Siebel Blends CRM Into Other AppsSiebel Blends CRM Into Other Apps

Siebel Systems Inc. on Monday unveiled version 2.0 of its Universal Application Network, a Web services-based system that integrates its customer-relationship management software into other applications. The company also has hired Nimish Mehta as the new Universal Application Network group VP.

The premise of the new version is consistent with the original--the applications provide a 360-degree view of the customer and are ready to plug in to integration servers from most vendors for quick installation and return on investment, the company says. Customers that deploy an integration server then can sit the Universal Application Network apps on top, so the CRM system is connected to all back-end systems and other applications. "A strong message the company received from customers was, 'Make it easier to build out our applications infrastructure,'" Mehta says. "And if you want to be a true friend of the customer, you may be asked to integrate competitors' stuff, too."

Yet the new customized versions for specific vertical industries will appeal to many customers. For instance, Siebel built features to help customers in the automotive industry improve relationships with car dealers, while telecommunications companies have features that help improve bill presentment to consumers. "Before, you'd have to write those [features] by hand and stitch them together," Mehta says.

Universal Application Network is just one of the strategies Siebel is banking on to help it break its current slump in revenue and market performances.

Mehta joined the company last month after leaving a startup that's being sold. Previously he worked with several of his Siebel colleagues at Oracle. He says the fact that Siebel is embracing Web-services architecture and theory was a lure for him, as he sees that as the next revolution in computing.