Striata enters new e-billing markets, extends managed hosting capacity with Rackspace

Striata, the Johannesburg-based application software developer, service provider and enabler of secure electronic communication, has significantly expanded its server capacity in an extended contract with international managed hosting services provider, Rackspace Managed Hosting.

Business growth and opportunities in Striata`s offshore e-billing markets in the US, the UK and Australia and the introduction of secure payment functionality have driven an extension of the company`s services infrastructure. Striata CEO Mike Wright said this had been achieved with additional server capacity and managed hosting support from Rackspace, which has held the Striata contract for the past five years.

"With e-billing there is no room for downtime. The application service is critical, requiring redundancy and support services of the highest quality in order for us to ensure that we maintain smooth, problem-free cash flows for our clients."

Wright added that secure e-mail billing and client communication for major banks, financial institutions, utilities (power, water, gas) and telecommunications organisations costs significantly less than conventional posting of printed paper bills or letters.

"Now we are adding even greater value to the service by introducing a secure payment function embedded within the e-mail. This is significantly improving payment efficiency and driving down debtors` days, both factors that underpin financial stability for an organisation."

Technology has driven changes in people`s payment behaviour and a pattern of preference for immediate payment is emerging. "More and more people, when presented with a highly convenient and effective method of paying for the services they receive from a utility or telco, will choose to pay immediately instead of dealing with the issue later," said Wright. "The sheer convenience and immediacy of the imbedded secure electronic payment option is compelling."

Striata`s experience with its eBilling Suite in the US is that there is rapid return on investment through the reduction of billing costs by up to 80%, accompanied by significant enhancements in customer convenience and service, and the provision of a dynamic, personalised and flexible marketing channel.

The delivery of bills and facilitation of secure payment requires exceptional levels of reliability. "Therefore, the availability of the support infrastructure and services is highly critical. The introduction of the immediate secure payment option has increased our focus on reliability and uptime, an area where Rackspace has really delivered and met our needs through its fanatical support concept," said Wright.

Analyst research from Celent and Forrester shows that the use of "pull" processes in EBPP (the process of pulling customers back to a biller`s Web site) has reached a "glass ceiling" and billers are turning to "push" as the method of increasing user adoption and creating a new growth curve. "Push" billing is now also gaining favour as it presents customers with a payment facility that is imbedded within the e-mailed bill, providing a highly convenient method of payment that requires minimum effort and time.

"The push methodology is becoming increasingly popular. It is far more convenient for customers because it works within parameters that appeal to human nature, namely simplicity and speed with little effort," said Wright.

Rackspace spokesman for the South African market, Geoff Dowell, said Striata embodied the ability of South African ICT companies to convert opportunities to develop and market specialised Internet-based solutions for global markets.

"The managed hosting service that we provide to Striata is located in the US where we can offer true broadband facilities with the speed and capacity to very cost-effectively handle their high e-mail volumes of up to 500 000 an hour."

Dowell added that the location of the managed hosting service in the US was ideal for Striata not only from a bandwidth perspective but also because of the convenient time difference between the two continents which means that Striata`s heavy volume e-mail runs can be dealt with at times when US demand for bandwidth is at its lowest.

Striata has also introduced a number of innovative added value elements to the market, including an "electronic postmark" or "EPM". The EPM combines the identity of the sender with a unique digital signature and timestamp issued by the US Postal Service.

"This certifies that the e-mail was sent at a specific date and time and that it was sent by a specific person or company," said Wright. "It allows users to automatically verify that the contents of their communication were delivered intact and unchanged -- an electronic equivalent of a registered letter, giving improved levels of trust and comfort in e-mail delivery."

Striata`s solutions apply to organisations that know how vital efficient communication with customers and stakeholders is to their overall success. The flagship product is the Striata Application Platform, which includes the eBilling Suite, the eContact Suite and the eMarketing Suite. It provides highly flexible, robust and scalable products deployable across multiple operating systems and has a high volume messaging engine as its core.

Wright said deliverability had become a significant differentiator for bulk e-mail service providers. "Today bulk e-mailing is a highly sophisticated science which requires state of the art tools. Because we have developed our own high volume messaging engine, we are able to quickly react to new requirements to ensure high deliverability of e-mails and our managed hosting service from Rackspace is another significant factor in this differentiation."