RightNow Positions For Federal Cloud Initiative
Add RightNow Technologies Inc. to the list of companies hoping to capitalize on the federal government’s cloud first policy. RightNow, a member of the Talkin’ Cloud Stock Index, focuses on “customer experience” solutions, its take on CRM. The company’s RightNow CX suite manages customer interactions over the Web, social networks and call centers. In government settings, that means delivering constitute services via the cloud.
The company has been dealing in SaaS solutions for a decade and counts more than 170 public sector clients among its customers. RightNow’s offerings are available through such government channel’s as the General Services Administration’s Apps.gov cloud applications and services portal. CRM rival Salesforce.com is also available through Apps.gov.
RightNow contends its technology addresses several aspects of the federal government’s IT reform plan. The company’s case for the government’s cloud business includes:
- RightNow CX can be deployed in 30 days through its RightNow Government Cloud, the company said. This approach “eliminates the need for agencies to purchase servers or data center space,” according to RightNow.
- The company’s Cloud Services Agreement offers annual pools of transaction or seat usage, which the company said lets agencies accommodate seasonal fluctuations in business.
- Under RightNow’s Cloud Services Agreement, customers have price certainty for three years. And the company said it lets agencies periodically rebalance across multiple product modules. That is, they can annually turn the capacity on selected services up or down.
Like other cloud vendors, RightNow partners with integrators to take on the government market. Salesforce.com, for example, works with companies such as Acumen Solutions Inc. and distributor Carahsoft Technology Corp.
RightNow, for its part, works with more than a dozen North American government partners. Those include Booz Allen Hamilton, Deloitte, IBM, Lockheed Martin, and SAIC.
Allies who can integrate CRM into a broader solution and lend a bit of customization will come in handy in an increasingly crowded government cloud sector.
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