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The Center for Data Quality Joins DataFlux Alliance Program

DataFlux Corporation, a SAS Company and leader in the development of data quality and data integration solutions, announced it has signed The Center for Data Quality (C4DQ), Reston, VA to the recently created DataFlux Alliance Program (DAP). C4DQ will use DataFlux software to diagnose and fix data quality issues within client data. They will also use DataFlux technology as a flexible solution to provide clients with services such as service bureau or enhanced integration. C4DQ is a consulting firm committed to helping its clients solve complex data quality issues necessary for the successful implementation of CRM, Data Warehousing and other data-intensive applications. C4DQ will leverage the technical excellence of DataFlux technology by offering dfPower Studio as an advanced data quality tool to their prospects and customers.

Jim Lair, Chairman and Founder of C4DQ, said, "Every organization that depends on data-intensive applications has to be concerned about the quality of their data. At The Center for Data Quality we want to offer our customers a one-stop-shop for consulting, outsourcing services and state-of-the-art products. We were attracted to DataFlux because they have raised the bar for data quality and data integration tools in terms of capabilities and ease-of-use."

Lair continued, "DataFlux enables us to offer our clients an affordable and useable solution, flexible enough to incorporate business rule analysis, which is where most organizations come up short. DataFlux allows the user to fine-tune and customize the criteria used to define and find levels of data that is incomplete, missing, invalid and lacking in business rule conformance."

Bill Spruill, Business Relations Manager for DataFlux said, "We are excited about signing The Center for Data Quality to the DataFlux Alliance Program. There is a great amount of synergy between our companies in the desire to offer our respective clients the solutions they need to meet the dynamic challenges of a data-intensive business initiative. We look forward to working closely with The Center for Data Quality now and into the future."

The DataFlux Alliance Program features comprehensive marketing, training and technical support for alliance members.

About The Center for Data Quality

The Center for Data Quality (C4DQ) is a Northern Virginia based company dedicated to helping its clients achieve the highest level of data quality attainable by offering consulting, services and state-of-the-art products. C4DQ works with clients at every level by providing: strategic data quality initiatives; data quality program management; data quality auditing & monitoring; data quality training and certification; product benchmarking and evaluation; outsourced data quality processing; and C4DQ memberships. C4DQ recognizes that data quality is the key to successful implementation of CRM, Data Warehousing, and other mission-critical applications. The company's leadership, expertise, and extensive hands-on experience in the field of data quality, working with world-class organizations in finance, securities, and the federal government, is key to their success. The Center for Data Quality can be reached at 703-620-6131 or via email at info@c4dq.com.

About DataFlux Corporation

DataFlux is a North Carolina-based software company that provides leading edge, award-winning technology for data cleansing, data augmentation, data consolidation and conversion, data scrubbing and data integration. The versatile DataFlux products are designed to significantly improve the accuracy, consistency and usability of an organization's critical data, enhancing the effectiveness of data-driven applications and initiatives such as data warehousing, e-commerce systems, data mining, customer information systems, sales force automation, marketing databases, customer/prospect profiling and list management. Some of the companies currently using DataFlux solutions include Bank of America, US Patent and Trademark Office, Wells Fargo, and Microsoft. DataFlux is a wholly owned subsidiary of SAS Institute, the leader in decision support and data warehousing, providing integrated enterprise information-delivery solutions and e-business solutions. For more on DataFlux, visit: www.dataflux.com.

Contact Steve Traugott, Demaree Public Relations Inc, 603-428-4411, straugott@demaree-pr.com.

PHI DATA Implements iBaan for CRM

Baan -- a global provider of B2B collaborative commerce solutions and a unit of the Invensys Software Systems division of Invensys plc -- has implemented iBaan for CRM at PHI DATA, a leading supplier of automatic identification and print systems. The implementation of the iBaan solutions will help PHI DATA integrate key business processes across its front and back office functions. This can enable the company's sales, management, marketing communications, and customer services executives to extend the visibility of the sales process, better manage and control different pricing policies, enhance the speed and presentation of customer quotes, and deliver complex product configuration proposals.

The iBaan solutions include iBaan SalesPlus, iBaan ConfigurationPlus, iBaan Integration Pack, iBaan Proposal Generator, iBaan Pricer and iBaan DBSync. These solutions provide PHI DATA with a complete CRM backbone to extend support for its customers and prospects by helping them eliminate errors in shipments and invoices, and supplying quotations more rapidly. iBaan ConfigurationPlus can help PHI DATA to significantly reduce errors in product configuration which means that the logistics department can order and stock the right products and add-ons, technical engineers can spend more time on complex issues, and helpdesk questions may be reduced. Proposals and worksheets can now be transferred by pressing a button, pricing information is automatically updated and available, and field sales staff can work remotely at the customers' premises or from home via a Virtual Private Network connection.

Koos Boer, General Manager at PHI DATA, commented: "PHI is a highly automated organisation with hardware and software tools central to the company's business. The missing link was a high performance CRM package. PHI was an existing Baan user with Baan solutions standardised across all sales, finance, logistics and services functions. The possibility to integrate our front office applications and share data by implementing iBaan for CRM made this the right fit.

"This combination of integrated CRM solutions helps PHI DATA to fulfil many sales and customer-related functions. Useful customer information is readily available for a large number of employees, proposals can be made by sales staff within the blink of an eye, relevant data and information can be related to the opportunities, price and product data is instantly available for sales and customer services, and we can offer the right combination of products. I am 100 per cent convinced that it will help us to improve our professional way of doing business in the world of automatic identification and print systems," continued Koos Boer.

iBaan for CRM is a combination of hardware, software and applied business intelligence that helps organizations maximise customer acquisition, loyalty, retention and profitability. It combines front-office technologies with back-office efficiency and delivers cross-enterprise analytics to effectively manage core business processes. Through a continuum of real-time information, iBaan for CRM supports every role, device, channel and touch-point throughout the integrated iBaan enterprise.

iBaan for CRM is part of the iBaan suite of Internet-enabled solutions that combines proven Baan technology with new developments that enable customers to take significant steps towards seamlessly integrating systems and processes. It provides end-users with personalised and easy-to-use information, and empowers businesses to collaborate with their customers and suppliers over the Internet.

About PHI DATA

Since its foundation almost 20 years ago, PHI DATA has achieved a leading position in the Benelux in the world of IT, as a supplier of automatic identification and print systems for professional users in markets such as industry, transport and warehousing, the public sector, and healthcare. PHI DATA's product range includes barcode scanners, decoders, portables, software and accessories, as well as a broad range of printers: from compact label printers to fast matrix line and laser printers, which can be integrated into various environments. PHI DATA also supplies radio frequency equipment for wireless communication, for the quick and reliable flow of information from a hand-held or vehicle-mounted terminal to the host computer.

About Baan

Baan helps companies to compete in the 'networked economy' with its ever-increasing demands for more information, integration and collaboration. Through its powerful new iBaan suite of Internet-enabled solutions, Baan is ideally placed to support organisations in the manufacturing, logistics, service and engineering industries as they move towards tighter integration of their complex processes, closer collaboration with customers and partners, and providing employees with build-to-order shop floor data and supply information. Baan has more than 15,000 customer sites worldwide, and is part of the Invensys Software Systems Division -- a global leader in the provision of e-business/automation solutions. For more information, please visit www.baan.com.

About Invensys plc

Invensys plc is one of the global leaders in automation and controls. Headquartered in London, England, Invensys operates in all regions of the world through four focused divisions -- Software Systems, Automation Systems, Power Systems and Control Systems. With just over 75,000 employees, the Group supplies products and services ranging from advanced control systems, remote diagnostics and energy management for process plants, factories and commercial environments to electronic devices and networks for residential buildings, as well as complete power systems for the industrial, telecommunications and information technology sectors.

Contact Simon Gribbon of IBA for Baan, +44-1780-721433, or sgribbon@iba-europe.com.

IPS Associates/Portfolio DecisionWare Announce Partnership

IPS Associates, a leading provider of project management implementation services to clients worldwide, and Portfolio DecisionWare, specializing in project portfolio decision support software applications, announced the creation of a new partnership for rapidly delivering high impact portfolio solutions to clients worldwide.

Together, IPS and Portfolio DecisonWare will provide software applications and process and implementation services that enable rapid implementation of high impact portfolio management practices that have low overhead cost to the organization.

The partnership reunites the team of Peter Heinrich, president and CEO of Portfolio DecisionWare, and Bill Kern, Chairman and CEO of IPS Associates, who together co-founded IPS Associates in 1988 with another partner to help clients deliver critical projects on time, on budget, while meeting or exceeding expectations.

While at IPS, Mr. Heinrich created the company's portfolio management practice and invented IPS Compass -- an early version of the products Portfolio DecisonWare is now producing. Prior to his work at IPS, Mr. Heinrich managed the Xerox team that designed the Star workstation and held other management positions in the Xerox product development organization.

"During the early IPS years I found that attempting to improve project management practices alone did not produce the desired results. Fact-based decision making about the portfolio by senior management was the missing ingredient," commented Heinrich. "IPS addressed this need with Compass, the first portfolio management software tool that focused on the problem of resource allocation across a prioritized portfolio of projects. PDW software takes users to the next level by vastly increasing the scale and performance of the tool and adding features that not only help management identify problems but also solve the problems they've identified. PDW software provides the facts -- data and analysis -- needed to make high quality portfolio decisions."

"This partnership brings together the proven portfolio management processes and implementation services that customers have come to expect from IPS with state-of-the art software tools from PDW," said Kern. "The combination will provide clients with complete solutions for choosing and prioritizing the right projects to support key strategies while optimizing the number of projects for maximum throughput and efficiency."

IPS and PDW plan to announce their first joint solutions early in 2002.

About IPS Associates

IPS Associates is a leading provider of project management implementation services, helping clients worldwide to achieve their strategic business initiatives on time and on budget. IPS has completed more than 7,000 engagements in over 200 cities and 30 countries worldwide. IPS clients include over 200 of Fortune's Global 500 corporations, including American Airlines, AT&T, Capital One, Cathay Pacific Airlines, Disney, Dell, DuPont, Hewlett-Packard, Motorola, Sun Microsystems and Visa. Founded in 1988, IPS corporate offices are located in San Carlos, California, with international offices in Singapore and London, and senior professionals located throughout the world. For more information, go to www.ipsassociates.com.

About Portfolio DecisionWare

Portfolio DecisionWare is a newly formed software company dedicated to delivering high value, low implementation cost, project portfolio management software tools to Global 3000 companies. PDW software is already being used to manage organizations as diverse as the Options Clearing Corporation, two engineering divisions of Intel, and the engineering department of Palm Corporation. For more information, go to www.portfoliodecisionware.com.

Quadstone Announces Siebel Validation

Quadstone, a leading provider of predictive marketing software and services, announced that the integration between its Quadstone System version 3.0 and Siebel eBusiness Applications version 6.0 has been successfully validated by Siebel Systems. Siebel Systems Inc is a leading provider of eBusiness applications software. The Siebel Validation Program applies rigorous technical scrutiny to evaluate the integration of third-party solutions with Siebel eBusiness Applications.

The Quadstone System helps business users more efficiently and accurately predict what products customers will buy, what promotions they will respond to, which customers are under threat of defecting, and which customers have the potential to be more profitable.

Siebel Systems provides an integrated family of eBusiness applications software, enabling multichannel sales, marketing, and customer service systems to be deployed over the Web, call centers, field, reseller channels, retail and dealer networks. The Quadstone System integrated with Siebel eBusiness Applications leads to more accurate and valuable rules that drive more targeted customer interactions, leading to increased customer satisfaction, customer loyalty and customer profitability.

The integrated solution generates customer selections, rules, scores, and segments using Quadstone's predictive marketing solutions and sales, service, and marketing data stored in the Siebel eBusiness Applications database. The customer selections, rules, scores, and segments are then used within specific Siebel eBusiness Applications products, such as Siebel Systems' closed-loop marketing solution, Siebel Marketing, to optimize targeting strategies and future customer interactions.

The Quadstone System employs the Quadstone Connector for Siebel eBusiness Applications to integrate with Siebel Marketing via the Siebel Analytical Adapter, the Siebel Systems external data-mapping interface that enables the integration of external analytical data with the Siebel eBusiness Data Warehouse. The Quadstone Connector for Siebel eBusiness Applications also supports direct integration with other operational applications such as Siebel Call Center, Siebel Systems' market-leading application for call centers, via Siebel Enterprise Integration Manager (EIM) and the Siebel eBusiness Applications user interface configuration. The Quadstone Connector for Siebel eBusiness Applications is available for NT and UNIX platforms and supports DB2/UDB, Oracle, and Microsoft SQL Server databases.

"It adds tremendous value when marketers can combine the data from Siebel eBusiness Applications with analytical software to quickly measure and monitor the most successful communications medium," said Michael Straub, Alliances Technical Director at Siebel Systems. "By integrating Quadstone's predictive analytics with Siebel eBusiness Applications, marketers can more accurately predict who is likely to respond to a particular offer, determine the expected value of a customer, and then use this information to focus on those high-value customers."

"Siebel Systems leads the way in providing the applications that drive an eBusiness to success," said Mark Smith, president, Quadstone. "Our combined Siebel Validated solution offers our joint clients a faster and easier way to harness customer value, leading to increased short- and long-term customer satisfaction."

Siebel Systems forms alliances with proven technology leaders to deliver tangible business benefits throughout the enterprise. The Siebel Validation Program applies rigorous technical scrutiny to evaluate and document integrated third party solutions. By choosing Siebel eBusiness Applications and validated partner solutions, Siebel Systems' customers can pursue a best-of-class software acquisition strategy and quickly deploy the very best solution available.

About Quadstone

Quadstone helps companies maximize customer value and generate increased financial returns by understanding, predicting, and influencing customer behavior in and across all channels. Quadstone offers software and services for specific industries, touchpoints, and applications. These solutions improve the efficiency and effectiveness with which marketing users can address issues of customer retention, ROI, risk, and response.

Quadstone's international clients include market leaders in the financial services, retail/e-tail, telecommunications, and marketing services sectors and include CVS, GUS, Fingerhut, Barclays, and Vodafone amongst others. Founded in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1995, Quadstone now also has offices in London, England and Boston, Massachusetts. For more information visit www.quadstone.com.