Timpanagos Technologies achieves $1 million in revenue in first year and maintains revenue basis by using IBM benefits and resources

IBM ISV & Developer Relations

Business Partner: Timpanogos Technologies

How IBM Business Partner benefits help Timpanogos Technologies business:

• $1 million earned in start-up year—and revenue base maintained ever since

• Multi-tactic marketing event yielded 20 strong leads

• IBM Virtual Loaner Program enabled confirmation of product compatibility with the latest IBM system

• Collaboration with another IBM Business Partner opened door to major deal

Driven by a passionate belief in the power of technology to improve K-12 education, educational software company Timpanogos Technologies (TimpTech) foresees a day when teachers everywhere will interact electronically with their students—and share curriculum with one another—to heighten the learning experience.

As it strives to support this goal and provide school districts with digital teaching and administrative tools, TimpTech depends on the wide range of marketing benefits and technology resources available to it as an IBM Advanced Business Partner.

“Our IBM partnership and benefits played a significant role in helping TimpTech do a million dollars in business during our start-up year and maintain our customer and revenue base ever since,” said Keith Blake, president of Timpanogos Technologies.

In addition,TimpTech garnered 20 strong leads as a result of a multi-tactic marketing event and regularly uses IBM technical resources to test its products and work with IBM technology experts.

Based in American Fork, Utah, TimpTech provides software and services primarily to support teacher-directed computer-assisted education in K-12 classrooms. Using TimpTech solutions, which run on the IBM System i® and are licensed under the “Ascent” name, teachers can create assignments, grade tests, monitor student progress and communicate with parents. TimpTech also provides a structure for teachers to share their teaching materials with peers via the Internet.

TimpTech has engaged with more than 250 U.S. school districts over the past five years, with more than 50 of these participating regularly with suggestions for on-going product improvement. By teaming with IBM, TimpTech effectively supports a broad base of customers with a small innovative team of fewer than 20 staff members.

“IBM helps us keep long-term clients and continuously improve their capabilities—as well as bring in new customers,” Blake said. “Given the enormity of opportunity in school districts across the country, versus the limited resources for a business our size, IBM marketing and technical resources are vital to our success,” he said.

Web conference generates 20 strong leads

To generate new business, TimpTech conducted a multi-tactic campaign in 2008 using a combination of IBM marketing benefits to promote its Ascent GradeBook solution. IBM helped TimpTech plan and conduct a Web conference that was preceded by teleboosting to drive attendance and followed with telemarketing to generate leads. IBM covered 70 percent of the campaign costs.

The campaign generated 20 strong leads, and TimpTech is now working with IBM sales professionals, through IBM Sales Connections, to nurture and close several potential deals.

TimpTech used the IBM Client Events Package to carry out its annual user conference in Orlando, Florida, in 2008. IBM assisted with planning, subsidized much of the cost and provided the keynote speaker. TimpTech plans to use the events package for its 2009 user conference as well, and host it at the IBM Innovation Center in Chicago—at no charge to TimpTech—another IBM PartnerWorld® benefit.

In addition, TimpTech connected with a leading IBM Business Partner in the Chicago area through IBM ValueNet® Connections, which brings together IBM partners that provide complementary services or solutions. The companies jointly responded to a request for proposals by a suburban Chicago school district and are now being considered for a multi-million dollar project for the 2009-2010 school year.

IBM also produced a case study for TimpTech, which is published on the IBM Web site, and lists TimpTech solutions in the IBM Business Partner Application Showcase.

Expert guidance from marketing resource manager

To make the most of IBM Partner benefits, Blake works closely with an IBM marketing resource manager (MRM), a dedicated specialist who provides TimpTech with one-on-one support to navigate, understand and use IBM marketing resources.

The TimpTech MRM helped create and execute a customized marketing plan that pinpointed specific PartnerWorld benefits and services that would help TimpTech meet its business objectives. “We have regular calls with our MRM to review current campaigns and discuss new opportunities,” Blake said. “She helps immensely with both short term strategies as well as long-term planning,” he explained.

For instance, the TimpTech MRM is working on a strategy that focuses on the U.S. government economic stimulus plan, which includes nearly $700 million for education technology. “We feel our offerings are very much aligned with goals established in the stimulus package, and we plan to use IBM resources to pursue opportunities as they emerge,” Blake said.

TimpTech also plans to align its marketing efforts with the IBM environmental campaign, as computer-assisted teaching solutions greatly reduce the need, and thus waste, of paper in education, including discarded textbooks.

IBM Innovation Center provides remote access to IBM systems

To confirm that its solutions will run on the latest IBM operating system, TimpTech tests its products on IBM technology via the IBM Virtual Loaner Program (VLP), which gives business partners remote access to IBM systems and applications.

In the past six months, TimpTech has extensively tested its products on virtual machines and made necessary adjustments to ensure compatibility with the latest IBM System i.

To use the VLP, a key offering of the IBM Virtual Innovation Center™, TimpTech reserves time via the Internet and indicates the IBM machine, operating system and applications it requires. “We can often post a request in the morning and have a machine available by noon,” Blake said. “Then we simply load our own software and data and work as if we have a configured loaner machine on site,” he noted.

TimpTech often runs multiple compatibility sessions simultaneously, meaning it takes weeks to complete testing that would otherwise take months and enables TimpTech to quickly move its products to the leading System i operating systems.

“We need to keep our current business running, and don’t have the resources to bring in a new IBM system and operate it in parallel with our current one every time we need to test compatibility,” Blake explained. “The Virtual Loaner Program is ideal in letting us meet our technical needs—and save money,” he said.

Blake also visits actual IBM product development sites to work with IBM experts—most recently visiting the IBM Raleigh, North Carolina, facility, where he was invited to provide feedback on IBM Rational® software tools and associated tools for the System i.

Regarding product development, TimpTech has been an avid user of open source technology and it is committed to the free exchange of digital teaching content, which is in synch with the IBM Open Technology in Education initiative. “IBM foresight and leadership in promoting open source and open standards will take us to a whole new level of sharable technology,” Blake said.

In the IBM Open Technology in Education initiative, IBM demonstrates its commitment to improving learning and teaching by supplying software and hardware that is interoperable and available with few or no licensing restrictions. IBM believes open technology in education contributes to collaborative learning environments worldwide.

Strong partnership, global reach

TimpTech considers its IBM partnership crucial to ongoing growth and success. ”IBM understands the opportunities and advantages of teaming, and they do it in a deep and meaningful way,” Blake said. “No other company is as astute as IBM about partnering—or as supportive,” he said.

Looking ahead, after building its domestic base, TimpTech sees great advantages working with IBM internationally, particularly in countries such as Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Malaysia and Vietnam.

“There’s tremendous opportunity to use technology to help teach reading and basic math skills in these developing countries, and IBM, with its unparalleled resources, is in a key position to partner with for global expansion,” Blake said.