ATG 6 E-Com and Portal App Consolidates Web Operations

Art Technology Group Inc. this week will introduce the next version of its e-commerce and portal application suite, which features integrated analytics, search and application integration technologies licensed from other developers.

ATG 6 includes Hyperion Solutions Corp.s Essbase OLAP Server for analytics, integrated search software from Autonomy Corp. plc., and integration connectors to Siebel Systems Inc. and SAP AGs business applications from TIBCO Software Inc.

In addition, the next version of ATG includes improved Web publishing support, including content management and asset management.

ATG 6 is divided into three modules: Publishing, for developing catalogs, promotions and service information; Analytics, for insights into sales trends and user behavior; and Search, for access to product and self-service information.

ATG user Bob Buttacavoli, global director of e-commerce strategy and development at Marsh & McLennan Companies Inc.s Mercer consulting business, in New York, is interested primarily in the Analytics module in ATG 6.

"We have sites in 40 countries and 26 different topics on each site. Thats a huge variation in information and languages," Buttacavoli said. "We need to understand the local trends so that the global site can react to them."

With that information, Buttacavoli said Mercer could tailor site content, as well as business-to-employee portal applications its developing, for customers. Mercer has search and content management applications from other vendors already in place.

"In the future, well be looking to make investments in reporting and other things," said Buttacavoli. "[ATGs licensing] strategy will require a lot less integration on our end. As long as they go with top-quality vendors to do the job, and they seem to be going after the top companies in the respective areas."

ATG 6 also includes application server support for Java 2 Enterprise Edition 1.3, which Buttacavoli said was key. The upgrade provides tighter integration between the existing Commerce and Portal modules and enhanced capabilities for administration and for driving business processes from the portal, according to company officials in Cambridge, Mass. The officials said ATG 6 is intended to meet the needs of companies looking to consolidate Web pages and centralize Web operations.

The ATG Publishing module, as well as the Portal and Commerce module enhancements and TIBCO Siebel integration, will ship next quarter, officials said. The rest of ATG 6 is due in the first quarter of next year.