Coalition claims market strength in numbers

The promise of new opportunities related to homeland security has caught the attention of more than just large systems integrators. Four small technology companies have banded together as charter members of the Homeland Security Coalition, a move the companies say will expand and strengthen their offerings. The members of the coalition, announced Jan. 15, are:*AskMe Corp., Bellevue, Wash., a provider of knowledge-sharing software;*Fingerprint USA Inc., Haymarket, Va., a provider of solutions for automated identification systems;*Ksolutions Inc.; Annapolis, Md., a provider of knowledge management and business intelligence solutions;*Trustwave Corp., Annapolis, a provider of information assurance solutions."There is no single company that can solve the [homeland security] problem," said John Hart, Ksolutions' chief technology officer and chief strategy officer. "This problem is a blend of process, technology and people; and unless you can bring those three things together, it will be a nickel-and-dime approach." One of the things the coalition hopes to provide government with is disaster recovery plans that follow best practices in the commercial sector, Hart said.The coalition believes it can compete with integrators and consultants because its employees are specialists, not generalists, he said."We can match the skill set of any 'Big Five' company," Hart said.However, Dave Ross, managing partner for the west state client group of Accenture Ltd., Hamilton, Bermuda, said the coalition may have a difficult time matching the breadth of integrators with multiple business lines and broad experience across many government sectors."With fewer resources, it can be harder for them to build and sustain large-scale government solutions," Ross said, referring to small companies.