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Wireless middleware provider Extended Systems Inc. and corporate e-mail pager manufacturer Research in Motion Ltd. are teaming up to deliver several enterprise applications to RIMs BlackBerry handhelds.
The companies have built an interface between ESIs OneBridge mobile platform and ESIs BlackBerry Enterprise Server so that customers can extend customer relationship management, enterprise resource planning and enterprise application integration software from companies such as Siebel Systems Inc., SAP AG and Tibco Inc. to their BlackBerry devices.
As part of the relationship, RIM is reselling ESIs OneBridge platform to its existing enterprise customers.
RIM was a pioneer in wireless e-mail and owned the market for years, but lately the company has been trying to branch out into other applications since companies such as Palm Inc. and several cell phone carriers have started to offer wireless e-mail solutions of their own.
“RIMs alliance with Extended Systems is an important element of our strategy to extend BlackBerry beyond corporate e-mail and help customers empower their mobil workforce while achieving further returns on their IT investments in both BlackBerry and back-end systems such as CRM,” said Mark Guibert, vice president of Brand Management at RIM, in Waterloo, Ontario. ESI is based in Boise, Idaho.