The Week in Review: June 20

In the news... NetLedger and HP announced yesterday that they are working together to offer complete technology solutions--from hardware to online business management applications--targeted at small- to medium-size businesses (SMBs). The companies claim the combined effort will enable SMBs to manage their entire business using HP products and NetLedger's NetSuite. "SMB customers are demanding simple, worry-free, and affordable technology solutions that allow them to manage their business and focus on serving their customers," Robyn West, vice president of small and medium business, Americas, HP Personal Systems Group, said in a statement. "The synergies created through our work with NetLedger will allow HP to deliver integrated solutions that help businesses with limited or no IT support staff get more value from their IT investments." SSA Global Technologies, a provider of extended enterprise solutions and services, yesterday announced it has acquired Ironside Technologies, a provider of B2B electronic commerce solutions for the manufacturing and distribution markets. SSA says Ironside's sell-side and buy-side e-commerce solutions will extend and strengthen SSA GT's existing product portfolio and become important components of SSA GT's customer relationship and supplier relationship strategies. Fast Search & Transfer (FAST) this week announced its acquisition from Overture Services of AltaVista's enterprise search business, including more than 200 customers, for an undisclosed cash amount. As part of this agreement, FAST will offer AltaVista's enterprise search customers uninterrupted service and maintenance of their current platform, and an opportunity to migrate to FAST's enterprise search platform, FAST Data Search. FAST says it will employ five people from AltaVista to provide continued support to the current customer base. FAST does not expect any significant impact on the 2003 revenues or costs from this acquisition. Dendrite International announced it has completed its strategic acquisition of Synavant. Dendrite says the acquisition furthers its ability to provide solutions to the sales, marketing, and clinical functions of pharmaceutical and other life-science companies. Salesforce.com has added a new Asia Pacific office in Sydney, Australia, to better serve its growing customer base in the region. In conjunction with the office opening, Salesforce.com announced a strategic partnership with Telstra Corporation wherein Salesforce.com will deliver its hosted applications to customers over Telstra's high-speed wireless networks. EDS has announced the opening of its new service center in Mumbai, India, as part of the company's Best Shore initiative. The 500-seat facility will have 700 employees by year-end. EDS says the facility will provide a full range of business process services and help desk support, as well as additional back-office services. With the new center EDS now employs nearly 1,100 people in three cities in India. Performix Technologies has acquired Cliffstone Corporation. Performix says the acquisition aims to expand its client base and enhance its analytics and reporting offering. The move also bolsters Performix' position in the market for employee performance management software in the global contact center industry, according to the company. Executive changes... FrontRange announced this week that Patrick Bultema has resigned as CEO of its subsidiary, FrontRange Solutions. Bultema simultaneously resigned from the FrontRange Limited board of directors. The company has yet to name a successor. Edify Corporation, an S1 company and a supplier of multichannel CRM solutions, this week named Mitch Mandich president and CEO of the company. Mandich has more than 20 years of successful management experience and has held positions at several technology companies throughout his career, including Apple, NeXT, Pyramid Technology, and Tandem Computers.