HORSHAM, Pa. - Astea International Inc., a provider of service lifecycle management software, announced that it has formed a strategic alliance with Microsoft Corp. to provide integrated service lifecycle management solutions with Microsoft Dynamics GP® and Microsoft Dynamics AX®. According to Astea, this will allow the company to deliver end-to-end enterprise solutions for companies that sell, service, and support capital equipment.

By tightly integrating its solutions with Microsoft Dynamics GP and Microsoft Dynamics AX, Astea said it will be able to offer organizations of any size the ability to leverage best-in-class field service solutions with leading-edge, highly adaptable ERP solutions from Microsoft. Astea will now be able to offer a solution that addresses both back-office and front-office needs to existing and new customers.

The Astea Alliance suite supports the complete service lifecycle, from lead generation and project quotation to service and billing through asset retirement. With the recent acquisition of FieldCentrix, Astea complements its existing portfolio with a leading mobile field service solution.

Astea plans on integrating both its on-demand and on-premise solutions with Microsoft Dynamics to address a growing demand in the field service industry and to target this offering to such industries as HVAC.

"We are extremely pleased to expand and deepen our relationship with Microsoft and broaden our portfolio of offerings. This alliance strengthens and extends our ability to offer more value-added solutions and services to help our customers achieve financial and operational benefits as well as a competitive advantage," said Zack Bergreen, chairman and CEO, Astea International.

For more information, visit www.astea.com.

Publication date: 07/24/2006