Local conditions force South African ICT companies to be particularly innovative when providing solutions for clients. This does not only apply to the development of new technologies, but also to the integration of available technologies.
In the field of telecommunications, environmental obstacles in SA include a sometimes unreliable copper line service and long lead times when installing leased lines.
Mobile solutions address both of these issues to some extent, but cannot always be deployed quickly enough for companies that need broadband access urgently.
According to Julian Liebenberg, divisional executive of Business Connexion Communications, the need for quick broadband access in the event of a disruption led to the development of Business Connexion's 'Branch-in-a-Box' 3G solution.
"Branch-in-a-Box started out as finding a solution for a particular client problem and developed into a product. It consists of a preconfigured router that does encryption so users can conduct private and secure conversations over the 3G network," he says.
Although the Branch-in-a-Box solution did not evolve from new mobile technology, it is the result of a creative integration of components to allow for a quickly deployable, corporate level virtual private network (VPN) service. Business Connexion's development on the solution also extended to tunnel encryption for security purposes and research around configuration.
Liebenberg says Business Connexion Communications always has a number of units in supply, so if any of its clients urgently need communications in their branches, the company can supply the Branch-in-a-Box solution with a lead-time of only 24 hours. "Many clients keep the Branch-in-a-Box as a permanent solution, while others use it as a bridging solution," he says.
"Some of our clients, for instance, stock three or more Branch-in-a-Box solutions at their premises. Business Connexion Communications configures the communications beforehand without even knowing where the physical branch is."
He adds that the Branch-in-a-Box solution gives clients the freedom to open a branch where they want it, when they want it and for how long they want it, without worrying about the technology. Furthermore, Business Connexion's management system indicates when the respective branches become operational, after which Business Connexion manages them like any other branch connected via copper.
The portability of the solution gives users the ability to open temporary branches at conventions or trade shows, for example. No technical expertise is necessary and users are able to set up the branch themselves.
"The Branch-in-a-Box solution also includes a wireless component, so it is not necessary to install computer cabling on the premises. The manager, for example, could use a wireless laptop while his or her secretary's PC could have a wireless card. This adds huge dynamics to our clients' ability to do business," Liebenberg says.
He concludes that the Branch-in-a-Box is a particularly South African solution to the particularly South African problem of lengthy waits for fixed line access, pointing out that many businesses cannot afford to wait to be connected to the country's ICT infrastructure.
"Many of Business Connexions clients' businesses are of such a nature that they do not have more than 30 days to plan the opening a new branch. These clients need to deliver services to their clients immediately after signing an agreement, requiring almost instant deployment of ICT infrastructure to support their business systems," he says.
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