www.aspnews.com/news/weekly/article.php/856701
By Dan Muse July 30, 2001 In keeping with its strategy to strike deals only with best-of-breed players, NetObjects (NASDAQ:NETO) today announced a deal with Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE:HWP) to bundle its Web site-building software with two new HP digital imaging products. "This is an important deal for us. It includes our entire product line — both our online client and our ASP offering," Samir Arora, NetObjects CEO, founder and chairman told ASPnews. Small business customers who purchase the HP Scanjet 5470c and 5490c color scanners through HP or its resellers and channel partners worldwide can choose from NetObjects' Web site building solutions, NetObjects Fusion MX and NetObjects Matrix. The deal brings NetObjects solutions to both Mac and Windows users. (The 5470c and 5490c were announced by HP today and have estimated street prices of $299 and $399, respectively.) "HP believes that more people are buying scanners to add images for use on Web. HP recognized that this change has occurred," Samir Arora said. NetObjects Fusion MX allows Windows users to build an online presence and subscribe to Web Services that can help them grow and manage their business. In June, NetObjects announced the first production launch of services based on its hosted Web site-building platform Matrix. Both Fusion and Matrix target small business customers. Neither offering requires programming skills to set up and manage a site. The difference between the products is that Fusion has been sold as a retail package and Matrix is designed to be hosted by ISPs or similar providers, and delivered to their customers as an online service. (See Is There Magic in Matrix?) "Combining the power and ease of use of NetObjects Web site building technology with HP digital imaging products will help our small office and home office customers build a professional quality Web presence in minutes," said Mary Peery, vice president and general manager of HP Digital Imaging. "HP understands the importance of the Internet to small businesses, and we believe that offering NetObjects products helps meet the needs of our customers." NetObjects' Arora said the deal is more significant than other original equipment manufacturer (OEM) arrangements because it's more tailored to a target audience, referring to the company's deal to make NetObjects products available to Dell computer users through an icon on the desktop — similar to the way people can subscribe to AOL. "That is a broad approach. This is a more focused program," Arora told ASPnews. And, of course, the most important thing is the added revenue the deal generates for NetObjects. Arora said the three-year deal with HP guarantees revenue for every 5470c and 5490c shipped into the channel. Additionally, when a user signs on to either service, it is billed through HP but the revenue is shared with NetObjects. Arora said he wouldn't "preannounce anything," but added that it is possible that the arrangement would include other HP digital imaging products in the future. |