Companies can now simplify the way customers and suppliers find them on the Internet by using their company`s name as their Web address. Instead of having to remember http://www.companyname.co.za, people can simply enter the company name in the browser address bar to get to the Web site.
Says Stuart Hardy, general manager of the access division at Internet Solutions (IS): "The Keywords service takes the complexity out of navigating your way to the Web site you want to visit. Very often the Internet domain name of a company is abbreviated because the one with a .com or .co.za is already taken. The new system lets companies use just their name as an address."
Keywords are easier for people to remember and use, and it is the only Web addressing system that works across all languages and character sets, as well as across all types of Internet-enabled devices, including Web-enabled mobile phones, desktop computers and PDAs.
"In SA, Keywords supports all 11 local languages and all major manufacturers and media players have acknowledged the Keywords product as the industry standard navigational platform," says Hardy.
Keywords can be registered in SA for R1 400 a year. Each country requires a separate registration.
"If a local company does a lot of business in Japan, for example, it would be a good idea to register the Keyword in SA and Japan. That way it is not expensive. To prevent the cyber-squatting that occurred when original domain names were issued, most of the top brands and companies have been pre-registered to prevent this. Cyber-squatters would register the name of large organisations and then sell it to them for vastly inflated prices," says Hardy.
Keyword technology is extremely simple - when a Keyword is entered it resolves to the specified URL, associated with that particular Keyword, through the auto search facility across the MSN Network.
"Your customers would simply type the Keyword into the Internet Explorer address bar and the appropriate Web page appears. Keywords are also country-specific and rely on the language settings within Internet Explorer to resolve the Keyword in the particular country to which it was assigned," says Hardy.
Keywords may be registered by IS in any country that has an MSN Network presence. The MSN Network is currently supported in 26 different countries.
Briefly, the main benefits are:
* Use a company name as a Web address;
* Incorporate multiple words and spaces, punctuation and even foreign characters in a Web identity;
* Enable direct navigation to specific products or information deep within a Web site;
* Strengthen a company`s identity internationally by maintaining consistent branding and addressing worldwide; and
* Localise Web content by region, language or country.
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Internet Solutions (IS) is SA`s leading provider of infrastructure foundations for electronic business and the forerunner in providing companies with effective connectivity solutions. At present, it connects over 1 500 organisations to the Internet and over 3 000 sites through its range of VPN solutions, thus forming the primary electronic business community in SA.
IS offers a fully managed environment together with expertise in areas such as internet access, VPNs, hosting, dial-up, security and data management. Its best-of-breed infrastructure is without equal and has been the preferred choice of leading companies since 1993. As the Internet industry leader, IS is also dedicated to sharing its success with others by providing improved access to education and information to all South Africans, particularly previously disadvantaged communities.
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