Leading UK reseller to promote different approach to ecommerce

Computacenter is to start providing a new range of electronic commerce products and services as part of a partnership with California-based InterTrust Technologies. The technology in question addresses the need for the secure distribution and control of content on the Internet, allowing users to protect intellectual property from piracy. It also enables them to track potential users and buyers of almost anything -- from documents and pictures to music -- in a safe environment. As InterTrust's first UK-based integration partner, Computacenter confirmed it was already working with a "global" company using InterTrust's MetaTrust technology to develop a remote Web site monitoring service. Simon Scott, Computacenter's general manager for eBusiness refused to say who the deal was with but confirmed that there would be further announcements throughout the year as more customers adopted the technology. According to Scott, the partnership reflects the increasing importance of information as a key business asset. What's more, he believes the technology involved could have far-reaching consequences for the commercial development of the Web if it succeeds in "creating a single e-commerce platform". In the first arrangement of its kind for Computacenter, the company has licensed the rights to use InterTrust's products and technologies. And in a simultaneous announcement, InterTrust said that its Commerce 1.1, and accompanying Enterprise Edition 1.1, applications were now available through its MetaTrust partners. Last month Computacenter announced it was conducting more than £2 million of business on-line each day. ®