NetActive keeps furniture retailer supremely connected

One of South Africa`s largest independent ISP`s - NetActive - has expanded Supreme Furnishers NetChauffeur functionality by providing its branches in Namibia and Zambia with e-mail and Internet connectivity through Supreme Furnisher`s LAN (Local Area Network).

A long standing and loyal NetChauffeur client, Supreme Furnishers chose to once again make use of NetActive`s leading edge product when it extended its Internet connectivity into Africa.

Based in South Africa, Supreme Furnishers - a retail furnishing operation -has previously utilised the NetChauffeur product successfully at the company`s head office. With the company`s growth , Supreme Furnishers advanced into Africa four years ago and now has over 100 stores across the continent. As the company has grown, so has the need for vital communication links and in order for this communication to be cost effective with minimal service breakdown, Supreme Furnishers commissioned NetActive to supply its branches in Namibia and Zambia with Internet connectivity.

A huge benefit resulting from the installation is that Supreme Furnishers telephone call costs have decreased dramatically now that branches can communicate via e-mail. The dedicated line between South Africa and Namibia yields a fast download time and a direct service that will ensure all branches are kept in the communication loop. Connectivity into Zambia was made possible through satellite links and works through an IP polling station.

"Costs of telephone calls into Africa were increasing and as our business expanded, and the need for communication became more imperative, we had to look at other options," says Reza Bodiat of Supreme Furnishers. "We have worked with NetActive before and we are always impressed with the professional service we receive from them - we knew that we could rely on them for a reliable, cost-effective solution. In all the time NetActive have been our `partners` we have never had more than four hours of downtime,.

"We have also just commissioned NetActive to develop a web site for Supreme and have purchased 25 megs of web space for future growth - including e-commerce capability."

The NetChauffeur package installed for Supreme Furnishers is the most convenient, clever and cost effective Internet and e-mail service available for small to medium sized businesses and offers the client versatility and choice. The NetChauffeur branded solutions can operate off an NT based system or off Linux.

The product meets the Internet needs of companies with anything from 1 to 100 users and will provide businesses with e-mail, browsing, faxing, security, anti-virus and web and Intranet server functionality.

"NetChauffeur was the ideal solution for Supreme Furnishers, because of its scalability. The service allows companies to grow without incurring cost of ownership - which is quite prohibitive" says Larry Paslovsky Managing Director of NetActive`s SME Business Services Division. In a business that is growing rapidly and is expanding across borders, overheads are often already stretched to capacity and the alternative solution of multiple `single dial ups` is often restrictive and can become costly with excessive calls to the net. NetChauffuer offers high end connectivity at a reasonable price."