Lucent Technologies Spinoff Unveils First eCommunication Model to Help Enterprises Quickly Move Into Next Wave of eBusiness - Enterprise Networks Group - Company Operations

Cambridge Telcom Report, April 17, 2000

The new Enterprise Networks Group being spun off from Lucent Technologies announced Tuesday several major initiatives to provide next-generation systems and solutions for personalized eBusiness communication.

As a first step, the company introduced an open, flexible communication model that will enable enterprises -- from start-ups to established companies -- to move quickly into the next wave of eBusiness. The new Enterprise Networks Group also announced it is working with Andersen Consulting, eLoyalty and PricewaterhouseCoopers to develop, sell and integrate enterprise-wide eBusiness solutions.

Called the eCommunication model, the standards-based model is designed to take much of the complexity out of building, integrating and converging the multiple intelligent networks and multimedia applications businesses need to connect with their customers, suppliers, partners and employees. With it, enterprises will be able to quickly migrate their businesses beyond the content- and transaction-based interactions that have defined eBusiness until now, to personalized, relationship-based communication and collaboration that helps link virtual organizations to improve efficiency and build long-term customer loyalty.

The company also said it plans to establish a consortium of technology leaders to participate in defining and developing software components of the model, set up an eBusiness interoperability lab, and expand its existing ISV program to include software developers wanting to write applications for the model.

"eBusiness is undergoing a transformation driven by changing business models and by customer desire to interact with businesses over any medium, through any device, at any time and from anywhere," said Don Peterson, president and CEO of Lucent's new Enterprise Networks Group. "With eCommunication, we are taking eBusiness beyond 'clicks and calls' toward effortless, relationship-based communication that will help enterprises capture and hold customer loyalty."

The new Enterprise Networks Group's approach to eCommunication builds on its vast experience and success in helping both startups and established businesses build communication networks and solutions for call centers, messaging and customer relationship management. The model's open, modular design gives enterprises in any stage of eBusiness the ability to integrate new technology into existing systems or quickly build an entirely new communication-enabled eBusiness system.

"As a new company, we are focused on delivering a personalized home financing experience powered by the most advanced multi-media customer relationship technologies," said Richard G. Thornberry, president and CEO, Nexstar Financial Corporation. "This new eCommunication model will enable us to fully integrate our eBusiness communication systems, resulting in a seamless customer experience regardless of the customer's choice of media. It will provide us with critical speed to market and allow us to quickly respond to our customers' rapidly changing needs. The eCommunication model is consistent with our view of what our customers expect in the future. We look forward to working with the new Enterprise Networks Group to leverage these capabilities to further build our business going forward."

"With the relationships announced Tuesday and its extensive experience in customer care, the new Enterprise Networks Group is uniquely positioned in our industry to lead the enterprise to the successful deployment of eBusiness processes and systems," said Jim Metzler, vice president, Ashton, Metzler & Associates. "It is one of the few companies to recognize that enterprises are at different starting points in eBusiness with different needs and goals, and to design a highly adaptable solution to get them where they want to go."

The initiatives announced Tuesday with Andersen Consulting, eLoyalty and PricewaterhouseCoopers are among the first the new company expects to establish with leading consultants, professional services organizations and technology leaders to develop, market and integrate enterprise-wide eBusiness solutions. The new Enterprise Networks Group is working individually with each firm to create unique solutions that range from front office to back office to hosted solutions for eBusiness.

The new company plans to help customers implement the eCommunication model through an alliance with Lucent's NetworkCare professional services organization, its own CRM Professional Services organization, and through relationships with business consultants and systems integrators. The company also is forging alliances with technology leaders similar to one announced with the Sun MicroSystems in December, to communication-enable their portals and to create joint eBusiness solutions for enterprises.

"These initiatives underscore our ongoing commitment to the enterprise and demonstrate how serious we are about taking eBusiness communication to a new level," Peterson said. "The requirements of delivering eBusiness solutions are wide-ranging, and we're working with some of the most creative and productive organizations in the world to help bring them to the marketplace."