Genuity Joins With IBM On E-Commerce Bundle

IBM says it will bundle its WebSphere Commerce products with Genuity Inc.'s Web-hosting services as part of an effort to win over midsize to large companies that haven't had the time or the resources to build their own E-commerce sites.

The software and services--packaged as Hosted E-Commerce--are available now. Pricing includes a software license, which starts at $38,000; hosting fees vary depending on configuration and server setup.

It's a familiar refrain by now. E-commerce vendors, in this case Genuity and IBM, know it's easier to sell businesses on the importance of online commerce if the potential clients don't have to get their fingers dirty setting it up. Genuity says its partnership with IBM alleviates the need for a company to divert IT staff resources to new E-commerce initiatives.

Andrew Efstathiou, an analyst with the Yankee Group, says buying bundled services "makes it easier for customers to implement technology quickly and focus on their business model rather than assembling an IT infrastructure bit by bit."