Watchfire Corp. and Corporate Renaissance Group (CRG), a pair of Ottawa-based companies have formed an alliance to offer Web site management and services to enterprise businesses.
Under the terms of the strategic agreement, Watchfire will lend its software to help companies manage their online content and applications. The software includes WebQ, a Web site quality testing tool, Bobby, a Web site accessibility testing tool and WebXM, its Web site management platform. CRG will focus its attention on the service aspect of the relationship, handling an organization’s Web or e-business endeavour through its Shared, Business Intelligence, Activity-based and Performance Measurement services. In addition, CRG will also be given the rights to resell Watchfire’s software solutions.
Watchfire is an existing CRG client and user of the Microsoft Corp. Great Plains product, an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. The system was implemented by and continues to be supported by CRG.
Focusing on the medium to large-scale enterprises, a spokesperson at CRG said that initially, CRG and Watchfire existing customers will necessarily compose the targeted market segment for the solution.
“Any initiative where you have a medium-to large-size Web site with data collection with customers and data activity on the site… any site where you have a large amount of stakeholders where data is gathered and updated very frequently is the kind of situation we’re looking at,” said Pradeep Durwas, business solution consultant at CRG in Ottawa.
With a vast Web market available, he added that the companies will focus on the government and financial service industries. Industry Canada is already a Watchfire customer, as the company was charged with overseeing its online government project last year.
Dave Senf, senior analyst at IDC Canada Ltd. in Toronto said that even though the companies do have some brand recognition in Canada, they are about to enter a fiercely competitive field. On the Web management side, Vignette Corp., FileNet Corp., IBM Corp. and Microsoft Corp. are already established players. And on the services side, CGI Group Inc. and BearingPoint Inc. are already in the fray.
However Senf noted that Watchfire may see success in the Web accessibility and privacy areas, he added, especially with the introduction of Bill C6 that looks at the collection, storage and transmission of consumer information to be introduced in 2004.
The companies are online at www.crgroup.com and www.watchfire.com.