Bangalore: Privately held CRM software product firm Talisma Corporation today (Feb 25, 2004) announced a partnership with Mumbai-based software services company Orient Information Technology Ltd for marketing and deploying its CRM solution in the West Asian market.

The partnership would be in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

"Presently, the CRM market in the UAE is about $10 million which is expected to grow to $90 million by 2008," Orient Information Technology Chairman and Managing Director Ketan Sheth told reporters in Bangalore.

The partnership would enable US-based Talisma, which developed the product at its centre in Bangalore, to make a foray into the growing West Asian market, dominated by services industry.

"We are in the mid market segment and this partnership offers us opportunity to cater to customers in the gulf region," Talisma President and CEO Dan Vetras said.

The Rs 70 crore Orient earns over 65 per cent of its revenue from the Gulf region with about 30 to 40 customers which include Emirates Airlines and regional banks.

It has three development centres, two in Mumbai and one in Dubai.