Aliso Viejo-based Alternative Technology Solutions Inc. has struck an agreement that allows it to continue to serve Epicor Software Corp. customers while a lawsuit between the two companies proceeds.
The agreement, reached late last month, allows Alternative Technology to provide customization and consulting services to Epicor customers as it did before the Northern California-based business software maker alleged copyright and trademark infringement in an April lawsuit, among other charges.
The June 27 deal came a few days after the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California ordered a nationwide injunction against Alternative Technology that prohibited it from possessing, copying, using or accessing Epicor products or documents not licensed, and from using Epicor software for an “impermissible purpose.”
Alternative Technology said that keeping an uninterrupted flow of business is its top priority.
“While we have the means and the willingness to oppose the injunction vigorously, we have reached this agreement so that we could continue to service our customers and reduce concerns that the litigation would further interfere with our relationships,” said Vivian Keena, who launched Alternative Technology in 2008 after working as an executive at Epicor. “Our philosophy has always been one of collaboration with Epicor in the belief that our ability to drive greater value to a customer is mutually beneficial.”
Alternative Technology, which debuted at No. 16 on the Business Journal’s October list of the fastest-growing private companies, specializes in ERP and CRM services that help manufacturers more efficiently implement Epicor business software.
The company has more than 700 clients, including Lake Forest-based Mexican fast-food chain Del Taco LLC.
Epicor, which was one of OC’s largest software makers with about $450 million in annual sales, moved its headquarters from Irvine to Northern California in 2011 after London-based Apax Partners LLC acquired the company for $976 million.
Alternative Technology is trying to reach a resolution with Epicor regarding the lawsuit, Keena said.
The company previously announced the suit was “unwarranted” and that it planned to defend itself “vigorously against these false claims.”
Kingston Joins Alliance
Fountain Valley-based Kingston Technology Co. has joined a global consortium of IT leaders to define and develop a unified set of standards and operability for data centers and the cloud, two of the sector’s fastest-growing segments.
The company’s push to join the Open Data Center Alliance comes as companies of all sizes look to the cloud to store data rather than on on-site locations, which tend to be more costly and cumbersome.
“Kingston sees a trend toward an open environment where customers know their exact data center needs and requirements and do not want to pay for additional hardware or service support if it’s not needed,” said Sim Phengdara, Kingston’s server memory business manager.AKingston is the world’s largest memory products maker for computers and consumer electronics, with an estimated $5 billion in sales in 2012.
It specializes in DRAM products, the most common type of memory components used in computers and increasingly in big data services and solid-state drives for enterprise customers.
Kingston served as the alliance’s breakfast sponsor at its 2013 forecast in San Francisco.
It joins a noted list of companies in the consortium, including BMW, China Unicom, Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan Chase, Lockheed Martin and Marriott International Inc.
