AT&T Corp. is teaming with Siebel Systems Inc. in an alliance that will publicize their complementary wares. The partnership is Siebel's first with a communications provider, and AT&T's first with a software vendor, the companies said Tuesday.

The two companies will collaborate on sales and marketing around Siebel's eBusiness Applications software suite and AT&T's portfolio of managed services, such as hosting, storage and business continuity planning.

While jointly selling products is the arrangement's focus, it also entails some product collaboration, said Jack Crowley, AT&T's vice president of strategic partnerships and alliances, in an interview.

The two companies plan to offer a service that will analyze a client's networking infrastructure and offer design guidance for optimizing the network's handling of Siebel's applications.

Crowley declined to comment on whether the "network optimization analysis" service will carry a fee, or will be offered as an inducement to potential buyers.

The partnership with Siebel, which is based in San Mateo, California, is similar to one AT&T forged in February with Cisco Systems Inc. The alliances are part of AT&T's strategy of spotlighting its managed service offerings by partnering with leading IT vendors, Crowley said. AT&T is based in Bedminster, New Jersey.

IDG News Service

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