Billing and customer lifecycle management ISV Inovaware Corp. has teamed up with Toshiba Engineering Corp., a consulting and systems integration arm of Toshiba Corp., in a deal which has Toshiba Engineering distributing and supporting Inovaware's PRISM billing and customer care solution and its Resolve helpdesk.

Inovaware and Toshiba Engineering will engage in joint sales, marketing and development activities targeted at the Japanese service provider and communications markets. Both companies have already invested significant resources to conduct sales and technical training, and the collaborative effort has resulted in a new client, Web Online (WON). WON is an ISP, Virtual ISP, and ASP that services consumers, resellers and enterprise customer throughout Japan. Toshiba will provide WON with PRISM implementation, system configuration and consulting services.

"While Japan faces hurdles in developing its e-commerce industry, it has also rapidly become one of the world's hottest markets for Internet-related ventures," said David Keuning, Inovaware's vice president, Asia-Pacific. "With Toshiba, we have the partnership, commitment and expertise to address the growing demand for flexible billing and customer management solutions in Japan.

A recent report released by Japan's Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications indicates that the number of Internet users in Japan grew 74 percent to 47.08 million in 2000. As the popularity of Internet services that fuel Japan's New Economy increase, Inovaware has continued to scale its presence in the country by hiring new employees, expanding its sales channels and allying itself with key partners.

PRISM and Resolve form the basis of Inovaware's Synchronized Business Infrastructure (SBI), a business framework that allows service providers to quickly price and roll out new services, manage customers and partners, and support customer growth.

Headquartered in Kawasaki, Japan, Toshiba Engineering was established in 1959 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Toshiba Corp. The IT Business Group works with clients in solving their networking, intranet, and internet needs with multiple and varied platforms, computer and business equipment. The Plant Engineering Business Group offers a complete range of turn-key services to energy and industrial plants.