IBM Corp. Thursday
formed a global marketing alliance that is expected to increase revenue by
$1 billion over the next three years.
The multi-year agreement integrates Vignette’s V/5 e-business applications
with IBM’s
WebSphere e-business platform.
The strategy includes joint marketing and services. IBM
will promote Vignette’s e-commerce software applications and has agreed not
develop a competitive product. Meanwhile, Vignette will develop software for
use on IBM computers which will be installed by IBM’s service division.
The partnership creates e-business solutions that grow market share,
reduce deployment times and provide the infrastructure for each stage
of e-business development, according to officials at both companies.
“Key customers are demanding the IBM-Vignette solution to run their
e-businesses,” said Steve
Mills, general manager of IBM Software’s solutions & strategy unit. “This
alliance will give e-businesses the competitive advantage they need to
decrease time to deployment.”
“With Vignette’s innovative software and
IBM’s leadership, technology and global reach, we have developed a winning
team so that all customers have access to the best e-business solutions in
the market,” said Greg Peters, president and chief executive officer,
Vignette Corp.
The initial focus of the alliance will be in the retail, financial and
dot-com industries. Both companies plan to expand to other
industries in the coming months.
