German contact management software developer Bit by Bit Software AG has acquired two-thirds of the capital of business ISP Http.net Internet GmbH as part of a move into the application service provision (ASP) and web hosting market. Both companies are based in Berlin, and Bit by Bit is also listed on that city’s stock exchange.
Bit by Bit’s flagship product is the Organice package, which it describes as a correspondence manager for the Microsoft environment, enabling the management of addresses and contacts, electronic and paper correspondence. The acquisition of the majority stake in Http.net will enable the company to use the internet to market its own product line in a different manner, explained CEO Marcus Zielnok. The bulk of consolidated solutions are already being provided by ISPs, he said.
The two companies will jointly develop what Bit by Bit calls its Virtual Office project, a turnkey customer and contact management offering for the SME market involving software applications, storage space and other services.
This product is earmarked for launch in 2001, and the company claims it will open the way to a completely new internet-based product and service provision model. Http.net currently offers services from application provision through to complete web hosting.
