Organic links arms with IBM in e-business push
To help clients expand their businesses online, the Internet consulting company joins Big Blue's Web Integrator Initiative.
Big Blue launched the initiative last year to help expand its sales to the rapidly growing small to midsized market--the initial target audience of most Internet services companies such as Organic rivals Razorfish, Scient, iXL and Viant.
Organic said it will work with IBM on Internet projects and help companies integrate their traditional computer systems with their e-businesses. In turn, IBM will provide Organic with software, hardware, training, support, services and marketing to help build customers' online businesses.
As most Internet consulting companies have begun to change their focus from dot-com clients to serving more established companies, integration work with traditional computer systems will become a more critical factor.
IBM and San Francisco-based Organic have worked together in the past. In June, the companies teamed to tackle the growing wireless market.
Organic and several other Web consulting companies will offer their clients IBM's WebSphere Everyplace suite, a set of tools for developing and managing content for wireless devices. In exchange, the consulting companies will participate in joint marketing and development initiatives with the computing giant and will have access to IBM's large customer base.