e-Spirit, manufacturer of the content management system (CMS) FirstSpirit, has today announced that it has founded a U.S. subsidiary, e-Spirit Inc. The company is headquartered in Boston, Mass. From here, e-Spirit will service customers in the United States and Canada and will further expand and develop its network of partners in the region. e-Spirit will launch a road show at the end of October for interested partners and system integrators in several cities (Oct. 21: Chicago; Oct. 24: Boston; Oct. 26: New York). 

With FirstSpirit, companies can quickly implement their international Web strategies, efficiently administer content for websites, intranets, and extranets, and publish that content through the most diverse channels or integrate it into complex portal structures. This ensures optimal editing processes and a fast return on investment. 

"We have found that the ‘rip-and-replace’ strategy of established content management suppliers on the American market limits companies’ abilities to make an investment decision for a future-proofed CMS. These companies do not want to repeatedly have to reinstall a strategic platform or replace it at great expense; instead they want to optimize it and simply adapt to new requirements. They plan on a long-term basis and must be able to depend on a clear product strategy. It is precisely this certainty that we offer our customers. FirstSpirit, with its best-of-breed approach, enables companies to avoid vendor lock-in and provides more choices," explains Joern Bodemann, CEO of e-Spirit Inc. "Therefore we are taking this step into the U.S. market at exactly the right moment." 

Eruropean Technology Leader 

With FirstSpirit CMS, e-Spirit is the technology leader in the European market, offering integration solutions for the enterprise portals SAP NetWeaver, IBM WebSphere, Microsoft SharePoint and Liferay Portal, and the FirstSpirit AppCenter. The AppCenter offers companies the possibility of rapid, simple integration of almost any web applications into the FirstSpirit content management system. The AppCenter also provides users a unique technology in the market which optimally supports the implementation of a best-of-breed strategy. Many well-known customers are already counting on FirstSpirit as a strategic, company-wide content platform on the Internet and intranet. Among these are corporate groups such as Speedo, Bosch, EADS, BASF, Linde, Olympus and the Dutch airline KLM, which are successfully managing Web projects with FirstSpirit throughout the world. 

"With FirstSpirit, we offer companies an easy-to-integrate, future-oriented, cost-efficient foundation for their ambitious web projects," said Robert Bredlau, COO of e-Spirit Inc. "As a result of the rising demand for FirstSpirit from North American companies, we have decided now is the time to establish our first U.S. office to be closer to our customers and partners in the United States and Canada.” 

Partners Wanted with CMS and Portal Expertise

e-Spirit ensures the highest level of support and services through highly qualified partners. “Our focus is the continuous improvement of the FirstSpirit CMS,” said Bredlau. “The implementation itself is provided by our experienced, certified partners in the various markets that we support optimally through our partner program with trainings, marketing and technical know-how. Our next step will be the development of a powerful network of partners in the United States and Canada. We are looking for IT service providers and system integrators with proven expertise for content management systems and their integration into complex portal infrastructures."

Information on the partner road show in the United States as well as the possibility of setting up appointments is now available for interested enterprises at www.e-Spirit.com/usroadshow. Additional information on FirstSpirit is available on the Internet at www.e-Spirit.com.