To stay competitive in the new economy, it is not enough for enterprises to have a comprehensive e-business strategy, but, for greater efficiency, it is now wise to extend e-business services to wireless technologies. With this in mind, SBI, an e-business services company, has announced that it has formed a new wireless division to enable organizations to take advantage of wireless systems, without the problems inherent in implementing and deploying new technologies.

SBI has entered into a strategic relationship with Aether Systems to utilize its ScoutWare™ software products to develop and implement wireless e-business strategies for its manufacturing, distribution and back-end retail customers to make them more efficient, says the company.

SBI’s Wireless Unit will focus on the following:

• Enterprise Wireless Solutions: Aether’s family of ScoutWare (ScoutSync, ScoutIT, ScoutWeb, and ScoutBuilder) solutions will enable organizations to empower their mobile workers to exchange information with corporate databases and the Internet.

• Logistics Products: Aether’s e-Mobile Suite of logistic products will automate the point-of- customer contact including sales, delivery, and service. They will also integrate with e-Business, ERP, and legacy systems.

• Rental Transportation Solutions: Aether’s products will incorporate transportation into an overall e-business solution. Functionality will include monitoring of driver performance and vehicle fault codes, while on-board equipment will provide messaging, load status, dispatch updates, and routing.

In addition, SBI will utilize Aether’s wireless solutions for such industries as financial services, healthcare, and government.

"Our knowledge of the manufacturing, distribution and back-end retail markets, understanding of business strategy, and experience with current and legacy systems will allow us to use Aether’s solutions to bring benefits to our customers," said Ned Stringham, president and CEO of SBI.