At a Loss ; Some software suppliers seem stuck in reverse. How to protect yourself for the long-term.

Consecutive quarterly losses for several major software companies now stretch back two, three, and - in some rare cases - six or seven years. The result: Large, medium and small corporations have to seriously question whether some key suppliers will survive long- term.

For instance, manufacturing logistics expert Manugistics reported a third-quarter loss of $26 million, its eighth straight loss; supply-chain software pioneer i2 Technologies reported a preliminary fourth-quarter loss of $12.4 million, its 11th straight quarterly loss; and electronic procurement specialist Ariba reported a $55.9 million first-quarter loss, its 15th consecutive unprofitable quarter. That's …