JSE-listed Elexir Technology Holdings has refocused its services company, Elexir Computer Services (ECS), in line with its stated intention to shift its business mix more towards higher-margin value-added services.
The Elexir group has been undergoing a restructuring process after a series of ill-advised acquisitions saw it sustain an operating loss of R34.8 million in the year to August 1999.
Nic Rossen, Elexir group financial director and acting CEO, says ECS provides business solutions with implementation, integration and support to all business sectors, focusing on products with a good return on investment.
Among other things, ECS provides infrastructure management, integrated business solutions, Web hosting and design, and services and support.
The Elexir Internet Service Provider division provides high-speed Internet access for companies needing connectivity between multiple locations. Its network covers greater Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban, but manager Kevin McDonald says it aims to expand into Pretoria and then the rest of Africa.
ECS has two large retail e-commerce products under way, one of which is for a major chain store. Payment is on a commission-per-sale basis.
The company`s product offering - which includes imported products - includes anti-virus solution Sophos, which ECS sales director James Lewis says is used by 65% of the Times Top 100 companies.
The Sophos software, developed in the UK, includes centralised administration, intelligent file recognition and claims to have the highest rate of virus detection.
Customers in SA include SA Breweries International.
Other products include TELEform, which automates data capture from fax, scanned documents and Internet-based forms; and RightFAX, a scalable enterprise desktop faxing software solution which uses Brooktrout intelligent fax boards. The board`s tasks include document conversion, meant to reduce the overhead on the fax server.
Lewis says the program allows users to retrieve faxes from anywhere in the world, simply by dialling into the server.
Rossen says the group intends to grow the company, particularly the ISP division. "We believe the box will be replaced by the cell on the Web," he says.
Lewis adds that ECS will also focus on developing wireless application protocol technology, as it believes the future of the Web lies in this area.
Other divisions include a services division, hardware and Elexir Web, the Web design and hosting division.
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