The product suite tackles a thorny problem in electronic commerce. But the fly in the ointment is that customers, once burned by a bad experience at a Web site, are unlikely to go back. Some observers have suggested that some sites will get torched this Christmas because they won't be able to keep up with demand. But while Integrated's chosen market is big, winning a big chunk won't be easy. Lurking in it are 800-pound gorillas like Microsoft and IBM, along with smaller, but potent, players.
Integrated officials contend their product is the most well-rounded of anything out there.
Miller says Integrated's software can be managed easily, handle big influxes in traffic to a site and can be readily integrated into a customer's other systems. The proof will be in the pudding. Integrated started developing the software in April 1998 and unveiled it at a trade show in New Orleans last July. Though it is building an internal sales force, a key part of Integrated's efforts to push its products will be through resellers. The sales push will truly get under way in the first quarter of next year.