360Commerce Chooses IBM to Help Deliver On Demand Solutions to Meet Retail Industry Customer Needs

360Commerce today announced it has achieved the status of Industry Optimized in IBM's PartnerWorld Industry Networks. This designation validates and expands 360Commerce's connections with IBM's retail-focused sales, marketing and technical resources to develop and deliver on demand solutions that meet customer requirements in the retail industry.

360Commerce has also achieved IBM Ready for Store Integration Framework (SIF) Validation. IBM Ready for SIF Business Partners have completed technical validation for their store applications running on IBM's open standards-based middleware.

"IBM's Store Integration Framework allows our customers to be more responsive to business opportunities and customer demands," said Tom Fornoff, vice president of business development for 360Commerce. "Additionally, we have found IBM to be a supportive partner, helping to extend our sales and marketing reach with retailers through expert support and strategic communication programs."

360Commerce, widely known for their freedom-of-choice approach to providing retail software, has been a pioneer in the open source and standards movements. As the first and only provider to build all of their store optimization solutions on one solid, consistent Java platform, 360Commerce has been uniquely positioned to work with some of the most innovative thinkers in retail technology and some of the most successful retail enterprises. By offering a complete suite of Java-based products including point-of-service, back office and enterprise solutions, 360Commerce has created a best-practices technology solution that is unmatched in the retail industry.

"We are excited to have the commitment of a retail vendor like 360Commerce expressed through the PartnerWorld Industry Network and validated through the Ready for SIF program," said Buell Duncan, general manager, ISV & Developer Relations, IBM. "This demonstrates the combined value that IBM and ISVs can create for customers in the retail industry. Customers are not interested in a one-size-fits-all approach -- they want tailored, proven, industry-specific solutions that can help solve their business challenges. The PartnerWorld Industry Network provides an avenue for IBM and 360Commerce to deliver open and flexible solutions that match our joint customers' needs."

360Commerce's leading-edge solutions run on a range of products and services from the IBM portfolio that make up IBM Store Integration Framework. 360Commerce was the recent recipient of IBM's Beacon Award for the IBM Retail Environment for SUSE LINUX. Enterprise-class IBM SurePOS software and IBM hardware designed specifically for retail stores serve as a solid foundation for 360Commerce applications to provide the availability that retailers need to compete effectively. Best-of-breed middleware, including IBM WebSphere Application Server, IBM WebSphere MQ and IBM DB2 Universal Database software, and IBM Retail Store Solutions offerings combine with 360Commerce technology to build solutions that deliver timely, complete and accurate access to business critical information.

The IBM PartnerWorld Industry Networks provide ISVs with comprehensive business insight, technical resources, networking opportunities, and marketing and sales support designed to help them reach more customers and close deals faster. Participants in the PartnerWorld Industry Networks can team with IBM to bring on demand solutions to market more easily and to ensure these solutions meet specific industry needs, reflecting how customers buy technology today. ISVs who have attained one or more Industry Optimized competencies have successfully integrated with on demand IBM infrastructure software and hardware and demonstrated success with customers in the industries they serve.

ISVs can sign up for PartnerWorld Industry Networks at www.ibm.com/isv.

About 360Commerce

360Commerce's proven and flexible store and workforce management applications are running in more of the world's leading retailers than any comparable Java solution, including such leading retailers as Apple, Build-A-Bear Workshop, Circuit City, The Home Depot, Gap Inc., FedEx Kinko's, and Rite Aid. 360Commerce's feature-rich solutions combined with industry-leading IBM technology help retailers compete more effectively by enabling them to provide best-in-class customer service to increase market share and by helping them to streamline operations to increase margins. Their applications include Point-of-Sale, Back Office, Inventory Management, Central Office, Returns Management, and Workforce Management.

ISV CONTACT INFORMATION: Milly Pellizzari Corporate Marketing Manager 512-491-2781 Email Contact