CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
11 October 2004
Product News
Agile Announces Initiative to Deliver PLM Solutions for Small and Medium Enterprises
Agile Software Corporation announced a dedicated program focused on delivering ready to deploy, cost effective, on demand PLM solutions driven by the specific requirements of small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
Recognizing the clear needs that the SME market has in terms of time to deployment, initial cost of entry, ease of doing business in an extended supply chain, and total cost of ownership, Agile is launching Agile Advantage 2005; the Agile On DemandT PLM delivery vehicle; and a new value-added reseller network to meet the specific needs of the SME market.
PLM Product Designed for SMEs -At the heart of the new program is Agile Advantage, a solution designed specifically for the small and medium enterprise, and built on Agile's PLM technology and experience. Agile Advantage 2005 solutions include product record management, document management and control, view and markup, quality management, program management, product sourcing, engineering integration and enterprise integration. It is specifically designed for optimal performance in an application service provider (ASP) environment, yielding maximum flexibility, strong intellectual property (IP) security and protection, as well as low cost for the customer. At the same time, it is fully upgradeable to the Agile PLM enterprise offering, as a company's business and PLM requirements scale.
On Demand PLM Solutions -Agile Advantage On Demand PLM allows companies to decide on the best way for them to deploy Agile solutions across their enterprise-either via full-service application delivery over the internet (ASP), or hosted on their own internal IT infrastructure. Customers can also choose which pricing model best suits their business model-perpetual, term or subscription-based, and adjust the model as their usage needs change. The results are reduced IT complexity, low cost of entry and the lowest total cost of ownership in the industry.
Expanded Partner Network -As part of its renewed focus on the SME market, Agile has launched a value-added reseller (VAR) network to sell, service and support Agile solutions for the SME market. CADD Edge, Domain Systems, Go Engineer, J-Squared, Sierra Atlantic and Tri Mech Solutions are just a few who have joined the Agile partner network. All are well-established and successful companies offering solutions around CAD, PLM and MRP/ERP.
Agile has provided solutions to many successful SME companies over the years, with the application scaling with their needs as they have grown. Companies such as Juniper, Network Appliance and PalmOne all implemented Agile solutions during their start-up phases. Each has grown to more than a billion dollars in annual revenues, and they have been able to scale their Agile solutions as their businesses have grown. Agile places high value in being able to meet the needs of SME's while providing them with long term scalability as their businesses grow.
"We're really glad to see Agile giving attention to small and medium companies through Agile Advantage 2005," says Joe Vitorino, vice president of operations, ONStor. "It's important to have access to solutions that help level the playing field against larger, more established competitors. With the flexible licensing and support savings of Agile Advantage, we were able to add and deploy the Agile Quality ManagementT product. With Agile Advantage, our new product introductions are going like clockwork. We've had zero RMAs. We've had zero field failures. We don't have contract manufacturer hassles. Our customers are buying, reordering, and paying. What's not to be happy about?"
"The SME market has always been a strong segment for Agile. We have been successfully serving these manufacturers since our inception," said Bryan Stolle, Agile CEO. "Our history with these companies has made it clear that smaller companies have distinctly different needs than Global 5000 firms. Agile is committed to focused solutions built to address SME business challenges around product lifecycle management, provide world-class service and support, and give the customer a choice in deployment through our Agile On Demand PLM solution. Our mission is to make it easy for small and medium enterprises to do business throughout the extended supply chain by managing their product record and making product information sharing transparent."
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