EXCHANGE BACKERS

Like Ironside and Haht Commerce, NetVendor says product suppliers are wary of "getting into a commodity situation" in an e-marketplace, says Mike Lackey, director of product marketing for NetVendor, based here.

NetVendor's E.mbrace product smooths the path to e-business by automating processes manufacturers are bringing online, Lackey says. Software for handling product design, sales, service and distribution is included in E.mbrace, a new version of which is due next month.

"One of the biggest issues clients face when they try to get into e-business is they have to be able to publish [catalog] content in three or four ways," depending on the company's technology, says Hugh Rivers, a principal consultant at the Atlanta office of PricewaterhouseCoopers.

First, however, that data must be translated to the correct interface. "[What] we try to do is set up some standard structures where we ask suppliers to furnish the data," Rivers says. E.mbrace then enables multiple-format content publishing, which means less effort from integrators and clients, he says.