In Support Of Siebel

In return, San Mateo, Calif.-based Siebel is expected to boost its commitment to Microsoft's .Net Web services platform, according to sources at both companies.

UAN is Siebel's effort to simplify EAI by establishing a standard framework for application linkage. Widespread UAN support would mean developers wouldn't have to build custom connectors between myriad corporate applications, freeing them to do higher-value work, according to Siebel.

Microsoft declined to comment about UAN, and Siebel couldn't be reached for comment.

When Siebel unveiled UAN last year, IBM, Tibco, SeeBeyond, webMethods and others gave their support. Microsoft, which is pitching its BizTalk product as an integration hub, was conspicuously absent.

Although Siebel and Microsoft partner in accounts and use each other's software, many industry observers say Microsoft's move into CRM could put them on a collision course. But the two are trying to make nice because they have too much at stake to do otherwise, observers say.

"Fifty percent of our Siebel implementations are running on [Microsoft SQL Server," said Adam Honig, president of Akibia Consulting, a Boston CRM specialist.

Solution providers say it's unclear where this mutual support will lead.

"I expect that UAN will not support modifications to transactions outside its own native environment, leaving developers the unenviable task of performing integration using two toolsets," said Devin Daly, director of solutions delivery at Leveraged Technology, a New York-based CRM integrator.

"The most likely scenario for Siebel and .Net users in multiservice integration is mapping non-Siebel legacy data and apps to a .Net-supported framework for additional development, maintenance and deployment, and mapping predefined XML-based services from Siebel to the same framework," he said.