Houston, TX— Microsoft Corp. and Invensys plc unveiled an alliance Oct. 21 that they say combines Invensys' strengths in process and manufacturing and its expertise in key industries with Microsoft's platform, technology and enterprise products. Organizers told visitors on the show floor at ISA Expo 2003 that the partnership will accelerate product development using Invensys' ArchestrA technology and Microsoft's solutions, and will give users real-time visibility into plant environments and supply chains.

Invensys already produces products using Microsoft's platform. However, this new alliance will more tightly link Invensys' ArchestrA architecture with Microsoft .NET and Microsoft's Windows Server System integrated server software. The alliance's first goal will be to extend the Invensys ArchestrA architecture using Microsoft .NET to create an adaptive collaborative environment for integrating production management systems from enterprise resource planning and warehouse management to customer relationship management. Invensys and Microsoft engineers also are working together closely to embed ArchestrA at the device level to create Invensys automation systems that are fully appropriate for mission-critical industrial applications.

"Our joint development, training and engagement model under the alliance will ensure we deliver solutions with the functionality, longevity, robustness and security that our customers demand," says Leo Quinn, Invensys Production Management's COO. "The solutions will help our customers address many of the issues that are keeping them awake at night, such as speed to market, diversion of investment to infrastructure issues at the expense of value-added applications, and the retention of intellectual property as more and more highly skilled professionals retire."