JNetDirect aims for government

Juldi Inc. has acquired NetDirect LLC and formed a new company that specializes in component software pieces for database access, security and interaction.

Called JNetDirect, the new firm's products allow Java applications to securely access Microsoft Corp.'s SQL Server databases, something that Java can't do on its own, said Burke Cox, chief executive officer of JNetDirect.

Cox had been president and CEO of Juldi, which got NetDirect's government customer base in the acquisition.

NetDirect had provided database access solutions for Sun Java programs and Microsoft SQL software. Juldi used extensible markup language (XML) for integration, but wanted to avoid the crowded enterprise application integration market.

The new company plans to continue broadening the government market, Cox said, working through systems integrators. However, small companies with unusual products often have to make their case directly to agency leaders, even if the agencies then come back to the integrator to request the products, he said.

"Systems integrators are not risk takers," Cox said. "A lot of integrators would prefer to offer a custom solution that doesn't put them at risk of failing."