WorkLight, the Web 2.0 for business specialist, and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), the global IT services and business solutions firm, signed a partnership to provide companies, for the first time, the ability to securely engage customers, partners and employees through consumer Web 2.0 tools, such as Facebook, iGoogle, iPhone apps, desktop gadgets, RSS and more. Enabling secure, personalized and enterprise-grade interactions beyond the portal, companies will gain real business edge and significant advantages while reaping increased value from their existing infrastructure.

The two companies will focus on key vertical markets, including financial services, retail, travel and hospitality, telecom, pharmaceuticals, business and IT services, and more. Relying on WorkLight’s flagship product, the WorkLight Server, and TCS’s services, companies will now be able to:
· Acquire new customers virally across multiple consumer Web 2.0 tools and services (at a much lower cost compared to traditional channels)
· Drive higher revenues through a brand-new, opt-in & highly personalized, channel with innovative new services
· Deliver scalable, secure IT functionality for business at fast cycle times, with significantly low cost of ownership and without the risk of long-lead-time, custom-coded, point solutions

“There is an increasing need for innovative, cost-effective business solutions to engage customers, partners and employees in the current financial environment, and we are excited to partner with WorkLight, a true innovator in every sense of the word, in the delivery of Web 2.0 solutions,” said K Ananth Krishnan, Chief Technology Officer, TCS. “Based on our ongoing discussions with clients, we believe Web 2.0 will experience rapid growth and adoption by companies across a host of vertical markets.”

“Together with TCS, we will continue to meet the increasing demand for innovative marketing and transactional business tools for connecting with customers, channels, partners, and employees,” said Shahar Kaminitz, CEO and co-founder at WorkLight. “TCS, one of the world’s leading IT services companies, is a natural partner for us, as we continue to expand our reach worldwide.”