As messaging becomes a more vital and integral tool to the way in which organisations do business, the financial and technological risk involved in providing stable, scaleable and manageable platforms remains a point of crucial consideration. It comes as some relief then, that industry leader Internet Solutions (IS) can now offer its clients best of breed messaging technology with little up front capex or technology risk.
Through its Business Gateway business unit, IS offers an end-to-end solution for outsourced Microsoft Exchange to multi channel messaging via their Hosted Exchange and Grapevine offerings respectively.
Built on Microsoft technology, offering corporate functionality and a full upgrade path from basic Corporate Mail to Outlook Web Access, Hosted Exchange offers a fully managed outsource solution, making IS one of only five organisations worldwide to offer this integrated scaleable solution.
Hosted Exchange resides within IS` private network, a highly secure and robust nationwide network shared by many blue chip corporates. Key features that set Hosted Exchange apart as a world-class solution include:
* No Capex cost.
* Flexible configuration of user base according to client need.
* Full upgrade path from basic pop/SMTP mail to full Exchange functionality.
* Virus & Spam protection.
* Content Filtering.
* Daily data back up, with tapes being stored off-site.
* Scalability, redundancy and security.
* Managed risk.
* 24 x 7 corporate and end user support.
To complement this, Internet Solutions has partnered with Grapevine Interactive which offers a range of business messaging services and solutions to major corporates and SMEs. This enables companies to effectively communicate to their customers, employees or business partners via the messaging channel of choice using a single point of connection. Companies may benefit from using interactive messaging channels such as SMS, email, text2speech, fax, web, WAP and USSD.
The benefits of Grapevine`s unique solution are numerous. Grapevine is the only messaging provider with direct, redundant, high-speed and bi-directional connections to all 3 South African mobile networks and includes international SMS capabilities. Load balancing of messaging traffic and throughput on demand ensure the most efficient delivery of messages. The Grapevine messaging services are configured in such a way that a company may add new services as and when they are required. The benefits of this flexibility are twofold; IS guarantees rapid deployment of upgrades and the company only pays for the services it requires when appropriate.
The solution is sufficiently flexible in terms of addressing specific communication related requirements in areas such as Marketing, Customer Care, Sales and Operations. In addition to its` unique technical capabilities, Grapevine maintains distinct intellectual property around application areas in most verticals, with the added advantage of increased effectiveness and short implementation times.
"Grapevine Interactive has proven itself to be South Africa`s most comprehensive and professional messaging provider. As such, IS has chosen to partner with Grapevine Interactive to offer corporate-grade messaging services as a logical extension to Internet Solutions` other professional service offerings to its` customers.", says Alison Vorster, Business Unit Manager for Business Gateway.
"Both services form an integral part of any company`s communication policy today and IS is well positioned to enhance these requirements with expertise, efficiency and the highest of standards. We are constantly researching and enhancing our messaging services to ensure that we remain ahead of the market and will be launching very exciting new services early in the year 2004." she concludes.
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Established in 1993 as the country`s first commercial Internet Service Provider, IS has grown in stature and today attracts 80% of the SA`s top 250 listed companies. IS remains the leading ISP with a market share of over 50%. Probably one of the country`s most successful post apartheid companies, IS has expanded from being a pure Internet connectivity provider to an innovative and pioneering business with services that include Internet access, VPN`s, hosting, dial-up, security and business gateway solutions. Testimony to its recognition as a market leader IS has earned an impressive collection of awards, which includes eight First National Bank "Most Admired" awards, Professional Management Review silver and golden arrow awards, Financial Mail Deloitte & Touche Best Company to Work for Award and even a Loerie award for its design work.
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