ObTech offers PivotalHost
eBRM hosting solution to be available outsourced as well as in-house
by Samuel Quek
SINGAPORE, 1 June 2000 - Not long after introducing their eBRM suite (eRelationship 2000) into the Asia Pacific region, Pivotal is again pushing into the market with a hosting solution together with Obtech Asia Pacific.
An alternative solution
PivotalHost, an Internet hosting programme, will allow corporations to run the eRelationships 2000 suite, either
by buying the solution, or outsourcing.
The programme will will be provided by ObTech in Singapore through a three-way relationship alliance with data hosting partner NEC Corporation (ObTech's parent company), and Pivotal Corporation.
"We're taking the perspective that the customer might not have exactly the same concept of an ASP," said Tim Tyler, managing director of Obtech.
Before the year 2000, companies would spend money on full systems, said Tyler, but now, more companies don't want to spend so far from returns - but computer systems are still essential for business.
The alternative is a "pay-as-you-go" scheme, which ObTech and Pivotal are offering with PivotalHost.
ASPs the answer to HR problems
IT staff are also hard to find, and are expensive to employ. The turnover is high too, pointed out Tyler. ASPs
are the answer to human resource issues, he believes, pointing out that many companies will see a definate benefit
in outsourcing computer systems.
ObTech itself will be the first client in Singapore to use PivotalHost.
"There has been significant market interest and demand for customer relationship management applications in the past nine months," said Tyler. "Through the PivotalHost, we are enabling organizations of all sizes to manage business relationships, including customers and partners to add value to their overall operations and bottom-line."
The hosted eRelationship 2000 software allows companies to 'rent' the application from ObTech rather than buy the components upfront from various suppliers. It eliminates the need for in-house resources to manage, maintain and support the solution.
Pivotal is also seeking to partner with local content providers to service individual portals, using context-sensitive, pertinent information to aid in BRM.
Examples include courier services, information about stock markets, or even online street directories.