ISV

Independent Software Vendor (ISV) is a business term for companies specialising in making or selling standardised software, usually for niche markets, such as that for real estate brokers, scheduling for healthcare personnel, barcode scanning and stock maintenance.

Specialised products generally offer higher productivity to organisations than more generalised software such as basic spreadsheet or database packages.

Most large software companies, including Microsoft and IBM, have special programs for ISVs.

An ISV makes and sells software products that run on one or more computer hardware or operating system platforms. The companies that make the platforms, such as BEA Systems, Microsoft, IBM, Sun Microsystems, Hewlett-Packard, and Apple, encourage and lend support to ISVs, often with special "business partner" programs.

In general, the more applications that run on a platform, the more value it offers to customers. Of course, platform manufacturers such as Microsoft and IBM make applications as well, but don't have the resources and, in many cases, the special knowledge required, to make them all.

Some ISVs focus on a particular operating system, such as IBM's small business AS/400, for which there are thousands of ISV applications. Other ISVs specialise in a particular application area, such as engineering, and develop software primarily for high-end Unix-based workstation platforms.

ISVs make and sell software that is added to platforms. Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) use hardware platform components to build larger products. Value-added resellers (VARs) incorporate platform software into their own software product packages.

See also

• Independent hardware vendor
• Software company
• Micro ISV

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