i2 Technologies Inc. is hoping its latest software update will help break down the silos in business organizations.
i2 Five.Two, announced on Thursday, will provide new functionalities that combine a common interface and a common data model across i2s products that will allow for better reporting across CRM, SCM (supply chain management), and SRM (supplier relationship management) modules, according to officials.
The platform also comes with new functionality like upgraded content management, inventory visibility and distributed order management.
In response to the down economy, i2 also announced two new Jump Start Packages that, like Oracle Corp.s 90-day procure-to-pay offering, looks to shorten ROI time for customers with 90-day implementations. The first two packages are Jump Start Factory Planner and Jump Start Strategic Sourcing. In the next several months, i2 expects to unveil Jump Start Catalog Management and Jump Start Demand Planning.
About three months ago i2 quietly started an internal reorganization. The company re-aligned its engineering and product marketing groups so that when new software gets released, its not just a bunch of code. In other words the appropriate message is wrapped around software so customers know how to deploy it, according to officials.
Dallas-based i2 also hired a San Francisco firm to revamp its customer-facing user interface and pounded on the engineering team to integrate all the companies it acquired over the last two years.
The result is a new UI look and feel and an upgraded platform that integrates for the first time the products from the RightWorks Corp., Aspect Development Inc. and Trade Services Corp. acquisitions.
The i2 Five.Two platform is available now. Its modular solutions can be rolled out incrementally, according to officials.