Will Onyx's Enterprise Challenge Corner Siebel?

In a move in support of its new strategy and to answer the needs of enterprise customers Onyx has introduced Process Manager, a BPM application that some industry consultants believe may help the company pack some punch against its rivals. Following recent announcements of Onyx Customer Management and Onyx Analytics, Process Manager represents the "third pillar of what is an expanded product line for Onyx that supports a totally new strategy...focused on customer processes, as opposed to just the traditional CRM space," says Partick Angelel, vice president of marketing. Last year Onyx received about 65 percent of its licensed revenue from enterprises with at least $2 billion in revenue. The company realized it was time to release a business management solution focused on companies with larger IT departments looking for a platform that integrates easily with legacy systems. Onyx Process Manager was designed around helping larger companies with compliance issues like controls for the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and multitier distribution channels, as well as cross-sell and upsell opportunities. It incorporates the BI functionality offered in Onyx Analytics and leverages the Cognos ReportNet Platform to produce a reporting and analytics set. "Onyx Process Management is targeted at a business analyst person to design and modify processes, instead of having to go to IT all the time to write code," Angelel says. As for Onyx's current SMB customer base, Angelel says those companies need not worry: It will not abandon its traditional CRM space. As for perspective customers, Angelel sees the announcement being critical to clearing up the company's perception and brand in the marketplace. "There was some confusion in the marketplace. People knew of Onyx and knew of our customer satisfaction, but were less clear about what you purchased Onyx for," he says. "We're defining our role in the market and that gives people a better idea why to turn to us." Some within the industry feel Onyx's venture into enterprise process management puts the company in a position to compete with its prime competitors on even terms. Ben Holtz, president and CEO of consultant firm Green Beacon, believes Process Manager will give customers another alternative to traditional vendors Cognos and Siebel when looking into the BP and BI spaces. The big selling point is the application's ability to simplify and create business logic without having to write business code, ultimately enabling analysts to modify a company's business process for the future, he says. "This is a major initiative for Onyx," Holtz says. "It lets them get back into the marketplace, take the gloves off, and maybe kick Siebel while they're down." Related articles: Onyx Pushes on With New Offerings Midmarket Champions