IBM, Siebel Extend Global Strategic Alliance

[Markham, CANADA] IBM and Siebel Systems have extended their strategic
alliance to provide e-business solutions to mid-sized customers
around the world.

They have also announced plans to market Siebel’s e-business
applications directly to IBM’s 90,000 Business Partners in order to
standardize internal business processes, eliminate inefficiencies,
and improve customer satisfaction.

The combination of Siebel Systems’ e-business applications with IBM’s
e-business infrastructure, technology, and services will offer strong
customer relationship management solutions for medium-sized
businesses.

“Midmarket businesses represent a tremendous opportunity because of
their unique needs as they expand in an e-business world,” said Peter
Rowley, general manager, IBM Global Midmarket Business.

“This will allow Siebel Systems to dramatically extend its market
leadership in the mid-market space,” said Thomas Siebel, chairman and
chief executive officer of Siebel Systems.

More importantly, it will offer these customers the same financial
returns and competitive advantages that over 100 customers have
already achieved with IBM and Siebel.”

The latest IBM/Siebel deal is an expansion of a broader relationship
between the companies.

Last Fall, IBM announced a global strategic alliance in which IBM and
Siebel agreed to jointly develop, market, and sell integrated e-
business solutions.

The agreement also included Siebel’s choice of IBM’s DB2 Universal
Database as its primary development platform.

In June Siebel Systems also said it would port Siebel’s e-business
applications to the AS/400e server platform. That was significant
because IBM has more than 200,000 loyal customers using AS/400e
technology.