I2 Technologies getting more involved with Sun Microsystems and Netscape

i2 Technologies is taking its partnerships with Sun Microsystems and Sun and Netscape’s joint venture iPlanet E-Commerce Solutions to a new level. The partnerships will now also include joint engineering, sales, support, and marketing.

The initial phase advances i2’s efforts in Customer Relationship Management (CRM), with functionality such as bill presentment and payment coming from the integration of i2 with iPlanet’s SellerXpert and BillerXpert.

Initial pre-configured systems will be available in the next two to three months, according to technology analysts AMR Research. i2 and Sun will also name integration partners, starting with PricewaterhouseCoopers. The resulting work will play in i2’s expansion of its marketplace and sell-side business.

A number of i2’s main competitors have similarly reiterated or expanded partnerships, including Commerce One with Microsoft and Ariba with IBM.