The Customer Value Management sector of services firm KPMG Peat Marwick LLP has teamed up in a technology and business alliance with Active Software Inc to develop software for the Enterprise Application Integration space. The companies will work together to develop new applications and support for a front-to-back office system. KPMG’s CVM division will develop EAI systems using Active’s Integration System technology. The companies hope they will be able to enter the EAI market before it booms, enabling them to grab additional market share. Analyst estimates indicate the global EAI market will reach $1bn within the next couple of years. EAI deals with the problems associated with integrating disparate databases, custom and packaged applications, mainframe systems and Internet or intranet technologies. The phenomenon is not a new one, but it seems only now that big – and smaller – industry players are starting to pay real attention to it. IBM Corp, Microsoft Corp, BEA Systems Inc and Level8 Systems Inc are all involved (CI No 3,367). KPMG and Active hope they will have the edge over such competitors by combining Active’s technology and integration system with KPMG’s consulting and services. At the moment it looks as if the two companies will target existing KPMG customers, who they hope to keep from competitors’ doors.
