Table of Contents
E-MARKETPLACE PASSPORT PROGRAM
KEY COMPONENTS OF THE E-MARKETPLACE PASSPORT PROGRAM
Training for e-Marketplace Passport Holders and Staff
Global Production Center Network
Modular Development Technology (MDT)
Code Depot
Image Depot
MAPS - Master Production System
Data Center Environment
Integrated Development Environment
Solution Blueprinting System
Email Administration System
Website Operating System (WOS)
Research and Development
Streaming Online Media
E-MARKETPLACE PASSPORT HOLDER PRODUCTS
Specific Internet Applications (SIAs)
E-Commerce Solutions
Server Statistics Reports
Conclusion
INTRODUCTION
(back to top)
World Technology Group (WTG) is a multi-national organization that has
specialized in the offering of e-business solutions to small and medium sized
businesses since the infancy of the World Wide Web. WTG has developed the
Internet Solutions eMarketplace for the delivery of high-value Internet
Solutions to the world.
The Internet Solutions e-Marketplace enables qualified synergistic companies
(such as marketing agencies, advertising agencies, design firms, printing
companies, web development companies) to leverage their businesses and client
base to achieve much greater profitability and client satisfaction. The
e-Marketplace also allows corporations in any industry to increase their
profitability by outsourcing their IT development needs. Today, there are over
700 e-Marketplace Passport Holders in 87 countries around the world utilizing
this virtual production system.
As Internet technologies change rapidly and become more complex, organizations
are finding it increasingly difficult to utilize their current staff to develop
Internet Solutions. As a result, a company must decide to hire and continually
train skilled professionals to develop and maintain technologies in-house, or
outsource those needs to a web development company. The trend is to outsource
these needs because companies would rather dedicate their valuable resources to
managing their core business, not to keeping up with the ever-changing field
of Internet technology.
The e-Marketplace Passport Program allows companies to achieve their goals
without the high overhead costs and limited technology resources of an in-house
web development team. It also enables individual consultants and agencies to own
a high-profit Internet Solutions company, without large capital investments and
ongoing overhead costs.
E-MARKETPLACE PASSPORT PROGRAM (back
to top)
In recent years, many agencies and technology companies have entered the
Internet Solutions arena in an attempt to expand their business and capitalize
on new opportunities. Other companies found themselves drawn into the delivery
of Internet Solutions through the demands placed on them by their clients.
While companies with a current client base are uniquely positioned to profit
from the Internet revolution, many have found the delivery of Internet Solutions
to be more complex and less profitable than they initially anticipated. Such
companies have found that their captive client base is ready, willing, and able
to provide them with website development business but making the transition from
traditional media to the web is often not easy. As the Internet is changing at
lightening speed, many agencies and developers have turned to outsourcing their
Internet Solutions and website jobs to third party developers. Companies that
are offering web development services often experience some of the following
problems:
Client requirements exceeding the company's ability to deliver
Cost overruns resulting from under quoting by sales reps or developers
Missed delivery dates by developers
Reduced profit margin due to inefficient delivery process (no system)
High overhead associated with technical staff or inability to provide rapid
response service due to outsource technical services
This program enables Passport Holders to deliver high-value Internet Solutions
to clients on a timely basis, through quality standards and processes, with
controlled costs to maximize profit margins, without all the associated
overheads.
The e-Marketplace Passport Program provides Passport Holders the ability to
profit from a much broader value proposition for their end clients, and a robust
virtual infrastructure that will scale with their business.
KEY
COMPONENTS OF THE E-MARKETPLACE PASSPORT PROGRAM
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Through a comprehensive array of training, products, processes, tools and
technologies, e-Marketplace Passport Holders are provided with a system to
maximize their business profitability through the delivery of Internet Solutions
and websites to end clients. The following represents a brief overview of some
of the systems and infrastructure that have led to the stunning success of the
Internet Solutions e-Marketplace.
Training for E-Marketplace Passport Holders and Staff
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Although the Internet represents a new medium for marketing communications, the
complexities of this new medium cannot be ignored. Not only does the delivery of
Internet Solutions require an in-depth understanding of the underlying
technologies of the web, but it also requires a commitment to staying abreast of
one of the most rapidly changing industries in history. Through web-based
learning, e-Marketplace Passport Holders and their staff are provided with all
of the training required to meet the needs of their clients.
Global Production Center Network
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The Internet Solutions e-Marketplace consists of an established network of
strategically located Production Centers that allow e-Marketplace Passport
Holders to outsource their web production requirements as needed. Corporations
like Microsoft, Oracle and Sun Microsystems do large quantities of their
development in regions such as India in order to capitalize on the quality,
capacity and preferred labor costs that such regions provide. In fact, according
to Computer world, 40% of North American companies employ foreign IT
consultants, with 80% of them coming from India. Due to the logistics involved,
it is next to impossible for most agencies and web development shops to benefit
from these types of preferred web development supply chains outside of the
e-Marketplace Passport Program.
The Internet Solutions e-Marketplace provides Passport Holders with access to
rapid development, high capacity, as well as the most advanced Internet
technologies. It would be very difficult for a small independent agency or web
design company to capitalize on the efficiencies of global production without
the framework offered through the Internet Solutions e-Marketplace. Not only
would they need to set up a network of companies that could do development for
them, but among other things, they would need to establish systems for
communicating solution specifications, quality control standards, language and
platform standards that are compliant with the end hosting environment. This is
why traditionally, only large IT companies like Microsoft, Novel, Sun and others
have been in a position to leverage off of global production efficiencies.
Modular Development Technology
(MDT) (back to top)
When Henry Ford created the assembly line, the concept was revolutionary but
quite simple - build the best car possible, and find a way to quickly replicate
it millions of times over, with the kinds of quality standards that would exceed
even the best hand built automobile. While almost every web solution created
through the e-Marketplace is unique, Production Centers leverage off of the same
types of efficiencies deployed by Ford.
By analyzing the thousands of unique client solutions developed through the
Internet Solutions e-Marketplace, it was discovered that the vast majority of
client sites could be developed through standard "building blocks" assembled in
non-standard ways. Just as the DNA of each living organism is made up of 4
simple amino acids, assembled in many different ways to create many different
complex organisms, e-Marketplace Production Centers utilize a series of building
blocks that make up the "web DNA" of a unique Internet Solution. By configuring
each of these building blocks in a way that is distinct to the needs of each
client, Production Centers are able to rapidly produce unique solutions.
The development of these building blocks and the processes for assembling them
is what makes up our Modular Development Technology (MDT). These "building
blocks" (MDT components) are stored in a digital asset management system
referred to as the Code Depot.
Code Depot
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One of the reasons e-Marketplace Production Centers can develop so efficiently
is through the use of the Code Depot. This online digital asset management
system has been developed as a vehicle for all Production Center programmers
from around the world to share programming code. The Code Depot also contains
the policies, procedures and standards associated with the e-Marketplace's
methods of web production. When a web developer needs to create an application
for an end client (for example, a banner administration system or a 128 bit
secure dynamic order form or an online survey system), the developer can go into
the Code Depot and download the specific code required to complete that
function. This eliminates the need for developers to continually develop
everything from scratch. Obviously websites can be built much quicker by
re-using instead of re-developing program code, but the benefits of the Code
Depot go further; by re-using certified programming code, the quality of
production can be maximized as well.
The Code Depot also acts as a central point for control and management of new
product releases. e-Marketplace Passport Holders are provided with "view" access
to the Code Depot so they can browse through MDT components and e-Learning
tutorials that outline the features and benefits of each technology.
Image Depot
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The Internet Solutions e-Marketplace delivers some of the highest quality
graphic design in the world. As part of their continuing commitment to
maintaining these standards, eMarketplace Production Centers invest thousands of
dollars on a regular basis into the expansion of the network's vast library of
digital media. This includes stock photography and design themes that may be
quickly integrated into any project. The Image Depot also includes the
development files necessary to utilize Fast Track Styles and Fast Track Flash
solutions.
MAPS - Master Production System
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The Canadian Government (through a Research and Development grant that is
awarded to companies developing unique and innovative technologies), has
assisted in the development of MAPS, the Master Production System. MAPS acts
as the "nerve center" of the Internet Solutions e-Marketplace, by centrally
managing all site development metrics. MAPS represents the key resource that
is used by all departments in the web production process, so that a single
source of project information is created and made available to all. It is an
intranet-based software application that is available to all Production Centers
and e-Marketplace Passport Holders.
The MAPS system:
Provides a collaborative development environment where developers, staff and
the client may communicate through all phases of site development.
Eliminates duplicated efforts of Production Centers, staff and clients.
Enables Production Centers to more efficiently produce Internet Solutions,
which results in lower costs for e-Marketplace Passport Holders.
Allows e-Marketplace Passport Holders to manage domain names, passwords,
hosting packages and site traffic reporting.
Provides e-Marketplace Passport Holders with timely status and oversight of
all aspects of the process.
Manages communication from Production Centers and Suppliers of new product
launches, promotional pricing and specials.
Provides an environment for connecting e-Marketplace Passport Holders with
Approved Suppliers (such as copywriters, search engine optimizers, digital video
compression, translation services, proof reading).
Allows e-Marketplace Passport Holders to source the best price, quality and
delivery turnaround times for work that they choose to have developed through
the e-Marketplace.
Enables e-Marketplace Passport Holders to check the "real time" status of a
project and even look at progress being made in the development process online
from any computer in the world.
Data Center Environment
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Completed Internet Solutions are hosted by Data Center Partners within the
eMarketplace. These data centers leverage off of the latest IBM and Sun
technologies and multiple Internet backbones. For technical individuals, the
data center environments accommodate development using:
Database integration tools such as ASP, HTML, PHP, and Cold Fusion
Application databases such as ACCESS 2000, MySQL and SQL 2000
Multimedia broadcasting servers such as Real Server
Secure servers featuring 128-bit encryption.
Data Center Partners provide end clients with full redundancies, from dual CPU
servers, RAID 5 data storage hardware, and load balancing servers. It is not
necessary for eMarketplace Passport Holders to make large investments into such
data center equipment and management in order to have the access and control
they need. Rather, the Passport Holder leverages off of the infrastructure of
e-Marketplace Data Center Partners.
Integrated Development Environment
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The acronym IDE stands for Integrated Development Environment. It is a concept
applied to corporations instead of individuals and aims to leverage the
corporate environment to provide advantages not available to lone developers.
The IDE includes pre-defined tools and components (such as code editors,
graphics tools, design aids, quality assurance tools) and version-controlled
digital asset management systems like the e-Marketplace's Code Depot. The
objective of the IDE is to provide as much automation as possible, and to reuse
as much previous work as possible to provide high quality code utilizing a
minimum amount of time and money.
Solution Blueprinting Language
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The understanding of each client's requirements represents one of the most
difficult tasks for any web developer. Just as a builder of any building works
from a blueprint, so should a web developer. Unfortunately, there has been no
standard "blueprinting" system established in the web development industry-until
now. The e-Marketplace utilizes its own proprietary, patent-pending system
called the Functional Design. The Functional Design provides for the efficient
communication of client requirements from the eMarketplace Passport Holder to
the Production Center. In most cases, it eliminates the need for detailed
discussions between the developer and the e-Marketplace Passport Holder,
allowing for expedited delivery of the end solution.
Email Administration System
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Passport Holders are provided with an Email Administration System that delivers
full control over the provisioning of email accounts for their clients. This
powerful, yet simple point-and-click application handles the setup of email
accounts and has simplified the technical tasks associated with the ongoing
managing of client email accounts.
One of the added features of the Email Administration System is the enhanced
security that is provided to clients. This is handled through a Secure Socket
Layer-based system (SSL system), compatible with enabled Web browsers.
Using Certicom's SSL Plus 3.0 technology allows Passport Holders to provide
secure messaging for the transport of email traffic or other electronic file
attachments. As such, all traffic between the client and the server, including
passwords in encrypted.
A few of the key advantages of this SSL secure solution include:
Protected Communications: SSL creates a protective tunnel that safeguards user
names, passwords, messages and attachments.
Ease of Use: SSL doesn't require any fancy equipment or changes to the user
desktop browser or client - most of the leading browsers and email clients
support it as a standard protocol. SSL service is automatically administered for
all mailboxes on the domain.
Cost-Effectiveness: Email transmissions of important documents saves users the
time and expense of alternative delivery methods, such as couriers and express
mail.
Website Operating System
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Passport Holders are provided with a Website Operating System (WOS) that gives
the option to control individual site administration, if they choose. Using the
WOS, eMarketplace Passport Holders can administer all aspects of their hosting
accounts. The WOS includes the following features:
Ad Manager
This function allows e-Marketplace Passport Holders to configure an ad server on
any client website. This enables the placement of rotating banner advertisements
and the ability to collect statistics on the banner views and "click-throughs".
Statistics are stored in an online searchable database.
Change Password
In the event that a client has access to the WOS, the change password function
allows eMarketplace Passport Holders to change client WOS access and FTP access
password.
Disk Usage
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A report on the disk space usage of any client website is generated by this
function. It provides a listing of each directory and the amount of space used.
The report is in plain text and can be cut and pasted for printing and
invoicing.
Announcer
Announcer is an easy way for e-Marketplace Passport Holders' clients to keep
their customers or friends up-to-date with what is new and exciting on their
website. With the Announcer feature, clients can manage distribution lists of
email addresses based on optin or permission-based marketing campaigns, and send
messages based on these lists.
File Manager
File Manager allows Passport Holders or Production Centers to take full control
of client website files. It is a safe alternative to full shell access for
sophisticated users. eMarketplace Passport Holders can copy, move, delete,
rename and edit files, create and remove directories, change file permissions
and upload files from their local computer to the server.
FrontPage Manager
The FrontPage Manager allows e-Marketplace Passport Holders or Production
Centers to enable FrontPage extensions on client websites. This can be done by
using their current domain name as the username, and choosing a password.
ASP/CFM Enabler
The ASP/CFM Enabler allows e-Marketplace Passport Holders or Production Centers
to enable the use of ASP and ColdFusion files on their clients' websites. The
Enabler sets up the client domain along with authorizing any uploaded ASP and
ColdFusion files to be correctly parsed by the web server.
Log Manager
This function allows Passport Holders or Production Centers to manage client
website log files and obtain raw server logs pertaining to a client's site
activity and traffic. They can also view and/or delete client log files.
Promote Site
The Promote Site function allows e-Marketplace Passport Holders to manage site
search engine submissions while automatically sending promotion material to the
top search engines.
Server Status
The Server Status function allows e-Marketplace Passport Holders to view the
status of the web servers where their clients' sites reside. This includes
current date and time, memory usages (such as total memory, shared memory,
buffer size, cache, swap total and free swap space) and server load averages.
Site Checker
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Site Checker allows e-Marketplace Passport Holders to view the structure of a
site, check website pages for broken links, list links pointing to external
sites, view client website images, locate pages that may be slow to download,
show new and old pages, give pages that have no title and show links that are
not checked.
Website Security
This function allows e-Marketplace Passport Holders to set up a user/password
authorization list which enables them to restrict browser access to specific
areas of the client website.
Database Manager
Database Manager is a web-based MySQL client that allows e-Marketplace Passport
Holders and/or Production Centers to create and manipulate MySQL databases.
SSL Manager
The SSL Manager allows Passport Holders and Production Centers to use the
generic Data Center SSL certificate on clients' domains without having to
contact technical support staff.
Domain Pointing
Domain Pointing allows e-Marketplace Passport Holders to forward a client domain
to another URL and redirect email sent to the client's domain to a catchall
email address.
For those Passport Holders or clients that do not want to manage these aspects
of the site administration, the was feature can be activated or de-activated.
Research and Development
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e-Marketplace Production Centers continually investigate integrated toolsets
from industry leaders like Microsoft and IBM, to ensure that e-Marketplace
Passport Holders are always on the leading edge of emerging technologies. New
technology platforms like Microsoft's .Net initiative, in conjunction with the
growing predominance of standards like XML and Java will radically change the
way Internet Solutions are created. As broadband and wireless access continues
to grow exponentially, companies will require solutions that leverage off of
these new technologies. With access to the e-Marketplace, the Passport Holder
will be positioned to profit from the industry's continual change, while other
companies trying to deliver Internet Solutions are left behind.
Streaming Online Media
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While most companies see the need for a website, very few understand that the
Internet is the television and radio broadcasting medium of the future. In fact,
online video is expected to become the fastest-growing segment of the Internet
in the very near future.
Whether a company wants to put their corporate video online or use their
website as a medium to broadcast their television or radio commercials, there
are many technological factors to take into consideration. Will they deliver
this moving media through a file download? Through progressive download? Or
through streaming media methods? Will they use QuickTime? Windows Media Player?
Real Player? How will they compress the file formats so that they move quickly
through the Internet? All of these are issues that must be considered in light
of each client's unique needs.
e-Marketplace Passport Holders are uniquely positioned to capitalize on this
growing trend through e-Marketplace partnerships with companies like Crushed
Media. Crushed Media specializes exclusively in the compression of moving media
for web-based applications. Crushed Media is able to provide Passport Holders
with complete turnkey solutions for digitizing client video and audio content
and making this content available to the world over the Internet.
E-MARKETPLACE PRODUCTS
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e-Marketplace Passport Holders can browse through the Code Depot and select from
a broad range of MDTTM components to be added on to any client's Internet
Solutions. A few examples of these MDTTM components include:
Chat and Bulletin Board System
Targeted Marketing Technology (TMT)
Client Side Interfaces (that allow clients to update certain content areas on
their site)
Online Survey System
Document Management System
Phantom Scripting (for optimizing search engine positioning)
Banner Management System
Online Calendaring Solutions
Client Intranet System
While these many MDTTM components can be added onto any Internet Solution, the
Code Depot also includes a comprehensive selection of complete solutions.
Specific Internet Applications
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Specific Internet Applications (SIAs) are complete Internet Solutions that have
been developed and perfected once, with the goal of delivering them many, many
times. While each of these sites may look different, the core technology that
makes them work is able to be replicated.
As an example, instead of creating car dealership websites one at a time,
e-Marketplace Production Centers have created the "ultimate car dealership
website" (sometimes referred to as a website on steroids). The e-Marketplace
Passport Holder can view this solution (and many others) in the Code Depot. By
selling these pre-developed solutions to individual dealerships, the Passport
Holder delivers maximum value that is unmatchable by local competitors, while
maximizing his/her business profitability.
Here are 6 reasons these Specific Industry Applications have become so popular
with eMarketplace Passport Holders.
1. The Market is Targeted: When selling SIAs, the e-Marketplace Passport Holder
knows who the target market is and how to find them. These individuals can be
contacted through the yellow pages, industry directories, chambers of commerce,
to name a few methods. Furthermore, each client that the Passport Holder meets
with provides him or her with a greater knowledge base regarding the needs of
the
target industry. This allows the e-Marketplace Passport Holder to provide a
greater level of value added consultative insight when meeting with the next
prospective client.
2. Pre-defined Solution: The e-Marketplace Passport Holder can spend quite a bit
of time defining the needs of each client and proposing unique, custom solutions
and pricing to the client. Since each SIA is pre-defined, all of the time and
complexity associated with this process is removed.
3. Online Demos: For some clients, an Internet Solution can be difficult to
conceptualize or visualize. All SIAs come complete with an online demo that
Passport Holders can present to the customer as an example of how their site
will function when it is complete. This also sheds clarity on what the client
gets for his or her money, avoiding future misunderstandings that can erode into
the profit margins of the Passport Holder.
4. Outstanding Value: A great deal of investment has been made into the
development of each SIA with the objective of selling thousands of each product
around the world. Therefore, the development costs of these sophisticated
solutions have been amortized across many clients. As a result, e-Marketplace
Passport Holders can sell these SIAs to the end client at a fraction of what it
would cost other developers to create such a solution. This makes it next to
impossible for local developers to compete with the value of these SIAs.
5. Accelerated Development: On top of all of the other many reasons why
eMarketplace Passport Holders would want to sell SIAs, the ability to accelerate
the development of these solutions cannot be underestimated. When selling SlAs,
the Passport Holder and the client benefit from an accelerated process of
production that can eliminate many weeks of production time in comparison to the
development of a custom solution.
6. Profitability: SIAs can result in much higher profits for e-Marketplace
Passport Holders because less time is spent with each client. SIAs eliminate a
great deal of time from the process of selling and delivering Internet Solutions
so the Passport Holder can make more sales and generate greater profits.
E-Commerce Solutions
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The movement of conventional commerce onto the Internet represents one of the
biggest growth trends ever. Through delivering e-commerce solutions to their
clients, eMarketplace Passport Holders are uniquely positioned to capitalize on
this revolution.
The e-commerce system provided in the Code Depot features intuitive marketing
technology (a system that actually remembers clients), an interactive shopping
cart system, and the latest in database integration. This e-commerce system
offers clients the
highest level of credit card security available on the net (the same type
used by Amazon.com). It also includes a full-featured client administration
system that allows the client to update information such as product info,
pricing data, or marketing specials at any time of the day, through their
browser.
A complete online store, developed using Code Depot technology can be made
available to clients of Passport Holders for as little as $5000. And there are
no licensing royalties to pay to companies like Microsoft or IBM as
e-Marketplace Production Centers include all licensing in the e-commerce
solution price.
Server Statistics Reports
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When an e-Marketplace Passport Holder meets with a potential client that already
has a website that is not performing, the dialogue often goes like this:
e-Marketplace Passport Holder: "Mr. Johnson, how many leads did you off your
website last month?"
Client: "Last month? I haven't got one lead off my site since it was put online!"
e-Marketplace Passport Holder: "Well how many visitors are you getting to your
site on a weekly or monthly basis?"
Client: "How would I know?"
e-Marketplace Passport Holder: "Can I see your server statistics report? maybe we
can find out what's going wrong."
Client: "Server statistics report? What's that?"
Passport Holders provide their clients with access to a server statistics
reporting system that is updated daily. This report is very valuable for both
the client and the eMarketplace Passport Holder, as it helps the client grow
their online business, and it helps the Passport Holder generate a continual
flow of maintenance work. These full color online reports covers such
information as:
How many visitors is a site getting?
What are the most popular pages (the client may want to build more of these type
of pages)
What are the least popular pages (these are good pages to update or change)
What countries and regions are the visitors coming from
What search engines are driving the most traffic to the site
What are the key words that are driving the most traffic from each search engine
What times of the day is the site being accessed
What types of browsers are the surfers using (to optimize the site for the
right version)
What banners are visitors looking at
What is the click-through percentage of each banner
What percentage of each banner click through results in a sale.
And 30+ more pages of additional information.
The more a client learns about their online activities, the more they will
choose to invest in their site, and the better positioned they are to
out-perform their online competitors. The following represents a few of the many
graphs and information charts that are contained in these
Server Statistics
Reports.
Most Requested Pages
Most Active Countries
Search Engine Traffic
CONCLUSION
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The e-Marketplace Passport Program has been designed to significantly enhance
the value proposition that Passport Holders can offer their clients while
helping to maximize their own business profitability.
No more:
Turning down projects that are too large to deliver.
Struggling to explain client requirements to web developers.
Searching for technical and creative people that won't let you down.
Explaining to clients why you missed a deadline.
Under-quoting by technical sales staff.
Micro-management of production schedules.
Trying to deliver systematic results without a system.
Scrambling to keep up with the latest technology developments.
Sifting through the "tech-talk" smoke and mirrors of developers.
Wondering if your graphics or technical people are paying for themselves.
There is no question about the future of e-Marketplaces. Industry analysts, like
the Gartner Group, have stated that this technology will yield the highest
increase in business profitability this decade. The Internet Solutions
e-Marketplace is the marketplace for the delivery of high-value Internet
Solutions to the world. The question is, "Who will profit from it?" The
opportunity of the future may be waiting for you!