"To say that a company 'eats its own dog food' means that it uses the products that it makes. If a company were to use a competitor's products for its own day-to-day business, it could be disparaged for 'not eating its own dog food'; this would seem to show a lack of confidence in its own wares, and would send a negative message to its customers." From Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia.
Internet Solutions (IS) recently initiated a staff connectivity scheme offering various forms of connectivity for use outside of the office.
"There are a number of key benefits for staff and IS alike," says Anthony Southgate, Marketing Executive at IS.
"With the massive changes we have seen lately in the connectivity market, staff, much like our customers, have many options for getting connected. From fixed-line broadband (ADSL) to wireless technologies (such as iBurst), and cellular connections, such as HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access), all of these services are sold at IS. So not only are staff directly aware of the technology through using it, they also all get to evaluate which technology works best for them in their unique situations. Staff are more connected, whether it be for personal use or business use, they are experiencing the technology first hand."
When asked what he has chosen to use, Southgate says: "At the moment I'm hooked on getting my mail synced to my phone, so I am using cellular connection options. The HSDPA devices that we offer are my current favourite; the connections are fast, and the ability to be mobile works for me."
Wikipedia says: "Using one's own products has four primary benefits:
1. The product's developers are familiar with using the products they develop.
2. The company's members have direct knowledge and experience with its products.
3. Users see that the company has confidence in its own products.
4. Technically savvy users in the company, with perhaps a very wide set of business requirements and deployments, are able to discover and report bugs in the products before they are released to the general public."
The management of IS based its decision on market and employee needs, figuring that with technology changing so rapidly, its best ambassadors (and critics) for the company's products and services are the 500-plus 'customers' that make up the IS staff.
All these connectivity solutions are available commercially from IS.
Share
Internet Solutions (IS) has transformed its business model and become a leading converged communications service provider in South Africa.
The business was founded on the principle of developing a robust infrastructure in order for corporates and other organisations to conduct e-business. Over the past 13 years, IS has established itself as a leader in this space, attracting over 80% of South Africa's top businesses as clients. From listed companies to non-governmental organisations, local and national government and smaller companies, IS is delivering solutions to meet the business needs of hundreds of customers, including the appointment by the State Information Technology Agency (SITA) to provide the national and provincial governments with Internet services.
During its 13-year life span, IS has evolved and grown its service offerings. Today, the company is the leading hosting service provider and security service provider in South Africa, as well as having significant market share in the virtual private network, mobile solutions, VOIS, African solutions and application service provider space.
Internet Solutions, with an Empowerdex BBB rating, has earned an impressive collection of accolades, including eight First National Bank "Most Admired" awards, two Financial Mail "Best Company to Work For" awards, a place in the Top Unlisted Company Awards, first place in the ISP category for ComputerWeek Strategist's Best of Breed IT Awards, 2004, and eighth in the Top ICT Companies, 2005.
The company partners with major players such as Cisco, Microsoft, Oracle, BT and AT&T, and in 2002 was certified as a Cisco Managed Security Service Provider, the first and only company outside of the US to be awarded this accolade.
For more, visit us at www.is.co.za.
Editorial contacts