Babcock Africa, a member of Babcock International Group PLC, has implemented Ixchange`s NetChauffeur, the consolidated Internet connectivity tool, to address its multi-user e-mail and faxing requirements.
Developed and distributed locally by Ixchange, NetChauffeur gives Babcock`s Sandton head office staff and fabrication division staff seamless access to the Internet, including individual e-mail accounts and electronic faxing.
The large engineering corporate undertakes the management of projects and the design and construction of process plant and industrial manufacturing facilities throughout Southern Africa. It services the energy, petrochemical, chemical, sugar, paper, water, metallurgical, mining and associated process sectors, and can handle projects where the capital value is more than R1bn.
IT manager Ruth Edwards says Babcock Africa was looking for a way to connect its networked users to the rich resources of the Internet at minimal cost. "We found that our staff rely on e-mail more and more in their daily tasks," says Edwards. "The medium is simply the fastest way to communicate between our local and global divisions and our vast client base."
Babcock Africa had previously relied on five individual dial-up connections that offered limited access to a few departments. "We were looking for a multi-user package without going the leased-line route," says Edwards. "Our e-mail volumes don`t justify the high cost of a leased line connection." NetChauffeur integrates with the company`s existing hardware and software configuration, and satisfies the company`s needs using a single dial-up connection (to Ixchange).
"All our users can send and receive e-mail using the tools they`re most familiar with," adds Edwards. "E-mail is fundamental to our workflow in conveying information from our employees to our clients. Importantly, the learning curve was non-existent and downtime was minimal."
Keith Heggie, NetChauffeur channel manager at Ixchange, says NetChauffeur is ideal for companies wanting to take advantage of all that the Internet has to offer, without incurring hefty costs and effort. "Not only does NetChauffeur give your business a cheap and effective way of connecting its staff to the Internet, but it also reduces faxing costs by up to 35%," says Heggie.
NetChauffeur is backed up by an extensive network of support staff who remotely maintain each installed site. "We found Ixchange`s approach both professional and reliable," says Edwards. "It took them one day to survey our site and another to install the product across our network." Babcock is in the process of addressing the e-mail requirements for its branches around the country.
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