DSX is proud to announce a new strategic partnership with Strategies2Integrate (S2I), LLC. S2I has recently partnered with Ascential Software to market the Ascential Enterprise Integration Suite™ to VARs and Specialized System Integrators. S2I’s core charter is to provide the software and services required to assist software manufacturers in embedding the Ascential product suite into their proprietary applications. This partnership will allow the VARs and SIs to use Ascential’s strengths to quickly solve their data integration problems instead of having to hand-code solutions when they install their applications at client sites.

David Baldwin: So Andy, can you tell our subscribers why Ascential is taking this new direction?

Andy Sorrell: Well, David, it’s not really a new direction for Ascential. After all, they’ve partnered with many software manufacturers, most notably PeopleSoft, to provide data integration solutions for specific markets. As they’ve grown, Ascential has always looked for ways to extend their solution coverage to more and more markets. Recently they’ve partnered with S2I to leverage our technical expertise in some specific market segments.

David: What markets are you working with Ascential to develop?

Andy: We worked with Rodger Morrill, Ascential’s V.P. of ISV/OEM Sales, and he’s partnered with us to work on developing the small to mid-range VARs & SIs.

David: So does S2I have access to all the Ascential products? Or just Ascential DataStage™?

Andy: One of the initial things we had to work out with Ascential was which products we thought our market would be interested in, and in what configurations. I’m glad to say that we have access to almost the entire suite of Ascential products and have pre-packaged them in specific bundles to address the needs of specific VARs. For instance VARs that need web-enablement could look at our Ascential DataStage™ / Ascential RTI™ combo, while VARs that are having difficulty integrating pre-existing data could use Ascential DataStage™, Ascential ProfileStage™, and Ascential QualityStage™ to quickly profile the incoming data, clean it up, and load it into their application.

David: Are there any limitations on how VARs can use the product?

Andy: The Ascential products are provided as embedded-only solutions. What this means is that the VAR will use the design features to build data integration modules, and then these pre-built modules will be integrated into their vertical application. These run-time only modules are restricted to a single data source, which isn’t a problem considering they are providing a single point solution. These restrictions allow us to provide pricing that will easily allow the VAR to incorporate Ascential into all of their sales.

David: This sounds like very good news for our subscribers since Ascential will be providing more solutions at more companies. Are there any other aspects of S2I you think our subscribers will be interested in?

Andy: Well, one of S2I’s challenges will be assisting the VARs and SIs with integration into specific application environments. We’re already encountering applications built in C, PHP, and Java to name a few. Though we have several very experienced Ascential DataStage consultants available for deployment, we are concerned about having the right resources available at the right time. I know you have quite a few independent consultants that frequent your forums, if they are interested in assisting us, I’d love to have them contact me. That way we could provide them with consulting contracts while we provide great service to our customers. They can check us out at www.strategies2integrate.com and send email to andy@strategies2.com.

David: Andy I’d like to thank you for taking the time to let our subscribers get to know a bit about S2I. We hope to hear more from you in the future.

Andy: Thanks David, I’ll be soaking up all the knowledge I can at Ascential World, if any of your subscribers are there, they can feel free to stop and say hello!

Strategies2Integrate President: Andy Sorrell

Andy has over 25 years experience in various aspects of the high-tech arena including Product Management, Consulting, Marketing, and Sales positions at several multi-billion dollar hardware and software manufacturers. Andy has been a featured speaker throughout his career, giving presentations and demonstrations in Europe, Africa, Asia and the United States concerning the efficient deployment of technology to create dynamic business solutions.