IBM Corp, about a month after announcing its suite for Windows NT (CI No 3,405) was touting support for the product at PC Expo through a series of new partnerships. The suite, designed to provide direct competition for Microsoft Corp’s BackOffice, has draw support from independent software vendors and value-added distributors. Among those that have joined the IBM camp are: Software Spectrum, supplier of software and services, is now offering services and workshops to allow customers to integrate the suite into their IT environments; Dicken Data Systems, an IBM mid-range distributor, is offering consulting services focused on the suite; and applications developer ErgoTech launched several applications based on components of the suite. IBM was quick to tell attendees at PCExpo that it is the largest NT ISV in terms of both unit shipments and revenue and that launching the suite was a market leadership decision based on customer needs. Big Blue said it will be investing tens of millions of dollars in the next six-to-eight months on NT-based e-business advertising to let people know how serious it is about the platform. It also said it would be investing heavily with channel partners to offer market rewards, in the form of unheard of profit margins, as rewards for training customers on and implementing IBM NT offerings. Suites for AIX, AS/400, Solaris and HP-UX are all to come, according to IBM, which said it simply chose to go to NT first due to sheer volume of demand. Although it said the suite for NT has generated outstanding and higher-than-expected initial sales, the company admits one stumbling block to success is simply trying to separate BackOffice from NT in customers’ minds. Some customers apparently assume the two are parts of a whole and aren’t ready to accept the notion that someone aside from Microsoft can offer quality software for the operating system. IBM also said it is currently working on a migration toolkit to bridge the gap to its suite and that its marketing team will treat IBM and non-IBM hardware equally in pushing its NT suite.
