December 28, 2001
ISID and IBM Japan agree on a Web
service solutions cooperative venture
Information Services International-Dentsu Ltd. (ISID, head office: Nakano-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Jutaro Takinami) announced on December 28, 2001 that ISID and IBM Japan, Ltd. (IBM Japan, head office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Takuma Otoshi) have agreed on a Web Service solutions cooperative venture. The venture is based on the WebSphere® Application Server, one of the IBM® Web application servers, and is scheduled to start service on January 7, 2002.
Agreement Background
In response to the recent dramatic increase of Web-oriented services including e-procurement sites, large-scale publishing sites, commercial ASP sites, and auction sites, the e-business industry has been required, in addition to building and publishing sites, to squeeze synergistic effects out of integrated multiple Web applications. Web services, technology that coordinates and integrates Web applications, has allowed the e-business industry to meet these requirements. Moreover, e-business companies must be able to not only develop the necessary sophisticated technology products, but also to incorporate products in order to create solutions that satisfy Website users and make Web services successful.
The cooperative venture combines each company's respective strengths in order to extensively offer Web service-specific technology: ISID's proven record in configuring large-scale mission critical systems and systems that apply advanced Internet technology, and IBM's WebSphere Application Server implemented with Web Service-specific industrial standard technologies.
The details of this cooperative agreement are as follows:
Purpose
The cooperative venture hopes to bring to the market the best e-business infrastructure solutions using the Web service by combining ISID's consulting and system development strengths with IBM Japan's WebSphere product lineup and associated technologies.
Scope and Content of the Agreement
Technical Cooperation: Joint Development and Verification
- Establishment of a Web service technology center within ISID to construct an operating environment for WebSphere and associated products.
- Joint construction of an environment to demonstrate and test the inter-connectivity to a third party's applications to use the Web service; conduct thorough pre-testing in order to make proposals for systems that better meet customer needs. (Construction of an environment in which to conduct preliminary studies of clients' performance requirements using business systems, fine-tuning of performance, etc.)
- Joint efforts to study and develop security authentication,
accounting and electronic signature single sign-on solutions, as required for
Web service infrastructure.
Marketing and Sales Cooperation: Joint Promotion
- Application development using the Web Service and joint proposal/sales of solutions.
- Supplying and disseminating information about the Web service solutions through joint seminars, etc.
Organization
Both companies will form a project team to implement this venture. The team, consisting of 5 sales staff and 20 engineers, will provide sales and technical support.
Sales Target
Both companies expect to achieve revenue of ¥300 million by the end of March 2002 through technical consultancy, Web service application development, and sales of WebSphere products.
About the WebSphere Application Server
Web application servers, interfacing between Web servers and DB servers, serve as middleware to process complicated business logistics. The WebSphere Application Server is an IBM Web application server product that holds the top share of the domestic market. "WebSphere Application Server Version 4.0," released in August 2001, was the first in the industry to be implemented with the various open standard technologies required for developing and operating applications for "Web services," the core of next-generation e-business.
IBM and WebSphere are trademarks and
registered trademarks of the IBM Corporation.
The other company names and product names contained in this document are the trademarks
and registered trademarks of their owners, either organizations or individuals.
Contact Details for Business Enquiries
For the press
Yosuke Yaginuma
Information Services International-Dentsu, Ltd., Corporate Planning Department, Public Relations Group
Tel: 03-3228-6100e-mail: g-pr@isid.co.jp
Kazuhiro Kaneko
IBM Japan, Ltd., Public Relations
Tel: 03-5563-4310For customers
Information Services International-Dentsu, Ltd., General Industry Business Operations
Tel: 03-3228-8137
Company Outline of IBM Japan
Company Name: IBM Japan, Ltd.
President and CEO: Takuma Otoshi
Head Office: 3-2-12 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
URL: www.ibm.com/jp
Established: 1937
Capitalization: ¥135.3 billion
Employees: 20,905 (as of December 31, 2000)
Consolidated Annual Sales: ¥1,643,828 million (fiscal year ended December 31, 2000)
Business Activities: Offering information processing systems, software, and product and service solutions.
