IBM is linking up with a pair of partners to provide
business process outsourcing services to two joint clients. In both
instances, it will provide technology hosting and its partners will
provide business software and services.
The partnerships, for providing procurement and accounting
services, are being announced at IBM's PartnerWorld 2003 conference
in New Orleans today and served up as an example of IBM's growing
emphasis on its partners for delivering on-demand computing
services, in particular of the business process outsourcing (BPO)
type.
In the increasingly popular BPO engagements, a client outsources
not just a set of IT tasks but rather complete business processes,
such as payroll processing or inventory management.
In one deal, IBM is partnering with Ketera Technologies to
provide procurement services to CNF, a provider of shipping,
logistics and supply chain management services. IBM will host
Ketera's Spend Analysis software for CNF, which will use the
software to reduce and control its purchasing costs. The
procurement system will be used internally by CNF employees and
externally by its suppliers.
In the other deal, IBM is joining up with Intacct to provide
accounting services for shipping company Transmarine Navigation,
which will use the Web-based accounting system to improve the
way it manages the financial operations of its ports.
The accounting functions will be centralised in the system, with
the goal of improving security and making data available in real
time. IBM will host the system, while Intacct will provide the
accounting software and service.
"The partners bring specific expertise to the table, and IBM is
always seeking to partner with best-of-breed companies to deliver"
services integrated with IBM technologies, such as grid computing,
said James Larkin, a spokesman at IBM's Global Services
division.
The business process services will be provided in an on-demand
basis, an approach IBM claimed was generally more flexible than
traditional outsourcing engagements in which the service terms and
fees are more rigid and more difficult to modify as client needs
change.
"This is one of the ways we're working with partners in the era
of e-business on demand. Our partners are just getting started with
this, so we want to show them how fruitful this effort can be,"
Larkin said.