IBM, Principle cut ribbon on training center

CAMBRIDGE, MASS. — IBM Corp. and Principle Software opened their newest technology center Tuesday for customers and partners to evaluate and test IBM’s software programs, the companies said at a press conference.

The On Demand Innovation Center had previously existed as a WebSphere demonstration center, but has now expanded to include IBM’s other software technology such as Lotus Workplace as part of the company’s “On Demand” strategy, said Robert Sutor, director of WebSphere infrastructure software.

Current and potential customers can come into the Cambridge, Massachusetts, center in Kendall Square to evaluate what IBM’s WebSphere software could do for their IT infrastructure, and how Principle Software can implement that software, said Jim Murphy, chief executive officer of Principle Software, based in Cambridge. Principle is a system integrator and reseller of IBM software.

Unicco Service Co. of Newton, Massachusetts, built an extranet system for its customers using IBM’s WebSphere Portal software that was implemented by Principle Software and tested in the On Demand Innovation Center, said Jeff Peterson, vice president of IT for Unicco.

Peterson needed to prove to his management team that any IT spending would result in a significant return on investment for his company, and the proof of concept implementation that was developed at the center helped demonstrate the software’s capabilities without having to resort to limited tests or full-scale deployment, he said.

The center is also available to current customers that need to work out bugs that arose in implementation, or that need to receive training for their IT staff on the product, Murphy said.