New Product Spotlight: July 30, 2003

Oracle has released the latest version of its E-Business Suite, 11i.9, which the company says includes CRM functionality specific to several verticals, including communications, CPG, financial services, manufacturing, government, and high tech industries. Oracle says it is including the functionality for all verticals in the product, rather than releasing separate, industry-specific products. "That's because we've found that while lots of industries say they're different, when you peel away the layers, you find that it's really just different nomenclature, which you can configure during our setup process," says Sean Mills, an Oracle spokesman. "Our competitors have created separate products, meaning they have to maintain separate code bases and can charge companies for additional products if they want functionality from an industry that they didn't originally buy for."

UpShot announced its UpShot Dashboard and integration with Lotus Notes. UpShot says that in a single glance executives can see a forecast by territory, their company's top-10 deals, pipeline analysis, and sales activity by rep. They can also drill down to get more detailed information. As part of the Lotus integration users will have the capability to synchronize their Lotus Notes Address Book, Calendar, and To-Do list with the Contacts, Calendar, and To-Do List in UpShot. The Dashboard is available now as part of the UpShot service, either online or offline, and Lotus integration will be available in October.

ERP software provider Deltek Systems is releasing three new products: Deltek Vision 2, Deltek Costpoint 5, and Deltek Time Collection 5. According to the company, Deltek Vision 2 is the company's fully integrated, Web-based enterprise automation product. Deltek Costpoint 5 is a back-office solution for project-based firms that allows for multiple companies to exist in a single database with their own business rules and functional currencies, while still maintaining common information like accounts, vendors, and customers. Deltek Time Collection 5 is a Web-based employee timekeeping solution that can track payroll, job-costing, and billing for multiple projects.

Pipkins, a provider of workforce management software, has announced a new feature called the Real Time Intraday Optimization Suite. The suite is a set of components designed to expedite and optimize current day schedule adjustments in the call center, according to the company.