IBM signs deal with Danish portal company

Rethink IT, June, 2004

IBM has entered into a strategic portal partnership with Danish content management vendors Synkron.

The companies will integrate the Synkron.web CMS into IBM's WebSphere technology, providing content management coupled with portal functionality.

"This is more than a technology agreement," said Thomas Kovsted, Nordic sales manager at IBM Denmark "It's a commercial partnership for which we have high expectations. IBM has committed heavily in the relationship by making developers and marketing resources available and the first joint customers are already in place."

Synkron's CEO, Thomas Marschall, believes that "content management systems are becoming an integral part of a company's communication strategy--both internally and externally. Our partner ship with IBM means that now even medium--sized companies can acquire a sophisticated enterprise portal solution at a price they are able and willing to pay."

IBM has also upgraded its portal building tool, WebSphere Portal Application Integrator. The new version is designed to be easier to use, even by non programmers The update also adds more than a dozen new portlets, many of them for SAP's Manager Self-Service product.