BroadVision offers buy and sell ebusiness apps

NEWS Ecommerce software and services provider, BroadVision, says it will become the first vendor to offer companies buy-side and sell-side ecommerce applications. The company announced the final two pieces in its product portfolio today. They are BroadVision Enterprise Procurement, which is available immediately and BroadVision MarketMaker, which will be available later this year. Kent Allen, senior analyst at Aberdeen Group, said: "BroadVision is the first leading sell-side vendor to provide a buy-side technology focus. Providing a full suite of ecommerce applications capable of powering a company's entire value chain should resonate with those enterprises seeking a single ebusiness supplier." Kent believes BroadVision won't have the space to itself for long and said leading sell-side vendors are increasingly well-positioned to provide complete marketplace solutions. BroadVision MarketMaker lets net market makers and enterprises create dynamic global trading communities that connect buyers to suppliers across the extended value chain. BroadVision Enterprise Procurement, allows companies to automate the purchasing process by enabling web-based, self-service purchasing of MRO indirect goods from a worldwide network of suppliers. Rani Merritt, executive vice president and general manager of worldwide marketing at BroadVision, said: "Our new procurement and market maker applications, combined with our existing, award-winning product line, give our customers the power to manage business relationships within the supply chain." BroadVision software is already employed by markets such as construction industry hub BuildNet.com and IT sector procurement site e-Exchange.com. The company recently lost American Airlines as a customer in a high-profile defection to competitor Art Technology Group which sent BroadVision's stock price tumbling. It had traded above $93 for the 12 months prior to the loss but fell to around $35.