Smart card heavy-weight and global engineering operation Schlumberger Ltd has formed a strategic partnership with software configuration and web object company Mortice Kern Systems Inc that will see MKS managing Schlumberger’s large scale enterprise management software. MKS will obtain the OmniWorks enterprise software technology from Schlumberger and integrate it with its own MKS integrity framework, which will be deployed throughout Schlumberger’s internal operations. Schlumberger will initially pay MKS $500,000, and a further $500,000 every year for the next five years. The company, which last month reported second quarter revenues up 40% to $4.8m with net income that rose 52.0% to $205,527, is classing the agreement as a big deal, and has made Schlumberger a partner to help it develop further enhancements for the framework. As a result Schlumberger will join the MKS Advisory Board. Although MKS was originally established as a utilities operation, the Waterloo, Ontario-based company now describes itself as a software configuration management and web management company. Mortice Kern has recently gone public on the Toronto Stock Exchange, raising $18.9m in the process, coinciding with the announcement that Integrity 2.2 was just about ready for release (CI No 3,291). The company has designed the new release to be operated by the not-so technically minded, enabling users to concentrate on content rather than technical problems. The Integrity framework will be applied to the desktops of around 20,000 Schlumberger staff, providing them with software and web configuration capabilities. Established 13 years ago, Mortice Kern employs 190 staff at its offices in Canada, the UK, Germany France, and is about to open an operation in Japan.
