|
e-business
Little
companies, big mail plans
How
information gets
from there to you
|
By
Ray Barrington
Dot Com Magazinec
David Troup
is a mail man.
No, he's not a letter carrier. Better make that he's an e-mail
man. And he's got some new deliveries to pitch.
Troup's Solinus Inc. has become an international leader in
the key Internet application of e-mail. Its Hostmail system
has become a leader.
And now, Solinus has something new: Globalsend.
In theory, it's a simple idea. Globalsend serves as the e-mail
host for a small domain, such as a small business which has
some Internet company hosting its Web site.
With Globalsend, a company can outsource its e-mail, avoiding
the expenditures of host servers or provider fees.
"Companies are saying 'The e-mail you're throwing in - that
every ISP throws in - is nice, but I want more robust business
capabilities,'" said company president Troup. "They just aren't
business-critical applications."
In addition, most local ISPs don't have the funds to install
the type of heavy-user system businesses need, he said.
Globalsend uses a browser-based e-mail interface, similar
to Hotmail or Yahoo Mail, making it easy to use. Users can
easily configure their mailbox with the folders they need.
Being Web-based, the Globalsend system allows mail access
from any computer and the ability to avoid setting up a separate
e-mail program.
Users can also access e-mail on PCS cell phones.
In addition, the system allows the setting up of calendars
to highlight important dates for in-company or individual
use.
Troup is pleased with the ease of setting up a Globalmail
service. "With most mail systems, you have to go talk to the
company and it takes time. With Globalsend, if you have a
credit card, you can set up your own e-mail in, oh, about
three minutes," he said.
The cost for a user is a $100 set-up fee and a $5 per-month
charge per mailbox. Companies can set up the mail interface
with their own business logo.
"This is mostly suited to small and medium enterprises, places
that don't have their own IT staff," he said.
The surprise in all this is that Solinus is building its systems
in the United States after finding great success in Europe
and Asia. The reason for the overseas success comes from Solinus's
partner, a little computer company called Sun Microsystems.
"Sun already had its package, and they looked at what we're
doing as the next generation of technology," Troup said. "So
they backed us up with a half-million dollars of hardware
and support."
Because of that, Globalsend (and its parent, Hostmail) is
available in 11 languages with translation capabilities.
One part of Solinus's server network is in Korea, where a
company had extra server space after its planned role as an
application service provider didn't pan out.
"Sun got in touch with this Korean telco company and said
'we're going to help you out,'" Troup said. "So this Korean
telco is now the world's largest mail provider."
It's part of an aggressive goal for the guy who calls himself
"just a software provider who happens to live in Green Bay.
"In the next 12 months," he says, "our goal is 10 million
mailboxes." |
|
Business
directory
Advertising
Apartments
Auto
dealers
Automotive
parts
Automotive
search
Business
opportunity
Chiropractor
& relaxation
Computers
& repair
Computer
training
Education
Employment
Event
tickets and tours
Gardening
centers
Grocers
Homebuilders
Hospitals
Hotels
Legal
services
Mortgage
banker
Natural
health
Photography
Packer
merchandise
Performances
Realtors
Restaurants
Shopping
Slides
Technology
solutions
Tires
Upcoming
events
|
