STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Sept. 4, 2001 (PRIMEZONE) -- Roxen Internet Software (SSE:ROX) today announced that it is acquiring the product rights and customer base of Web Content Management (WCM) vendor Spectral in an equity deal. Spectral is a former competitor currently in bankruptcy. Key employees have been offered positions at Roxen IS, and accepted. They will continue to serve their customers and maintain the product from their new company, as the staff and the product are being integrated in Roxen's organization and product structure. The product, Spectral IntraWise, is renamed Roxen IntraWise.
"The Web Content Management business is going through a consolidation phase, and we are determined to be in the drivers seat as this process hits the many capable Content Management companies in Scandinavia. We are convinced that it is in the best interest of our owners, clients and employees that we actively demonstrate who is the principal WCM player in the Swedish market. We are now able to provide a complete set of solutions to all kinds of customers," said Claes Rickeby, newly appointed chairman of Roxen Internet Software.
Roxen IS has concluded that completeness of the offering is important, and Roxen IntraWise is, with its out-of-the-box functionality, complementary to Roxen Platform, which is geared towards complex enterprise sites with significant customization needs.
"Size matters, and Roxen IS is now the largest WCM vendor in the Nordic market with twice as large a customer base and two distinctly differentiated products. We are also particularly pleased that some of the best developers and salespeople in the business are joining us, " said Lars Hoegberg, CEO Roxen Internet Software.
"Joining Roxen IS is the best thing for us and our clients. We can offer IntraWise customers continued support with the stability and resources of a larger organization, as well as a migration path to the more complex and enterprise-oriented Roxen Platform," said Bo Hallengren, co-founder of Spectral and one of the key persons that have joined Roxen IS.
Roxen IS has chosen a two-product strategy with two distinct but related offers to the client, which will increase the productivity of the sales force. The nature of Roxen IntraWise also implies shorter sales cycles and less complex deployment, in turn speeding up revenue growth for Roxen IS.
"We are partially integrating the back end of the products, starting with the Web server, but the value proposition to the customers will always be very different in terms of out-of-the-box functionality versus flexibility in serving the needs of large enterprises. The fact that IntraWise is entirely based on Java fits perfectly with the technology choices of Roxen IS. Future releases of the products will borrow code from each other, and we will be able to offer both easily deployed, packaged software and customizable software," said Henning Strandin, Product Manager Roxen Internet Software.
The acquisition is effective immediately, and the new Roxen IS employees have assumed their new roles in the Roxen IS offices in Stockholm, seamlessly providing the sales, development and support functions they did in their earlier company. Roxen IntraWise will continue to be marketed, sold and maintained as a separate product.
Roxen Internet Software develops and markets next-generation software platforms for building and maintaining dynamic Web sites. Strategic customers include WorldCom/UUNET, RealNetworks, ABB Finance, Freeler (ING Group) and Holland Media Group (RTL). Roxen IS has sales headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden, R&D in Linkoeping, Sweden, and sales offices in San Jose, USA, London, UK and Rotterdam, The Netherlands. The company has received numerous awards, among them "Best of Comdex". The product offering includes the highly customizable Web Content Management package Roxen Platform, and Roxen IntraWise with out-of-the-box WCM functionality. Both run on the Open Source Roxen WebServer. For more information please visit www.roxen.com.
Spectral is a Swedish vendor of Web Content Management software with "out of the box" functionality typically required by small to medium companies with a desire to build a web site fast at low cost, and with high functionality but with limited customization requirements. The product - Spectral Intrawise - is written entirely in Java and runs directly on Roxen WebServer. Spectral customers include Cambridge Technology Partners, Ericsson Software, Postgirot Bank, Scania Sweden and Telia Telecom.