Internet Solutions (IS) plans to bring as much local Web content onto its backbone as possible. Analysts say the move is in preparation for IPTV hosting.
The company aims to pull local Web 2.0 content on-network to speed up customer performance. "We want our customers to have an excellent community experience. By bringing the content onto our backbone, we can ensure customers' usage is quick and seamless," says IS hosting business unit manager Greg Montjoie.
To accommodate the increased content, the company will expand its infrastructure, Montjoie says. The upgrade will follow the company's new green IT plans in both its Rosebank and Bryanston sites. "Power has forced corporates to reconsider their green IT position in SA," he states.
Both the green environment and the content aggregation will rely on the company's move towards a virtualised environment. "The landscape of business is shifting and we are rethinking how we will manage those services."
IS advantage
While the Web 2.0 content the company plans to aggregate is primarily local content, Montjoie admits the aggregation represents something of a mini Google, although in a different space.
At Google's strategy briefing last month, it said its plan was to continue to localise content and the company's focus remains in the search localisation. "I have been chatting to Parliament and have had discussions with [public service and administration minister] Geraldine Fraser-Moloketi about getting government content online. We are also looking at creating content on oral traditions and traditional medicine," said Google SA head Stafford Masie.
IS says it is not competing with Google, but simply trying to improve customer satisfaction by allowing quicker access times to local Web information. "We will be looking at government systems such as TV and driver licence information, among others."
According to World Wide Worx strategy MD Steven Ambrose, the two companies have completely different agendas. "IS's reasons for localisation is entirely to get all it can on-network. International bandwidth will always be more expensive and by localising, they can essentially deliver that content for free."
He says IS may be planning to provide a hosting space for IPTV, which will give it an advantage in the local market. "It will provide them with a niche space that will be required when IPTV gets going. For example, Telkom's IPTV can't get off the ground unless they have somewhere to host the content."
Alongside these initiatives, the company also plans to expand its content distribution network, which traditionally caters for streaming radio. The network includes an IPTV system. "We are upgrading this system to push a bit-rate of up to 128Mbps," says Montjoie.
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