Siebel Systems has outlined its plans to slash the cost of
integrating and installing its customer relationship management
software.
At the Siebel Worldwide User Week 2002 in Los Angeles, executives
outlined the company's integration strategy, which also includes an
extensive technology sharing and joint sales partnership with
Microsoft.
In his keynote presentation, chief executive Tom Siebel highlighted
the company's integration strategy, which involves its XML and Web
services based Universal Application Network (UAN) technology. The
technology is designed to provide a way for common business tasks,
such changing a customer's address, to propagate across multiple
software systems.
Siebel also acknowledged the complexity of software and assured
users that during the next few years the company will be working to
"dramatically simplify the presentation to the end user".
Earlier this week, Siebel outlined a partnership with Microsoft
involving support for Microsoft's desktop and .net-related
products. Edward Abbo, senior vice-president of technology at
Siebel, said benefits of the relationship with Microsoft include a
tighter integration with Microsoft's SQL Server database product
and the ability to extract more data from its Office software.
In other news, Siebel announced it would start shipping its
Universal Application Network (UAN) this quarter. The UAN system is
designed to provide users with a best practices business process
library and a set of design tools.