Compaq, Lotus strengthen KM product portfolio

Lotus and Compaq have added two more products to their portfolio of KM technologies designed to help organizations capture, filter and deliver knowledge to their workers.

Collectively the technologies enable users to access and share timely information, thereby increasing efficiency and user adoption and reducing time-to-deployment. Already part of the Lotus/Compaq portfolio are a competitive intelligence application and a knowledge collaboration solution for research and development organizations. Cambridge Technology Partners has agreed to offer support and services for the product portfolio.

Analysts at The Delphi Group say that Lotus, which already has significant KM mindshare, is on target with its collection of turnkey packages rather than general purpose toolsets. "With this early lead in learning how to provide such solutions, Lotus continues to set itself apart from tools vendors, and is setting the benchmark for the solutions side of the industry," says Delphi.

Added to the KM portfolio are products from tool for enhancing innovation and a sales coaching tool.

Knowledge Associates' Knowledger.Innovation creates a Notes-based "micro environment" designed increase workers' innovation by teaching them to focus on the customers' needs and learn to take risks.

The other offering, a combination of Synergistics' Prevail Knowledge Center and WisdomWare's Sales Coaching, delivers to salespeople information such as competitive analysis, proposal templates and pricing schedules, and offers one-to-one sales coaching.

Pricing for Knowledger.Innovation starts at $60,000 for a pilot site license. For the Prevail Knowledge Center with Sales Coaching, pricing depends on the size of the organization