December 22, 2004

NEW PRODUCTS Composite Software has released the third version of its Composite Information Server (CIS). The Java-based data and media aggregator combines data sources from across the enterprise into a single interface, allowing complex analysis and reporting on multiple dimensions of data at high speeds. The server suite contains a data integration optimization tool, security layer, and graphical query builder. In addition to its own branded solution, Composite's server technology has been incorporated in other analytics products, including Cognos ReportNet. NEWS Renaissance Capital has released its 2004 Annual IPO Review, offering a look back at the recovery in public stock offerings among promising, growing companies. CRM's new offer standouts, Salesforce.com and RightNow, were part of an overall trend of recovery in the IPO space. The report notes that while new offers are still below annual averages, both institutional and individual investors have shown renewed confidence in the validity of new stock offers. Total average return for IPOs reached nearly 30 percent, the highest overall average in five years. CUSTOMER WINS Nationwide Credit (NCI) has selected SoundBite 5.0 for Collections from SoundBite Communications to power 1,500 agent desktops across 10 contact center sites, in a move to promote higher productivity among the existing workforce. NCI provides collections services to several organizations in the consumer goods, retail, and government spaces, and will use SoundBite's interactive voice messaging capabilities in a bid to lower costs and improve the effectiveness of its collection efforts. SoundBite's services are delivered as on-demand and allow incoming response calls to be dynamically allocated based on call center traffic. Conservation International Foundation has adopted the FootPrints system from UniPress Software as the platform for its IT help desk. The foundation's IT staff supports over 800 employees worldwide, and will use FootPrints to manage multichannel inquiries from field and remote users. The Web-based system provides a unified queue of all support requests regardless of channel, and includes automated solution provisioning and workflow management for complex tasks. Related articles: The Power of Self-Service Support RightNow's IPO Marks the Firm's Passage Into Maturity