J.D. Edwards releases CRM 2.0

Midmarket vendor J.D. Edwards has released the 2.0 version of its CRM (customer relationship management) software, a package the company's CRM strategy head calls "the definitive CRM release for J.D. Edwards."

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Among the 175 changes and extensions in the new release are tighter integration with other J.D. Edwards products, notably its SCM (supply-chain management) and ERP (enterprise resource planning) packages; a mobile module that allows the software to be accessed when the user is offline, and new customer service management capabilities.

J.D. Edwards, based in Denver, entered the CRM market in mid-2001 through its acquisition of CRM software maker YouCentric. This is the fourth update of the company's CRM suite, and this time the overhaul completes the product's foundation, according to Karl Johnson, a YouCentric co-founder now serving as J.D. Edwards' vice president of CRM strategy.

"Last year, we were bringing it into the [J.D. Edwards] fold. This release is fleshing it out," he said. "This puts us on par with or exceeding our competitors in all areas. From this point forward, updates will be further fleshing-out."

Since the YouCentric acquisition closed at the end of 2001, J.D. Edwards has signed 108 new CRM deals, according to Johnson. About half of those buyers are existing customers using other J.D. Edwards software. In winning new business, J.D. Edwards finds itself competing most often against Siebel Systems, Oracle and SAP, he said.

J.D. Edwards announced in September a deal with IBM to include IBM's middleware, including its DB2 database and WebSphere application server, as part of its own software products. J.D. Edwards CRM 2.0 is part of that arrangement, and ships with IBM's middleware included, Johnson said.

J.D. Edwards also partnered with mobile infrastructure software maker Synchrologic., whose technology powers the new "disconnected" functionality allowing CRM 2.0 to be used offline and synchronized with network data.

J.D. Edwards would not disclose pricing for CRM 2.0, which is sold on a modular, per-user basis. The price tag varies based on a customer's company size and annual revenue, the company said.