[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 159 (Thursday, November 11, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2364-E2365]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             HONORING THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF MICROSTRATEGY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. THOMAS M. DAVIS

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 10, 1999

  Mr. DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a company 
that represents the very best of the Information Age, a true superstar 
in the information technology arena that is helping to fuel the economy 
in my home state of Virginia and, indeed, across the entire nation. For 
Vienna-based MicroStrategy, it seems that the sky is the limit.
  Founded in 1989 with a $100,000 contract in hand from DuPont, 
MicroStrategy has quickly grown into a giant in the fledgling world of 
Business Intelligence. The company focuses on providing technology to 
build ``intelligence applications''--applications that extract insight 
from large databases. Its software empowers organizations to understand 
the interactions they have with their customers, suppliers, and 
businesses.
  That insight enables MicroStrategy's impressive array of clients--
MCI, Pepsi-Cola, Coca-Cola, Wal-Mart, AT&T, Fannie Mae, American

[[Page E2365]]

Express, United Airlines, and Bank of America, to name but a few--to 
improve operations and better analyze their marketing effectiveness. As 
I have heard MicroStrategy officials and their clients explain, the 
firm's technology allows run-of-the-mill e-commerce sites to be 
upgraded with ``intelligence'' features. As we all know, Mr. Speaker, 
the typical site lets the customer buy something, but provides little 
insight into what to buy, or security after the purchase.
  MicroStrategy, for ten years, has been on the leading edge of a 
movement away from plain ``vanilla'' e-commerce sites.
  The numbers alone speak volumes about the company's meteoric growth. 
It has been profitable since it was founded, achieving revenue growth 
of more than 100 percent per year annually. Analysts estimate that the 
company has an annual run rate of $200 million. In the second quarter 
of 1999, the company recorded the best growth of any Business 
Intelligence provider and the fastest improving market share, according 
to one report. Every year, the company has essentially doubled its 
revenue and number of employees. Today it has over 1600 employees, many 
headquartered in Tysons Corner.
  But even more impressive are the goals of the company's leaders, 
young, spirited entrepreneurs like cofounders Michael Saylor, CEO, and 
Anju Bansal, COO. Their vision of the way information technology will 
transform all of our lives in the very near future is the reason they 
have met with such astounding success.
  One of the company's mottos is ``Information Like Water.'' In an 
online interview earlier this year, Saylor explained the credo. ``The 
great business organizations made it their mission to provide a certain 
utilitarian entitlement to the masses: radios for everyone, telephones 
everywhere, a car in every driveway,'' Saylor said. ``Our vision is 
that the information you need to make better decisions will be 
ubiquitous, cheap, and clean. Just like water. We will be done when 
everybody has access to all they need, every hour of the day, 
everywhere.''
  And all signs indicate MicroStrategy is far from done. Last June 28, 
for example, the firm introduced its newest venture, Strategy.Com, 
which links the firm with companies such as USA Today, The Washington 
Post, Metrocall, and EarthLink to deliver personalized information and 
alerts to subscribers via e-mail, telephone, mobile phone, pager and 
the Internet. MicroStrategy provides the software, and the other 
companies provide the content.
  Mr. Speaker, in closing, I want to send my sincere congratulations to 
MicroStrategy for its success, and thank the company for doing business 
out of Northern Virginia. MicroStrategy is a company that serves as a 
shining example of the American spirit, of the quest always to find a 
better, more productive, more user-friendly way of approaching 
challenges. In this new Information Age, MicroStrategy is helping its 
customers make information the most valuable source of strategic 
insight--insight that drives intelligent business, generates new, more 
profitable sales, and strengthens customer loyalty.
  Mike Saylor's goal of ``Putting a crystal ball on every desktop'' is 
a revolutionary one, and one that has allowed the company he started to 
rise above the competition. Mr. Speaker, my crystal ball predicts 
MicroStrategy will continue to lead the way for years to come.

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