Briefs

The Netherlands-based company - software and services giant, released its latest offering into the highly competitive CRM space on Jan 14, 2002. The new system, called iBaan for CRM, features applications integration and improved analytics.

The company is set on competing with enterprise players like Siebel and Onyx in the manufacturing space, where it also offers ERP software. The offering includes iBaan E-Configuration Enterprise, which utilizes a deduction method to help streamline manufacturing processes by identifying problematic designs before they reach production. iBaan is also engineered to provide organizations with interactive, real-time guided configuration models to support all aspects of product manufacturing, Baan said.

The new offering is actually part of a larger suite of products, all bearing the iBaan moniker. Among the clients the firm has already signed-on as CRM customers are Hitachi Data Systems and Flowserve.

For at least one industry analyst, the release serves as a resurrection of sorts.

"Baan was one of the early entrants in the CRM space and really the first ERP company to realize how incredibly important it is to have CRM integrated with your back office," said Sharon Ward, vice president of enterprise applications and CRM for Framinghmam, Mass.-based Hurwitz Group. "But they lost focus and lost their awareness and had undertaken a really strange strategy over the last year," she said, referring to Baan's practice of selling iBaan CRM and Invensys CRM, basically the same product.

Among the features that Ward likes about the iBaan for CRM package are its increased emphasis on analytics, better Web-enabled tools, the option of using role-based portals and improved integration overall.

Here is full story at searchCRM.