Lagos — In a bid to achieve its overall objectives of effectively reaching the target market and establishing an indirect distribution channel for its wide range of products in Nigeria including the award-winning multi-platform XML e-business integration server, Virtuoso, Openlink Software has signed on Para System as its Integration Business Partner (IBP).

While signing the pact at a press conference in Lagos, General Manager, Openlink Software, Mr. Emeka Okoye said that the core reason for the partnership arrangement is that ParaSystems "is strategically positioned in the gas, oil and financial sector," and as such its experience and reach is an added advantage for Openlink to position its products to suit that sector.

Okoye added that in an era when most companies are clamouring for efficiency, they require tools that have to do with efficiency such as Openlink Server which has been designed to bring out efficiency and productivity.

According to him, "This relationship is a win-win arrangement. Our offering will be very attractive to our partners' clients. For us, market penetration is our number one goal. Our partner is an established local software development with a firm grip of the local market."

Okoye pointed out that one of the strategy of the company is to deal with such local companies with a view to establishing an indirect selling market. Since according to him, "our partner understands the market more than we do, it is far beneficial for us to position our products, using the experience and market understanding para system has garnered over the years. And, of course, we will give all our partners solid and reliable backup support."

Giving an insight into the partnership deal, the Managing Director, Para Systems Limited, Mr. Paul Nwagharaocha said that what attracted his company was the cutting edge technology that OpenLink software has brought into its range of product and the fact that OpenLink was pioneered by young Nigerians in the diaspora. This is aside the fact that it has been in the Fortune magazine Top 500 company list for the sixth year running.

According to him, what Para Systems would benefit is less than what is accruable to the end users. "The products' cutting edge technology is what all our clients will get access to. With Virtuoso's cutting edge technology, a meeting that will ordinarily last for three hours can be conducted under 20 minutes."

He said with it installed, an end user can talk to his business partner using his notebook computer stressing that "One of the good thing about Virtuoso is that security is not compromised. You do not hide such a dynamic product, you expose it. And that is one of the reasons we are attracted to the collaboration arrangement."

He also said that the beauty of the product lies in its ability to run on all devices including Oracle, Sybase, Excel and more.

The non-exclusive, non-transferable license agreement would enable ParaSystems, among others, to:

_incorporate Openlink's products transparently into a commercially available product or incorporate its products as part of an overall systems integration solution,

_distribute and sub-license any of the rights granted it,

_copy the programmes and subsequent updates for back up and archival purposes.