Agilent Technologies Venture Unit Invests in ServiceCentral's ``Series A'' Round of Funding.Business Editors/High-Tech Writers PALO ALTO Palo Alto, city, California Palo Alto (păl`ō ăl`tō), city (1990 pop. 55,900), Santa Clara co., W Calif.; inc. 1894. Although primarily residential, Palo Alto has aerospace, electronics, and advanced research industries. , Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 21, 2001 Agilent Technologies This article needs sources or references that appear in reliable, third-party publications. Alone, primary sources and sources affiliated with the subject of this article are not sufficient for an accurate encyclopedia article. Inc. (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange : A) announced that its Agilent Ventures unit (AV) has invested in ServiceCentral Technologies Inc., a software company that provides service-chain-management solutions for the wireless and wireline communications industry communications industry, broadly defined, the business of conveying information. Although communication by means of symbols and gestures dates to the beginning of human history, the term generally refers to mass communications. . The amount of Agilent investment was not disclosed. The AV investment was part of a Series A round of funding, led by Atlanta-based LiveOak Equity Partners, that raised $4 million for ServiceCentral Technologies, whose software solutions enable enterprises to manage service-chain operations that can span multiple organizations and markets. Their applications can be deployed throughout a service community, providing a central location for tracking service and repair processes over the Web and for accumulating critical product data. This is the second such AV investment this month and follows funding for Novera Optics, a company that designs and manufactures photonic Dealing with light (photons). See photon and photonics. subsystems for communications equipment suppliers. "We are investing in ServiceCentral because of the company's expertise in scalable service-chain management solutions that are focused specifically on the telecommunications industry," said George Sparks, vice president of Agilent's Wireless Solutions Unit. "There is so much synergy between ServiceCentral's efforts and Agilent that we also have licensed software and signed an agreement to jointly develop a mobile handset diagnostic and analysis test solution to streamline the handling of mobile phone returns, repairs and warranty claims and provide data on handset failures." AV is a key enabler within Agilent's aggressive growth strategy and provides Agilent early access to relevant technological innovations through key alliances with start-up companies start-up company A new business. . AV plans to invest up to $100 million per year, injecting between $2 million and $10 million capital into selected earlier-stage technology companies active in communications and the life-sciences arena. About ServiceCentral Technologies Atlanta-based ServiceCentral Technologies is an expert in service-chain management solutions. It assists enterprises in managing service-chain operations, transforming it into a profit stream. ServiceCentral software integrates with back-end customer-relationship management (CRM (Customer Relationship Management) An integrated information system that is used to plan, schedule and control the presales and postsales activities in an organization. ) and enterprise requirements planning (ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) An integrated information system that serves all departments within an enterprise. Evolving out of the manufacturing industry, ERP implies the use of packaged software rather than proprietary software written by or for one customer. ) systems and uses the Internet to open the lines of communication "Lines of Communication" is an episode from the fourth season of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5. Synopsis Franklin and Marcus attempt to persuade the Mars resistance to assist Sheridan in opposing President Clark. among multiple organizations in the service chain. ServiceCentral provides a central hub for tracking service processes over the Web and for accumulating critical product data to increase efficiency and profitability. The company's initial focus is on the wireless and wireline communications industry, where companies including Cingular, KPN KPN Koninklijke PTT Nederland (Royal Dutch Telecom) KPN Konfederacja Polski Niepodleglej (Polish conservative party) Telecom, Powertel and Telcel Venezuela are deploying its software applications. Information about ServiceCentral can be found on the Web at www.servicecentral.com. About Agilent Technologies Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) is a global technology leader in communications, electronics, life sciences and healthcare. With 48,000 employees serving customers in more than 120 countries, Agilent had net revenue of $10.8 billion in fiscal year 2000. Information about Agilent can be found on the Web at www.agilent.com. |
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