforts with the Baan Company, Jan became a venture capitalist and invested in companies like Top Tier and WebEx
WebEx
WebEx Communications Inc. is a Cisco company that provides on-demand collaboration, online meeting, web conferencing and videoconferencing applications...
and both were priced above $1billion. Top Tier was later sold to SAP
SAP AG
SAP AG is a German software corporation that makes enterprise software to manage business operations and customer relations. Headquartered in Walldorf, Baden-Württemberg, with regional offices around the world, SAP is the market leader in enterprise application software...
, while WebEx was sold to Cisco
Cisco
Cisco may refer to:Companies:*Cisco Systems, a computer networking company* Certis CISCO, corporatised entity of the former Commercial and Industrial Security Corporation in Singapore...
. Often, Jan is called a serial entrepreneur. However, in an interview, he said that ‘…with WebEx
WebEx
WebEx Communications Inc. is a Cisco company that provides on-demand collaboration, online meeting, web conferencing and videoconferencing applications...
and Top Tier I was an investor. Baan
Baan
Baan was a vendor of enterprise resource planning software that is now owned by Infor Global Solutions.Baan or Baan ERP was also the name of the ERP product created by this company.-History:...
, and Cordys
Cordys
Cordys is a software company providing a unified cloud platform solution based on Service-oriented architecture, Business process modeling and composite applications development to different enterprises...
, I do for life. I am not a serial entrepreneur at all.’
In 2005 Jan also wrote a book on his life as an entrepreneur, called The Way to Market Leadership.
Jan and Cordys
Jan believes that the InternetInternet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
is going to change the way companies operate and the ERP
Enterprise resource planning
Enterprise resource planning systems integrate internal and external management information across an entire organization, embracing finance/accounting, manufacturing, sales and service, customer relationship management, etc. ERP systems automate this activity with an integrated software application...
solutions can’t manage such a situation as they were built much before the Internet. Besides, the ERPs have become more complex. His new company, Cordys, states that Jan's long experience with The Baan Company, TopTier, and WebEx, taught him that ERPs lacks flexibility and agility. However, big companies have already invested huge amounts of money in ERPs and they serve very specific yet valuable goals.This made him understand that the market needed a different approach, which would encapsulate the good elements of existing ERP behind the scenes and make use of what Internet has to offer as the front end. With this vision of taking the full advantage of the power of the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
, he founded Cordys
Cordys
Cordys is a software company providing a unified cloud platform solution based on Service-oriented architecture, Business process modeling and composite applications development to different enterprises...
.
Charity
Jan is also involved in charityCharity (practice)
The practice of charity means the voluntary giving of help to those in need who are not related to the giver.- Etymology :The word "charity" entered the English language through the Old French word "charité" which was derived from the Latin "caritas".Originally in Latin the word caritas meant...
and social service. He is actively involved with Oikonomos foundation. The foundation declares that through Oikonomos, the Jan Baan family wants to contribute towards the fight against poverty throughout the world. Oikonomos participates in projects and programs of local partner organizations in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, and Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
.
External links
- Jan Baan at Cordys http://www.cordys.com/cordyscms_com/executive_board.php
- CEO Interview: Jan Baan http://blogs.zdnet.com/sommer/?p=723
- The Gartner Fellows: Jan Baan's Interview http://www.gartner.com/research/fellows/asset_113882_1176.jsp