Application service provider USinternetworking Inc and the Hewlett-Packard Co have agreed to collaborate on an outsourced service. HP will use USi’s BroadVision application-management skills to deliver electronic commerce to customers in manufacturing and retail as part of its apps-on-tap initiative. The first customer for the combined service, The Luggage Center, is ready to go live. Hilary Jones, marketing manager for HP’s e- commerce division, told ComputerWire that the Luggage Center chose the USi/HP service for its promise of rapid time to market. BroadVision-based e-commerce is very much an enterprise application, she says, and potential customers need to be willing to invest in it.
Todd Horst, USi’s director of e-commerce channel management, amplifies on pricing: A typical solution runs to $50-100K per month, he says. That incorporates BroadVision software, HP hardware and all the implementation services to set up and maintain the site. Clients should expect the contract to last for around 36 months. Alternatively, they can opt to pay several million dollars up front. In return, HP and USi offer to guarantee application functionality, availability, performance and rapid implementation. Under the terms of the agreement, USi becomes HP’s first preferred application service provider, while HP is named the preferred platform for USi’s BroadVision One-to- One Commerce application.
