Companies Offer Cash As Partnership Incentive

by Steve LeSueur, EditorEven large and savvy companies such as Science Applications International Corp., Andersen Consulting and Deloitte Consulting want to catch the next big thing in technology.These and a growing number of other companies are offering investment dollars along with the traditional perks of an alliance to cement their relationships with hot new technology companies.Areas getting the most attention include security, network infrastructures and ? you guessed it ? electronic government.While there can be a financial return just from the investment, officials with these companies say the real motivator is these equity alliances help bring better solutions to their customers.Senior Editor Nick Wakeman writes about these deals in his front-page story and examines what's driving IT companies to pony up the bucks.In another front-page story, Staff Writer William Welsh brings to light what could be a revolutionary project by the New York City Board of Education.Officials there are poised to approve an education portal that will generate cash the school system can use to pay for technology initiatives, such as wiring schools and buying computers and other equipment.Some details still need to be worked out, but plans envision a two-part portal. One would provide online education services that schools, teachers, students and parents would use. The other would sell Internet services and possibly consumer products. Advertising and transaction fees from this part of the portal would finance the school systems' technology initiatives.If successful, this idea could spread to other large school systems. Stay tuned.XXXSPLITXXX-