System iNetwork

November 9, 2009

BCD Joins iManifest

Long-time midrange-focused solution provider BCD has joined iManifest United States, lending both its ongoing support and an undisclosed monetary contribution to the cause. BCD has a track record of activity and support in the IBM i space, so I found its heretofore absence to the initiative surprising. I asked Eric Figura, BCD's director of sales and marketing, why now? Had any circumstance changed recently?

"I always knew we were going to do it," he says, noting that it's just a matter of getting everything lined up and together. For instance, BCD is currently working with its business partners in Europe in an effort to get them involved in iManifest EMEA. While BCD solutions are available around the world, it just makes sense to have the business partners who are working more directly with local customers to show support for iManifest EMEA, he notes.

Figura says that BCD sees iManifest as an important way to invest in and promote the IBM i platform -- and to show people that the collective IBM i-focused vendor community is committed to investing in IBM i. One of the things he hopes to see come out of the iManifest initiative is something dear to BCD's heart: promoting the technology that can be leveraged from IBM i. And that's a message BCD has worked to shape and deliver with its own product line.

"Anything that you want to do on this platform, you can do it right here, right now," he says, noting that there's solutions available and that customers don't have to wait for IBM.

Meanwhile, BCD is working to integrate the iManifest logo throughout its web site and onto it marketing materials. And Figura hopes to see the iManifest logo become a de facto standard in the IBM i community -- shown on the web sites, ads, and literature of all its members.

For the latest details and how to participate, check out iManifest United States, iManifest EMEA, or iForum in Japan.

Posted by cmaxcer at November 9, 2009 10:56 AM