Microsoft, i2 sign pact

Supply chain specialist i2 Technologies has signed a deal to build the next generation of its products around Microsoft's technology. Under the deal, i2 will offer its customers the ability to use Microsoft's Office 2003, specifically Excel 2003, as the primary interface into i2's applications.

The companies said that i2 will also design its products using Microsoft's .Net Framework, in addition to incorporating the company's Windows Server 2003, SQL Server, and Office SharePoint Portal Server technologies into its applications. i2 said that its Master Data Management (MDM) and Demand Management (DM) product lines will be the first to show the results of the Microsoft partnership. The company asserts that by building its tools on .Net, it will be able to offer customers greater flexibility to adjust their supply chain systems on the fly.