Clarizen Growing SaaS Work, Project Management Channel

Company:

Headquarters: San Mateo, Calif. (U.S.), Hod Hasharon, Israel (worldwide headquarters)

Technology Sector: Software

Key Product: Clarizen work management application

Year Founded: 2005

Number of Channel Partners: 15 worldwide

Ideal Channel Partner: Midmarket-Focused Solution Provider

Why You Should Care: Clarizen develops a Software-as-a-Service work and project management application that has attracted more than 500 customers.

The Lowdown: Clarizen would like its on-demand software to become as well-known -- and as ubiquitous -- among engineering and professional services managers as Salesforce.com's on-demand CRM application is among sales representatives and their managers.

Clarizen's work-management application provides executives with real-time visibility into their business processes, helping them better manage time, budgets and other company resources.

"We go beyond traditional project management for professionals," said CEO Avinoam Nowogrodski in an interview. "It represents the next level of business maturity."

Last month Clarizen unveiled version 4.5 of its eponymous software that adds the ability to edit, upload and create documents in Google Apps from within the Clarizen application. That integration, according to the company, provides the more than 2 million businesses that use Google Apps today to manage work processes, projects and people using Clarizen.

Clarizen currently has some 15 reseller partners around the world in such countries as U.K., Argentina, Japan and Germany. But the company is developing a channel program in the U.S. beyond the handful of consulting partners it currently works with. To that end, the company just inked a deal with Synnex, the Fremont, Calif.-based distributor, which will make Clarizen's applications available to its resellers.

Clarizen will be recruiting solution providers with specific skills, such as those with project management practices "who want to go to the next level," Nowogrodski said.

Clarizen also operates its Teaming program for ISVs who build applications that complement and extend Clarizen's software. Participants include EchoSign, a developer of e-signature software, and Endeve, which markets online invoicing applications.

The company's Vendors Connect program provides a way for developers, consultants, project managers and others with experience working with the Clarizen software to publicize their services to Clarizen customers.

Clarizen received $8 million in third-round financing in December with DAG Ventures, Benchmark Capital and Carmel Ventures leading the round.