Apptix hosts Microsoft apps for Bell Canada customers

Bell Canada began offering its enterprise customers Microsoft Exchange messaging and collaboration solutions this week using the on-demand platform from Sterling, Va.-based Apptix.

Small and medium-sized businesses can deploy the latest Microsoft applications while letting Apptix manage them and the associated Microsoft Exchange 2003 servers and services. Apptix’ TECOS service automation and management platform handles the registration, provisioning and management of the complete services, including secure e-mail, document collaboration, anti-spam and content filtering.

Bell Canada and Apptix will also jointly develop additional on-demand applications using the TECOS platform. The pay-as-you-use model will save Bell Canada customers between 20% and 50% compared to managing these services in-house.

"We are putting together a multiple product roadmap of various product Bell Canada will roll out over the next two years," said Alex Hawkinson, CEO of Apptix.

TECOS manages the full application delivery lifecycle for end users. The latest software release (Version 4.0, made available last year) includes a Web-based self signup service which Hawkinson credits in part for the increase in business customers his service provider customers have been bringing on board.

In addition to Bell Canada, companies such as NTT/Verio, XO Communications, Digex (MCI), Globix, Jamcracker and Outtask have signed up more than 20,000 business customers in the last 90 days. Fifty-five percent of users are outside the U.S.

"It is a signal to the market that a great channel partner like this is placing a bet on Apptix and TECOS for multiple net-delivered applications," Hawkinson said.

Apptix also helps promote the services through a packaged marketing and sales program for its partners as well as a global alliance with HP acting as a value-added reseller. The company expects to be announcing in the next couple of months partnerships with two major service providers in the U.S.

"I think there is a deeper realization within the industry on what people’s core competencies are. Now large service providers are more open-minded about what they do and don’t do well," Hawkinson said.

With release 4.0 of TECOS, service providers can now use the platform to deploy and manage multiple applications, including Microsoft Exchange, Windows SharePoint Services, Microsoft CRM and Microsoft Office System. A standards-based application programming interface also enables them to integrate and customize additional applications or Web services with Microsoft .NET technologies, such as Bell Canada will be doing.