Mercury Interactive begins channel drive, appoints Sonata as disty

Shortly after setting its direct presence in the country, Mercury Interactive Corporation--a leading player in the business technology
optimization (BTO) space--has got into the act of setting up its channel network. The company has appointed Sonata Software as its national
distributor and would also be shortly announcing its relationships with key SI partners. Sonata will distribute the entire range of BTO software
solutions, which includes products like WinRunner, LoadRunner and QuickTest, among others.

So far Mercury has been selling its products only through Bangalore-based Ostfold
Systems. "Realizing the potential that India holds for our business,
Sonata was an ideal choice as a distributor as it possesses a good understanding of enterprise software solutions," says T
Srinivasan, MD-India, Mercury Interactive. He further informs that the company is
currently in talk with tier-1 SIs like TCS, Wipro Infotech among others, and that it will shortly formalize its relationship with two or three of them.

"Through our range of tools, we aim to target the enterprises who use applications like CRM, ERP and so on to run their business. Our solutions
help them minimize the risk of something going wrong with their application at the coding level," adds Srinivasan. Currently, Mercury has been largely
tapping the software development companies for its business and claims to

have nearly 150 customers in this space.

"We would also be imparting a significant amount of pre-sales/implementation training to our distribution and SI partners. Also we would jointly create
awareness among end-users through their help," informs he. Mercury's range of products start at a price-point of $10,000 and offers
partners an option of providing services around it as well.

GOLDIE