Integrators See Stronger Partnerships With IGS

"A year ago I would rate my relationship with IGS as a 6 (on a scale of 10) said Mike Henry, CEO of Jack Henry and Associates, an integrator in Monett, Mo. "Today, I'd give them an 8. They are sitting down and listening to us and not competing against us. Clients will pick up in a hurry if you're working together or if you are competing."

Henry's remarks came in a panel discussion between consultants, integrators and IGS executives Sunday night at IBM's PartnerWorld 2002 in San Francisco.

Neal Prescott, a managing director at Answerthink, a Miami-based consulting firm, said his company has forged tighter partnerships with IGS after bumping into IGS in several accounts. "We were both in the same accounts and they asked us if we wanted to work together," he said. "We are happy to come to the table with IGS."

He said that Answerthink and IGS initially worked on a project involving Lawson software. IGS and Answerthink now have an accounting solution based on the collaboration and are jointly going after 25 new accounts as a result.

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Anne Smith, IBM's vice president of consultants and integrators, said business generated for IBM through partnerships with integrators and consultants increased 91 percent during 2001. She said that much of that increase came from partnering between IGS and solution providers in accounts that were already being served by both parties. "We found that we were involved in the same accounts but that we were talking to different people," Smith said.

Craig Kauffman, senior vice president of technology at Digitas, a Boston integrator noted, "We often talk with the chief marketing officer while IBM is strong on the technology side (within the same account). The partnership with IGS enhanced the relationship with the customer," he said.

Dave Liederbach, vice president, small and medium business services and distribution channels marketing within IGS acknowledged that IGS and partners have sometimes had rocky relationships. "But we believe we've made progress," he said. "We've learned to adjust and adapt."

He said solution providers had a hand in generating over $6 billion in revenue for IGS in 2001. He said that in the past, IGS has been "too passive" in working with solution providers. "But that relationship has evolved to be aggressive, unique and complimentary and together we are going to attack the market," he said.