Welcome to the Initiative. Make yourself at home as you learn about the next generation of business-to-business applications and how Internet Business Services are energizing the industry.
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The Internet Business Services Initiative (IBSi) is a mutual benefit, non-profit corporation formed to assist companies in providing better software solutions to the marketplace.
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The work of the Initiative is carried out through member committees, the Board of Directors and executive staff. The IBSi also sponsors periodic members-only marketing and technical forums and a series of educational seminars and events that are open to the industry.
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Formed in December 1999, the Initiative has announced a general road map for standards development, held its first membership meeting and is developing a series of educational seminars. It offers a speakers bureau with industry and technical experts, and participates in relevant trade events.
Read MoreLeading Internet Companies Join Forces to Bring Next Wave of Business Services to Small and Mid-Size Companies
December 13, 1999 – Eleven leading Internet
companies
today announced the formation of the Internet Business
Services
Initiative, a working group addressing small and
mid-size businesses’
needs for solutions that are easy to use, deploy and
scale.
Internet Business Services are solutions architected
for the
Internet to automate business processes. The
Initiative was
founded by Agillion, Employease, and works.com and
includes
participants Bizfinity, BizTone.com, eALITY,
NetLedger, On The
Go Software, TimeBills.com, USA.NET and Virtual
Growth. According
to a recent Hambrecht & Quist report entitled
"Software at Your
Service: The Rise of Dynamic Hosting," the market for
Internet
Business Services will reach $6.6 billion by 2003.
The newly-formed Initiative’s mission is to foster
collaboration
and partnership among Internet Business Services to
deliver
better overall solutions to customers. Initiative
participants
will work together to facilitate the growth,
availability and
adoption of Internet Business Services by educating
the marketplace
and making it easier for small to mid-size businesses
to access,
evaluate, use and benefit from the services.
Initiative participants
will further collaborate to integrate and co-market
their service
offerings
Current application delivery models, such as
outsourced applications
from Application Service Providers (ASPs), have begun
to take
advantage of the Internet; however, significant
barriers still
remain–particularly for small and mid-size companies.
Standard
web-based applications from ASPs typically require
companies
to hire a service bureau to maintain software, which
is then
made accessible to company employees via a Web
browser. While
this model frees companies from the headaches of
maintaining
the software, they must still manage the complexities
of customization,
training and internal network management; pay high
fees; navigate
complicated user interfaces; and undergo complex
upgrade cycles.
Internet Business Services take a fundamentally
different approach.
While most ASPs offer existing applications configured
for the
Internet, Internet Business Services are 100% native
to the
Internet. As such, Internet Business Services can
offer the
ease of use of popular consumer Internet sites, such
as Amazon.com
or etrade.com, combined with the control,
functionality, information-sharing
and management capabilities successful businesses
require. In
addition, Internet Business Services make it viable
for companies
to use the Internet to automate, integrate and control
fundamental
business processes, such as purchasing business
products, finding
and keeping customers, recruiting and managing
employees, and
working with business partners. Finally, Internet
Business Services
leverage the power of the Internet to deliver content,
build
communities and create new commerce opportunities.
"Demand for Internet Business Services will grow
rapidly because
they offer huge advantages over both the traditional
client-server
and outsourced application models," said James
Pickrel, Hambrecht
& Quist Senior Analyst and author of the report:
"Software at
Your Service: The Rise of Dynamic Hosting." "One of
the most
striking benefits is the ability to streamline
workflow between
companies, allowing them to share consistent
information with
their suppliers, service providers, remote employees
and customers.
What’s more, Internet Business Services are truly
‘Net-native’–so
they can best take advantage of the Internet’s vast
array of
information, communities of interest and
revenue-generating
relationships in ways that have never before been
possible."
"Internet Business Services are the next wave,"
said Fern
Halper, Director of Electronic Business Strategy at
Hurwitz
Group. "Unlike ASPs, Internet Business Services do not
offer
remote access to static, packaged applications. Since
they are
services, they can roll out new value-added
functionality daily
if they want. And, since they're architected for the
Internet
based on a one-to-many model, they are highly
scalable. The
value proposition of Internet Business Services for
small to
mid-size companies is too strong to be ignored. We
predict this
model will grow dramatically in the near-term."
By using a "one-to-many" architecture that features a
centralized
database designed to support thousands of companies
and millions
of users simultaneously, Internet Business Services
offer small
to mid-size companies significant benefits including:
- Rapid
adoption–Companies can implement Internet Business
Services
in a matter of minutes, rather than the months
required for
implementing typical enterprise software
applications. With
no software to install or learn (users access
Internet Business
Services through a standard Web browser), companies
can begin
using the services quickly and easily. Companies can
set up
and personalize services and add new users by
employing simple
check-boxes without having to rely on complex
commands or
customized code.
- Pay-as-you-go
pricing–Internet Business Services, like outsourced
applications,
allow companies to pay as they begin to use and
receive value
from the service, instead of through up-front
licensing costs
or long-term contracts. However, Internet Business
Service
companies can offer robust technology solutions at
increasingly
attractive rates because they develop and support
one version
of their service for thousands of companies rather
than single
application installations for each company, as with
outsourced
applications.
- Rapid
innovation–Internet Business Services companies
deliver service
enhancements in a fraction of the time required for
traditional
or outsourced application upgrades, allowing
companies to
take advantage of service improvements in 30 to 45
days versus
the typical application upgrade cycle of 9 to 18
months. Internet
Business Services eliminate the complex,
time-intensive process
of building, installing and supporting multiple
platforms,
versions and configurations of the application.
- The
network effect–Internet Business Services enable
small to
mid-size businesses to take full advantage of the
Internet’s
network effect, which overcomes geography and time
barriers
to deliver a continuously growing base of shared
knowledge
and expertise. The one-to-many architecture of
Internet Business
Services facilitates communication workflow between
companies
and allows the aggregation of information that can
yield valuable
insight into business patterns and best practices.
Thus, while
traditional software applications benefit only the
company
that installs them, Internet Business Services offer
ever-increasing
value and productivity across a dynamic user
community.
- Future interoperability–The benefits of Internet Business Services will be further amplified as the various services are integrated to provide interoperable features and processes, such as continuous workflow and unified directories. The development of new Internet standards, such as XML data models and directory services specialized for vertical markets, will accelerate the benefits of the Internet Business Services approach by facilitating collaboration.
For
more information on the Internet Business Services
Initiative,
send an e-mail to info@ibusinessservices.org.
Internet
Business Services Initiative
Founders and Participating Companies
INITIATIVE
FOUNDERS
Agillion
Agillion is the first consumer-like Internet
Business Service
that enables small and mid-sized businesses to build
high-value,
highly personalized relationships with customers over
the Internet.
Agillion helps businesspeople by making all customer
information
available in a common database that sits on the
Internet and
is continuously updated as teams and customers
interact. Inside
the company, Agillion lets colleagues in all
departments communicate
more effectively. Outside the company, Agillion
dynamically
creates custom Internet pages that allow customers to
directly
communicate with the business and access their own
information
anytime, from anywhere. From its home in Austin,
Texas, Agillion
works to keep customer interaction at the heart of
doing business.
Business Development Contact: Tom Hochstatter, tomh@agillion.com, 512-682-8047
PR Contact: Andrea Roesch, Niehaus Ryan Wong, andrea@nrwpr.com, 650-827-7032
Employease
Atlanta-based Employease provides the leading Internet Business Service for managing and communicating human resources, benefits and payroll information. For hundreds of customers, Employease provides solutions that avoid the complexity and cost that come with traditional software that is installed "in-house." Employease applications offer the best combination of low cost of ownership, rapid implementations, frequent upgrades, and reliable performance available today. All Employease solutions are supported by a comprehensive customer service program that delivers rapid implementations, custom solutions, live and Web-based training, and 24x7 customer support. Red Herring magazine named Employease as one of the Top 100 Technology Companies in the Digital Universe in 1998 and 1999.
Business Development contact: Karin Tierney, ktierney@employease.com, 404-467-6481 x6623
PR contact: Marnie Butler, The Horn Group, mbutler@horngroup.com, 781-794-9933
works.com
works.com is an Internet business purchasing service that combines the convenience and speed of online shopping with the efficiency and control of automated purchasing management. With works.com, companies save time and money by automating and streamlining the purchasing process–from purchase request and approval to ordering, tracking, and reporting. works.com provides even greater savings with wholesale direct prices on 20,000 business products including computer accessories, office supplies, furniture, breakroom and janitorial supplies. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, works.com is funded by Bowman Capital, Hummer Winblad, Merrill Lynch, Presidio Venture Partners, and Trellis Partners. Bill Gurley of Benchmark Capital is a member of the works.com board of directors.
Business Development contact: Duncan Van Dusen, dvd@works.com, 512-685-8648
PR contact: Lisa Davis James, lisa@outcastcom.com, 415-392-8282
OTHER INITIATIVE PARTICIPANTS
BizFinity
Bizfinity offers a hosted service to help convert millions of small and medium businesses into eBusinesses. Its applications facilitate the collaboration between employees, partners and customers enabling its
subscribers to take full advantage of the Internet economy. Launching in January, 2000 its initial offering comprises a single service delivered over the Internet that accepts eCommerce orders, receives payments and runs a Company's books and accounts. No service currently available for small and medium businesses ties together these interdependent functions.
Business Development contact: Brooks McChesney, brooks@bizfinity.com, 650-565-9500 x616
BizTone.com
Founded in 1996, BizTone.com delivers midmarket core financials as a rented Internet service. In addition to dramatically reducing install and application complexity and costs, BizTone.com enables XML based ebusiness integration with Human Resources, Procurement, Customer Relationship, web storefronts and other Internet services.
Business Development contact: Miko Matsumura, miko@biztone.com, 408-287-8791
eALITY
Headquartered in Foster City, Calif., eALITY, Inc. is a privately held provider of web-based, outsourced business application services for small- to mid-sized businesses with between 20 and 500 employees. eALITY's Internet business services enable emerging-growth businesses to reliably and securely
outsource critical day-to-day business processes such as expense reporting, time tracking, sales forecasting, purchase orders and more than 40 other functions. As a result, organizations can build a cost-effective
infrastructure and improve productivity with no additional demand placed on IT resources. Current customers include Williams-Sonoma (NYSE: WSM), E-Loan (NASDAQ: EELN), BabyCenter.com, PlanetRX (NASDAQ: PLRX), Chordiant Software, Juniper Networks (NASDAQ: JNPR) and Persistence Software (NASDAQ: PRSW). For more information, visit www.eality.com
Business Development contact: David Strakhovsky, strakhovsky@eality.com, 650-522-0287
NetLedger
NetLedger offers small businesses, of 1 to 50 employees, the industry's only Web-based accounting platform. The company's mission is to be the leading provider of Web-based, outsourced business applications and the industry-standard online accounting platform. Through its strategic partnerships, NetLedger will provide complementary applications and functions. NetLedger is committed to delivering seamlessly integrated business applications that combine enterprise performance and reliability with unprecedented ease of use and low prices.
Business Development contact: Jodi Maxson, jmaxson@netledger.com, 650-614-0610
On The Go Software
On The Go Software is a leading producer of business-to-business Web based applications for next generation e-business portals. The company develops and markets business-to-business web applications that connect companies to their employees to create new efficiencies, economies of scale and revenue models. In cooperation with Intuit, Inc., On The Go Software has been a privately held company since 1997. With over a million copies shipped, the company's ExpensAble is the first name in expense management. For more information on ExpensAble.com and the Quicken ExpensAble product family, visit us at www.ExpensAble.com and www.onthegosoftware.com.
Business Development contact: Greg Pickens, gpickens@onthegosoftware.com, 408-530-2167
TimeBills.com
TimeBills.com offers small businesses an easy to use, convenient way to track time, record expenses, manage projects and client information, and create quality invoices. Headquartered in Boston, MA, TimeBills.com is committed to providing a new network of small business professionals with continuous resources and support.
Business Development contact: Tom Brennan, brennan@timebills.com, 617-351-0232
USA.NET
USA.NET® delivers industry-leading email services to more than 1,500 businesses–including American Express, United Airlines, Hewlett-Packard, Agillion, register.com and Phone.com–and manages
more than 13 million mailboxes worldwide. Designed to meet the needs of all audiences, USA.NET’s superior email solutions eliminate the hassle and expense of installing, upgrading and
supporting an in-house email system. The first company to launch Web-based email in 1996, USA.NET also became the first to introduce managed messaging for businesses in 1997. USA.NET received the industry’s first patent for its Web-based email filtering and forwarding technology in 1999. For more information on USA.NET, visit www.usa.net.
Business Development contact: Jon Alcorn, jon.alcorn@corp.usa.net, 719-265-2930 x2832
Virtual Growth
Virtual Growth’s Virtual AccountantÔ service, which launches in first quarter 2000, provides web-based, outsourced bookkeeping and accounting to small and medium sized businesses. Featuring enterprise class financial software, an easy-to-use web interface, and trained bookkeeper and accountant review, Virtual Accountant delivers a cost-effective, comprehensive accounting solution to fast-growing companies via the Internet.
Business Development contact: Jeff Scherer, jscherer@vgrowth.com, 212-691-9200 x265
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Editor’s note: works.com and the works.com logo are marks of works.com. All other company and/or product names are either trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.