Review

Tenrox Consolidates An Agreement With Microsoft
By Jacques Benoit, La Presse, November 28th, 2002

xAccording to the agreement recently consolidated with the software giant Microsoft, Tenrox, a Laval based company, will shortly have rights to sell Microsoft’s MS Project – a project management tool with which Tenrox software has been fully integrated.

“We created a common database so that the two applications share the same information”, Ludwig Melik, VP Sales and marketing, explained yesterday.

A top-selling application that has created its own niche and seized approximately 80% of the global market, Microsoft Project is the leader for the management of long-term projects. However, according to Ludwig Melik and the director of public relations, the application still has gaps.

For example, one of the principle gaps that actually serves as an advantage for applications such as those offered by Tenrox is that Microsoft Project is not equipped to follow the day-to-day evolution of projects or the daily routine of an enterprise and its services, such as payroll.

The best solution is to integrate the two applications. Each application informs and updates the other of changes in the data; and each maintains it’s own database.

According to the two Tenrox representatives, this offering is “unique throughout the world”. Microsoft accepted the idea of a single database for its own software and that of Tenrox. While Tenrox PSA (Professional Services Automation) was created especially for the services sector, this application as well as other company products, may be implemented by many different organizations and enterprises, including manufacturing industry

“We have been working with Microsoft for a long time and many of our products use and complement Microsoft products” states the director of public relations.

Prices

Applications costs vary according to the size, complexity of an organization and its needs. For the complete Tenrox PSA solution that includes time management, payroll services, etc, costs fall between “$400 and $800 US per user”, confirms the director of public relations.

The cost of Tenrox PSA coupled with Microsoft Project remains to be determined. To this effect, a few of the company leaders will be heading out to Microsoft offices in Redmond, WA. next week to carry out discussions regarding this matter.

Tenrox Corporation, founded in 1995, currently employs 115 people. The company has been consistently profitable according to Ludwig Melik, VP of sales and marketing. “The company has never had external financing and has never been in debt,” he adds.

The company’s sales doubled in 2001 as compared to the figures of the previous year. Currently, Tenrox grosses close to $10 million US. The company continues to grow steadily and due, in part, to the agreement consolidated with Microsoft, Ludwig Melik is confident that the company figures will grow by 80% this year. “Our revenues will progress steadily at this rate over the next three years” he confirms.

The United States is the company’s key market, responsible for 70% of total revenues.

Tenrox is constantly hiring. The team has grown by 30 people since the beginning of the year. “During the next six months we will have to hire 30 to 60 more individuals. We have openings for programmers, account executives, marketing staff, technical support, etc,” declares the director of public relations.