The Consumer Profile Bureau (CPB) is a credit vetting business for small and medium-sized companies. CPB has an existing client base of approximately 800 clients, who all electronically access the CPB database using PCBel - a system designed and installed by Telkom in 1980.
PCBel was one of the first systems allowing access to third-party information over a dialup network. Over 20 years later, this system is still character-based, a frustration to any user where graphical interfaces are the norm for all other electronic applications. Using PCBel, CPB users can get the credit details from the worldwide Experian system. Because PCBel is not Web-based, proprietary software has to be installed and maintained by CPB - this is expensive.
CPB needed to upgrade the two decade-old PCBel system. Moving 800 clients from PCBel to a new Web-based environment was a huge task. It was decided to take a phased approach and about a quarter of CPB`s clients are now already running on the GoZone, hosted by Internet Solutions (IS).
The GoZone is IS`s Web-based mechanism that connects several business partners and can be configured to determine how much and what sort of information they share. In CPB`s case, it was the ideal solution for several reasons.
"The GoZone portal lets all of CPB`s customers get the information they require from a Web-based environment," says Mark Strathmore, GoZone product manager at IS.
"Instead of staring at old-fashioned text-based software, they get the dynamic content that`s possible on the Web. No special software is required - any Web browser with the correct permissions gives instant access. It`s easy to use and it`s completely secure," he says.
Fred Steffers, CEO of CPB, says it had to be secure in order for Experian to give the go ahead.
"Experian was concerned about access to its database but after they saw the GoZone, they were happy to proceed," he says.
CPB`s clients now have incredibly user-friendly access to the CPB database.
"It`s a lot easier for our users to navigate directly to the information they require," says Steffers.
"With the GoZone, our clients operate in a point-and-click environment, a far cry from the clumsy world of PCBel." CPB has handed over the administration of its IT systems to IS which means it can get on with concentrating on its core business.
Companies of all sizes use services like GoZone because it removes the hassle - and a lot of the expense - of setting up and maintaining a company intranet and extranet. During the consultative phase of establishing a company on the GoZone, a thorough analysis on what the business requires out of it and a financial analysis is made.
Using the GoZone, companies can use the Web-based mechanism to connect several business partners and configure how much and what sort of information they want to share with them. The company intranet also gets a tweak with the use of the latest Microsoft technology.
Some people get confused between an extranet and a web portal but the difference is significant - a portal usually houses a critical business application that a company simply can`t do without and an extranet is about exchanging information.
"We are about helping companies form better electronic relationships with their business partners - we connect them at a networking and Web level," says Strathmore.
"The GoZone is totally secure. These days information on company networks is the lifeblood of business and it has to be protected. We are audited regularly and employ top technology that searches for intrusion. "The main benefits of the GoZone are that it`s quick to set up, reduces time to market, limits technology risk, and leverages the benefits of scale - securely.
"It is well administered and maintained and less expensive than going the in-house route, which requires a customer to invest in skills that are difficult to obtain, incentivise, and retain. From a business perspective, it is very compelling to make use of technology on a rental rather than capital expenditure basis, where your technology partner invests in the necessary technology and skills," says Strathmore.
Steffers says feedback from CPB`s customers that have moved on to the GoZone has been positive. "They are delighted with the new look and Feel, and at CPB we are extremely pleased with the new state-of-the-art facilities we are able to offer using GoZone technology."
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