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ITC Infotech ties up with Danish co

Our Bureau

CALCUTTA, March 7

ITC Infotech, the UK-based wholly-owned subsidiary of ITC Ltd, has entered into a wide-ranging agreement with `ExpandIT' of Denmark for their products, particularly the newly-developed Business Applications Software.

ITC Infotech will be the exclusive provider of this new business solution in India, which enables conclusion of a business deal without actually being on-line. The package includes total software development, technology integration, implementation and tr aining for this technology in India and abroad.

Making a presentation here on Tuesday, Mr. Lars Peter Wilhelmsen, CEO of ExpandIT, said the new software, which has been launched in Europe only some 5 months ago was uniquely positioned to extend traditional corporate information systems to the wider ma rketplace. The Danish company, which has pioneered in the development of this technology, is currently providing software solutions to several leading European companies, and through this tie-up with ITC, has for the first time gone into a strategic part nership with a large corporate entity.

Later, while briefing newspersons. Mr. Sanjay Verma, chief executive of Information Systems Division of ITC, described the new product being jointly developed as being extremely cost-effective and flexible, providing executives away from the office with the power of versatile connectivity to readily respond to business needs on the spot.

The key requirements of the package are :

(a) A client component _ the device in the hands of the out-of-office executive _ which can store relevant data off-line, and also access the Internet,

(b) A number of connectors linking this hand-held device (which could be a Windows-C palmtop) to back-office systems like ERPs, and

(c) A highly secure business application Server in the office that bridges the client component and the corporate information systems.

Co-branding of the new IT product and other areas like pricing would be finalised by the end of the month. A pilot project for ITC's various divisions, including the tobacco division, was now under preparation.

The unique value proposition, according to Mr. Verma, was the facility of a secure interface with the entire gamut of corporate information systems. Simulating the on-line portion of the system off-line. The interface can be enabled through any equipment which can access the Internet, like a hand-held device, a mobile phone or a computer. The entire sales transaction can be put through without being on-line, achieving connectivity through a virtual system created outside the main system.

As for the future business plans of ITC Infotech, he said more such applications would be developed jointly with ExpandIT and offered globally. There was already a revenue-sharing agreement with the Danish company.

According to him, the recent e-Hub agreement with Infobank of the UK was shaping well and `Project India', a new Infobank solution for e-Commerce, jointly developed with ITC Infotech in India, would be launched globally on March 16.