 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 | ||||
The more you share the more you kno... Taking the gap leaves big hole... Service that is more than just pretty p... Ready to tap Internet's potential... All set to become a major force... Get in the swing with Ernie ... Hired guns taking aim at business target... Vital role for information provider... Turning couch potatoes into mouse potato... Interim plan, lasting succes... Downsizing not always up to the require... Taking the guesswork out of productio... The firm which took Toco's bull by the h... Fads dropped in favour of fact... Companies still keen to consul... |
Getting connected
help planning their Internet connections, says Balan Reddy
--> THE Internet is transforming the way companies operate and they are having to make fundamental changes to their business models. "It can be traumatic if you are not getting the right advice," says Balan Reddy, general manager of M-Web's professional services division. "With this in mind, we have established a service that takes the hassle out of hooking companies up to the Internet," he says. "Anyone can sell connectivity, but the challenge is to help companies manage change as they join the electronic economy. "We are able to marry business and technology by consulting customers and coming up with business plans that work for them."
Despite having telephone penetration of only 9.2 percent, South Africa is one of the most connected countries in the world. The reason for the Internet's popularity is that, when the country was excluded from much of the rest of the world, E-mail and the Internet provided South Africans with a gateway to international information and news. Because it was a latecomer to the computer industry, South Africa has little to upgrade and is therefore relatively progressive when it comes to electronic communication. There are around 80 Internet service providers in the SA marketplace and, while this has given customers a great deal of choice, it has also resulted in a degree of bland, "me too" products and services. However, Reddy says: "We offer our business customers a one-stop shop and solve their technology problems by consulting directly with decision makers within organisations." For the business community, M-Web's acquisition of PiX Internet, in December last year, has enhanced the company's corporate and business-to-business expertise. This, in combination with the weight of M-Web's vision and infrastructure, has given the company a strong platform from which to roll out its comprehensive business solutions portfolio. This portfolio includes all the key elements in the corporate Internet jigsaw, from leased lines to electronic commerce, and from Web design and hosting to online advertising. Coming from the "M" stable, M-Web has the benefit of hindsight when it comes to building a large, customer-focused business from scratch. Specifically, following the lead of sister company M-Net, M-Web has invested substantially in an infrastructure robust enough to handle extensive expansion on a technical level as well as service support capacity.
|
