Seattle-based AttachmateWRQ and UK software company Corizon today announced a strategic technology partnership which will make it easier for large organisations to integrate critical information systems at the heart of their businesses. The partnership, effective immediately, combines the complementary expertise of the two companies to create end-to-end solutions capable of integrating data and business functionality from across many generations of technology, from “green-screen” to web applications.

Over several decades, businesses have made large investments in their IT infrastructure, which often include different generations of technology that span web, Windows™ and host-based systems. They therefore now require integration solutions that preserve and re-use as much of this as possible. The alternative - “ripping and replacing” their infrastructure, and migrating to the new platforms - is expensive and time-consuming, and does not necessarily result in the performance improvements needed to justify the costs.

AttachmateWRQ has an unparalleled track record in extending access to a wide range of host-based legacy applications to new user audiences. Using AttachmateWRQ solutions, developers can reuse legacy logic and data swiftly and securely, preparing enterprises to take advantage of new technologies, such as web services and Service Oriented Architecture (SOA).

Corizon’s software addresses a previously missing link in SOA, giving enterprise architects the tool they need to take user interfaces (UIs) of web or Windows™ applications and break each of them down into separate visual components which become service-enabled “building blocks”. These separate components can then be tailored and combined to create a new or composite UI which, while vastly simplified, retains the relevant functionality of the original components. This composite UI appears to be a single, seamless entity to the users and is much simpler and faster to use. It can easily be tailored to the needs of different user groups and its use within a business process can be measured and monitored.

The combination of AttachmateWRQ and Corizon’s capabilities now means that businesses can rapidly expose user facing functionality and data from virtually any application without complex development and can achieve true flexibility in recombining this functionality for end users.

As a result people in the business can now make better decisions and respond more effectively. This is particularly important in customer service environments such as call centres, where the existing IT infrastructure is often unwieldy, the result of many additions and changes. The pressure this puts on end users is considerable: they are forced to juggle host-based, web and Windows™ applications in a process that has been described as “swivel chair integration”. There is pressure on the managers of these environments to provide a simplified user interface to end-users, thus reducing call time and the probability of agent-error, and providing a seamless experience to the end users of the call centre’s services.

David Davies, VP of Products for Corizon, commented: “This partnership extends our ability to create re-usable UI components and services from a wide range of underlying infrastructures. It specifically addresses the needs of our customers who are keen not to abandon valuable host infrastructure, and the combined offering is a powerful asset for CIOs who have struggled to address the burden multiple generations of IT places on end-users.”

Ron Grevink, Director of Integration Strategy for AttachmateWRQ added: “The customer service market that Corizon’s solutions address is an important one for us; organisations often have many generations of technology in place, and together we can provide a complete solution for their integration woes. Corizon’s strength in providing solutions in customer service propositions and its expertise with web and Windows™ integration solutions, makes it an excellent strategic partner for AttachmateWRQ’s host integration solutions.”

About UPM and AttachmateWRQ Host Integration

Corizon’s User Process Management (UPM) platform addresses a missing link in Service Oriented Architecture, by managing the combination of re-usable UI components (UI services) into simple, role-specific composite user interfaces. It provides the capability to convert the user interfaces (UI) from existing web and Windows™ applications into these UI components, as well as exposing their data and logic for integration.

AttachmateWRQ’s products provide access to host-based legacy applications across multiple platforms, including IBM, HP, Unisys, Digital and Unix, via a variety of mechanisms.

The combined technologies allow customers to easily expose functionality from Windows, Web and host systems and to give end-users such as self service consumers and call centre agents a seamless, simple and customised experience of their IT infrastructure, regardless of the complexity of the underlying technology.

About Corizon

Corizon is a UK-based software company that has pioneered the development of User Process Management. Its products work with packaged and legacy applications and Service Oriented Architectures to allow organisations to provide employees and customers with composite, functional user interfaces that are easily tuned to the task at hand. Corizon’s solutions experts and methodology bring together a unique combination of usability, customer service operations and systems integration expertise to allow our customers to realise a rapid return on investment.

Corizon was founded in the UK and is based in central London. It works with enterprise customers in UK and European markets, with partners that include Accenture, MBT and Keane. Corporations such as BT and Telewest already use Corizon technology in the UK.

For further information please visit http://www.corizon.com <http://www.corizon.com>

About AttachmateWRQ

AttachmateWRQ is the largest independent provider of software to access and integrate legacy systems. AttachmateWRQ enables organizations to maximize the value of their existing IT investments as they advance their long-term business and IT strategies. More than 40,000 customers representing over 16 million desktops worldwide take advantage of AttachmateWRQ’s quality solutions and deep expertise to help them run their businesses securely, efficiently and competitively.

For more information, please see http://www.attachmatewrq.com