One of the biggest complaints from mobile workers is that sometime during their day they have to stop and get an Internet connection to update their meetings, contacts and other critical information, which can prove to be both expensive and time-consuming.
Now Internet Solutions (IS) has partnered with local mobile software supplier LayerOne to provide corporate end-users with a unique mobile suite of products that wirelessly connects to almost any handheld device in order to provide corporate e-mail and calendar information in real-time.
Named IS Mobile Connect, field staff will have instant access to personal information such as e-mail, contacts, notes and calendar. Using always-on push technology, e-mails are delivered automatically to your mobile device with no user initiation. This push feature sends new e-mail and information changes (such as new appointments or tasks) to mobile devices while automatically returning any changes made from the device itself. This ensures that both the device and the corporate mail server are always in sync. Speed of response and accuracy of data are fundamental benefits, not only improving the efficiency of workers but also delivering cost-saving benefits to the bottom line.
"The benefits of this technology will be felt by any company that has mobile staff, especially at the executive level," says Richard Vester, GM Mobile Solutions at IS. "We expect field staff - sales people, insurance claims staff and estimators - to love it. No longer will they have to carry around a heavy laptop and find a place to connect to their corporate network. This solution has been designed to put all they need to perform their jobs in the palm of their hand."
Currently any device - Palm Pilot, laptop, pocket PC - using Symbian, Palm or CE client technology, can be connected to MS Exchange and Lotus Notes through the LayerOne solution. IS has built this into an ASP model designed for local and international conditions, with special benefits being seen throughout the African continent.
"iPass, a global roaming dial-up service, can be very expensive and slow, but when the LayerOne software is added it can become a fast and economical solution," says Vester. "Using this solution, we experience download speeds of about 45 e-mails in less than one minute. This represents tremendous cost savings as you no longer have to be online for long periods of time. This is also achieved over bearers such as GPRS and dial-up."
Vester is excited about the potential of the solution for his customers. "No longer do mobile users have to wait to get connected. With push technology everything is automatic and sent directly from the company mail server to the client device as it is received. Compression, as well as reverse billing on GPRS, have become two of the key features in LayerOne that enable cost-effective data transfer over GPRS. This is the only ASP solution in the country that makes real viable use of the GPRS network in an efficient and cost-effective manner. We are also in the process of launching unlimited data solutions that will enable remote e-mail users to send and receive as many e-mails as they would like over GPRS for a fixed monthly cost."
"It`s affordable and practical," says Vester - who no longer travels with a laptop. "We are looking at incorporating this into an advanced `local Blackberry` - which provides the complete data package including an e-mail account for corporate users and consumers, limited and unlimited data solutions as well as the LayerOne Mobile client for less than R400 per month. This is less than the cost of the same solution in America and Europe," he says.
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Internet Solutions (IS) has transformed its business model, subsequently becoming the only full network service provider in the country.
The business was founded on the principle of developing a robust infrastructure in order for corporates to conduct e-business. Over the past decade IS has established itself as a leader in this space, attracting over 80% of SA`s top businesses as clients.
During its 10-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 SA, as well as having significant market share in the virtual private network and application service provider space.
Internet Solutions has earned an impressive collection of accolades, including eight First National Bank "Most Admired" awards, Financial Mail Best Company to Work For and a place in the Top Unlisted Company Awards.
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.
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