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Luck and intelligence can be a powerful combination, and that's definitely been the case for the high-tech husband-and-wife team of Harry and Linda Wong. In the 1980s, the Wongs founded a company, W&W Software, later purchased by Ashton-Tate, which had 80 percent of the database market for desktops. It was there that Harry and Linda developed the cutting-edge dBase IV 1.1 product.

In 1988, Borland purchased Ashton-Tate for a staggering $440 million. According to Harry Wong, he saw many danger signs and eventually sold all his stock at $97 per share -- $1 shy of its all-time high. Borland has since been renamed Inprise, and its shares now sell for about $6.

With the cash, the Wongs started another company called Casahl Technology, based in Danville, Calif., specializing in database technologies. At first, Cashal focused on developing applications for Lotus Notes. The first product was called NotesSQL and was an ODBC driver for Notes, helping to integrate disparate databases. NotesSQL still ships with every copy of Notes. The cash flow from NotesSQL allowed the company to diversify its product line.

Essentially, Casahl's products help companies answer a very difficult and expensive question: Should we scrap our legacy systems or somehow integrate new systems with old ones? With Casahl products, organizations can tie together diverse groupware and database technologies. For example, suppose two companies decide to merge. One uses Microsoft Exchange and the other one uses Notes. With Casahl, there is "peaceful coexistence," according to Wong. Casahl offers customers industrial-strength products. The software is secure, configurable, and scalable. The software supports functions such as load-balancing, failover protection, performance monitoring, server auto shutdown and restart, remote administration, and archiving.

Casahl's flagship product line is the Replic-Action. The product is no longer focused on Notes, but is instead database- and groupware-independent. Moreover, RA can integrate ERP systems such as SAP, PeopleSoft, Baan, J.D. Edwards, and Oracle Financials, or synchronize between heterogeneous database systems, such as DB2, Oracle, SQL Server, and Informix.

Within the RA product line, there are two modules. The first is RA Composer, which lets an organization create data-replication applications without the need for writing programming code (the composer uses Wizards). So a company doesn't need a staff of C++ programmers to use RA. The second module is RA Server, the workhorse that carries out the data-replication functions. So as not to burden the groupware server, the RA server can be on its own machine.

There are eight packages within the RA product line. For example, RA for Notes lets users replicate, migrate, and integrate data across multiple external databases, such as DB2, Sybase, Oracle, Informix, and others. Casahl has more than 2,000 corporate customers, 50 percent of whom are Fortune 500 companies. Casahl has consistently achieved strong profit growth and says it expects to surpass $10 million in sales this year.

Another example of an RA package is Casahl's RA.ERP product, which lets ERP systems such as SAP, PeopleSoft, Baan, and Oracle Financial applications integrate with Notes, Exchange, and any database system. RA.ERP supports the smooth deployment of a complex ERP system while coexisting with legacy applications. It also lets end users use familiar tools, such as groupware and database systems, as a front end to a complex ERP system. No other company has such a complete suite of groupware and database integration products.

But building Casahl's technologies hasn't been easy. "I like to worry for a living," says Wong. It is this philosophy that has driven Casahl to continuously innovate and become a leader. That's not to imply that the Wongs only work on their business. "We strive to have balance in our lives," he says. The Wongs have four children and are experienced ballroom dancers and classical singers.

Casahl's development has never relied on venture capital, but the Wongs would like to take the company public next year. "There are advantages to not having venture capital," Wong says. "We've been permitted to establish a solid foundation and steady, profitable growth without undue pressure to go public to satisfy short-term investor interests."

Trading as a public company has more advantages. "First of all, we want to reward our loyal employees with stock options," Wong says. "Next, it will give us cash and stock to purchase other companies. Finally, since we focus on the corporate market, these customers are more comfortable dealing with a public company."

Those three factors are a good combination for an IPO. "Integration between enterprise systems, ERP applications, relational databases, and groupware is more in demand now than ever," says Wong. "No one is positioned better than we are to capitalize on this demand. Hold onto your hats ... it's going to be a great ride!"

So far, it already has been.

Commercial: Readers interested in IPOs may want to check out The Investor's Guide To New Issues: How To Profit From Initial Public Offerings, available in our bookstore.