ASTM International Selects Oracle(R) for Customer Service and Integration Capabilities

May, 17 2005

ASTM International Selects Oracle(R) for Customer Service and Integration Capabilities Mid-Sized Society Publisher to Rely on BizTech for Local, System Integration Expertise (REDWOOD SHORES, Calif.) -- ASTM International, one of the world's largest voluntary standards publishers, has selected the Oracle(R) E-Business Suite to provide the organization with a complete, scalable and affordable set of integrated applications. A mid-sized society publisher, ASTM's decision to select Oracle (Nasdaq: ORCL) came after a year-long review of competing products and vendors. For project management and integration services, ASTM has contracted with BizTech, a local systems integrator with experience and success helping customers address their industry needs with Oracle applications. Founded in 1898, ASTM International is a not-for-profit organization that develops and publishes voluntary consensus standards for materials, products, systems and services for customers including U.S. Steel, Daimler/Chrysler, Department of Defense, and Northrop Grumman. When the organization realized its legacy systems made it difficult to integrate its backend systems with its website in real-time, ATSM began to evaluate competitive offerings from several niche vendors. ASTM selected the Oracle E-Business Suite and will implement marketing, telesales, e-commerce, financials, order management, and inventory management applications. The Oracle applications will help deliver real-time web e-commerce, and better visibility into customer purchasing patterns. These products will also enable ASTM to measure the effectiveness of sales and marketing initiatives, capture inventory status and improve the customer experience. "We were worried that enterprise-level software would be too complex, expensive and difficult for a mid-size organization to use," said Phil Lively, vice president of information technology at ASTM. "But we realized this was a misperception after evaluating the Oracle solution -- the applications are affordable and configurable to meet the needs of a publisher and membership society. Working with BizTech, we have the support of a local, trusted partner that can provide us with rapid installation and the hands-on attention and expertise we need for our deployment." "We've had a long relationship with Oracle and have developed a special understanding for how to help mid-sized customers get up and running quickly on Oracle systems and achieve ROI," said Tom Connolly, president at BizTech, a Certified Partner in the Oracle PartnerNetwork. "We've successfully completed the project planning for ASTM's implementation strategy and look forward to supporting them through the deployment stages, helping them make the most of the better information the Oracle system will provide." In addition to its expertise with Oracle applications implementations, BizTech recently has been authorized to resell Oracle E-Business Suite Special Edition North America. Integration Provides Single View and Improves Customer Management with a global customer base that spans numerous industries -- from aviation to telecommunications -- ASTM found it challenging to manage its complex and diverse customer base. Critical to its decision to invest in the Oracle E-Business Suite was the ability to gain a single, integrated view of its customers, enabling ASTM to build better, stronger relationships. Also, data cleansing will allow ASTM to identify duplicate customer records and resolve inaccuracies by merging outdated, incorrect information. Oracle iStore and Oracle Order Management will be implemented to deliver an end-to-end flow of order information. As a result, ASTM will be able to build, personalize and manage a robust and fully scalable Web commerce site, where customers can purchase ASTM's published research on topics ranging from fiber optic cable installations to homeland security. ASTM will also have the ability to increase effectiveness through targeted marketing campaigns and by cross-selling and up-selling related products. ASTM also plans to implement Oracle Configurator and Oracle iLearning. Oracle Configurator will allow ASTM to assist customers and members with a guided, personalized experience when purchasing products through the Oracle iStore portal. Oracle iLearning will allow ASTM to provide online training. About Oracle Oracle is the world's largest enterprise software company. For more information about Oracle, visit our web Site at http://www.oracle.com/. Trademarks Oracle, JD Edwards, PeopleSoft, and Retek are registered trademarks of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Source: Oracle