Profile: One of the very few genuine business-only service providers. Their focus is on providing innovative business Internet solutions and their mission is “To Provide The Most Effective Business Solutions Integrating Internet Technologies”.

Location: Faringdon and Newbury
Geographical Coverage: UK

Target Market: Businesses (SME’s to Corporate in a wide range of industry markets and sectors)

Accreditations: BT Partner, Mitel, Sonicwall, Cisco

Products

Connectivity: Surftime, ethernet first mile, bonded broadband Dial-up, Global Roaming, ADSL, SDSL, Leased Lines, Frame Relay, Hosted IP Telephony, MPLS, SIP, Telephony, Circuit Accelerators
Security: Routers, Firewalls, MailScan, VPN’s, Thin Client
Hosting: Web Space, Shared, Secure, Co-Location, List Server, Domain Name Registration, Aliasing, Hosted IP Telephony

Awards

None to mention

Strengths
· Business Class Network Infrastructure (London, Manchester, Faringdon and Newbury)
· 200 POPs throughout the UK
· Continually investing in it’s infrastructure
· Monitoring of network 24 hours per day to ensure optimum performance is maintained
· Genuine Business-only ISP
· Over 9 years experience in the market
· Only ISP to offer it’s Resellers more margin
· Consistent growth and still managed by its founders
· Customers allocated dedicated Account Manager
· Bespoke solutions – product portfolio is regularly assessed
· Highly skilled staff with ongoing personal development
· 60% of new business is won through customer referral
· Free customer support
· No voicemail policy – customers always speak to a ‘human being’
· Focused on the importance of building long-term relationships with its customers
· PR company assigned to help build identity and raise awareness within the press
· Extranet – customers have access to their account
· Continually assess their service through customer satisfaction surveys

Weaknesses

·None to mention

Mistral Internet

Web Address: www.mistral.co.uk

Profile: An ISP offering business connectivity, hosting and Internet security. Their own resilient network designed to carry business grade Internet traffic.

Established: 1995
Location: Brighton, East Sussex
Turnover: £5,737,000 (2002)
Geographical Coverage: UK (Local and Nationwide)

Target Market: Businesses (Business, Government and Education)

Clients: Microsoft, Sony Music, Citizen Watches, Pizza Hut

Acquisitions:
· May 2002: Interalpha UK Ltd (ISP based in Southampton, Nottingham and Innotts)
· Dec 2002: Routo - formally Boyanet (Hosting, Telecoms and ISP)
· Mar 2003: Hotfibre (ISP in Bristol)
· Aug 2003: Drakken Ltd (Internet Technology Company in Cambridge)

Accreditations: Microsoft Certified Partner, LINX Member, ISPA UK, Sun iFORCE Volume Products Reseller, Cisco Systems Authorised Reseller

Products

Connectivity: Dial-up, ISDN, ADSL, SDSL, Satellite DSL, Leased Lines, Global Roaming
Security: Managed Network Security, Firewalls, VPN’s, Anti-Virus, Anti-Spam
Hosting: Shared, Managed, Managed Firewall, Co-Location, Complex, Sun Solaris, Load Balance, Domain Name Registration
Other: Hosted Exchange, Windows SharePoint,

Awards

· ‘Sussex Company of the Year’ – Sussex Business Awards 2003
· ‘Best Hosting Provider’ – ISPA Awards 2004

Strengths

· Fully Bespoke Solutions
· Clear product offerings
· Own and operate own Internet Backbone (Telehouse Europe)
· Monitor network 24 hours per day / prevents congestion, spots failures before connectivity is affected.
· 24 Hour/365 Day support for their dedicated access customer
· Technical Support available 08:00-20:00 Mon-Fri and 10:00-16:00 Sat
· 60% of new customers join through recommendation
· Service level guarantee which covers:-
- Not billed if Internet service is disrupted 3 times in any calendar month
- Rebate given equivalent to one days service if there is not a 99.9% availability
- Not billed for that month if no 4 hour response to fault logged with ticket number
· ADSL central pipe capacity of 155Mbps – ensuring high performance levels and capacity
· Sunday Times Tech Track 100 – Ranked 70 Britains fastest growing tech companies
· Sunday Times Fast Track 100 – Ranked 40 Britains fastest growing tech companies

Weaknesses

· Not a business only ISP

Easynet

Web Address: www.uk.easynet.net

Profile: A leading Pan-European Commercial Internet Service Provider and Telecommunications company. A major provider of IP access and services across Europe.

Established: 1994
Location: London, Manchester, Slough, Brighton, Shepton Mallet, France, Germany, Netherlands, Belguim, Spain, Switzerland and Italy
Turnover: £55.2 Million (Interim results 6 months to 30 June 2003) £91.5 Million 2002
Geographical Coverage: UK and Europe

Target Market: Businesses (Corporate and Public Sector)

Clients: Royal Bank of Scotland, Debenhams, Avon and Somerset Constabulary, Oracle

Accreditations: Cisco, Compaq, Sun, Microsoft, Intel, WatchGuard, Check Point and Lucent Technologies

Products

Connectivity: Dial-up, ISDN, ADSL, SDSL, Leased Lines, SureStream, Global Roaming
Security: Managed Firewalls, Managed IP VPN, Anti-Virus, Anti-Spam
Hosting: Web Space, Managed Servers, Co-Location, Web Solutions, Domain Name Registration
Other: Web Development

Awards

· ‘Best Business Broadband ISP’ ISPA 2004
· ‘Best National Business ISP’ ISPA 2004

Strengths

· Own their own Tier-1 Nationwide Network
· 40+ other carriers and ISP’s including Tiscali use the Easynet network
· First ISP in Europe to provide Internet access using ADSL technology
· Pan-European Network extends coverage to over 250 major towns and cities across Europe
· Comprehensive Tier-1 European Peering; presence at 14 European Internet exchanges
· Technical Support Available 24/7 at local call rates
· Fast Connection Speeds
· Excellent access and availability of service
· Service level guarantees
· Financially stable with debt-free balance sheet
· Enterprise class network and security solutions
· Market leader in local loop unbundling
· Unique product portfolio
· Presence in 10 European countries
· One of the few operators that can provide a full range of services at local, national and international levels
· Well known in the market place
· One of the UK’s Top 50 fastest-growing technology companies

Weaknesses

· Not a business only ISP
· Support calls cost £25p per minute, alternatively pay £4.70 monthly and use a low call number
· Huge company; may deter those that like the hand holding approach

Fairbridge Communications

Web Address: www.fairbridge.com

Profile: A UK Technology Company providing managed IP services. A one-stop-shop which includes planning, consultancy, design, implementation, on-going management and support.

Established: 1996
Location: Harrogate, North Yorkshire
Turnover: £1.5m 2000
Geographical Coverage: UK

Target Market: UK Businesses (SME’s, Large Corporates and Public Sector)

Clients: AllSports, Gymboree, Littlewoods, Tarmac, Odeon Cinemas

Accreditations: BT IP Solutions Partner, SonicWall Gold Partner

Products

Connectivity: ADSL, IP Stream, GPRS, IP Based VPN, Wireless, DSL
Security: Managed Firewalls, Anti-Virus and Content Filtering, Intrusion Detection, Authentication
Other: Management Services – Router, Bandwidth, Internet Link, Outsourced Support and Management, Server and Application Services – Application Integration, Managed Critical Application Services, Co-location and Hosted Platforms, Managed Email, Managed Web/Proxy Server

Awards

· BT IP Solutions Partner of the Year 2001/2002

Strengths

· Business only provider
· Tailored services to meet business needs
· Privately owned
· Qualified, experienced and knowledgeable technical experts
· Evolving product portfolio; dedicated services development team
· 24x7, 365 days a year management and support
· Ranked 75 in the Sunday Times Tech Track 100 in Feb 2002

Weaknesses

· Poor Website: Lack of product and support information online

Star Internet

Web Address: www.star.net.uk

Profile: A UK ISP focused solely on the needs of the business sector.

Established: 1995
Location: London, Manchester, Gloucester and Cirencester
Turnover: £23.5m 2001/2
Geographical Coverage: UK wide

Target Market: Businesses in a range of industries (growing and multi-nationals)

Clients: Admiral Insurance, World Snooker, Ministry of Defence, Scott Wilson

Accreditations: Cisco Powered Network Service Provider, Microsoft Certified Partner, BS7799

Acquisitions:
· Feb 2003: 4th Contact (Benefits Technology based in London)

Products

Connectivity: ISDN, ADSL, SDSL, Leased Lines
Security: Firewalls, VPN’s, MessageLabs Anti-Virus, Anti-Spam, Anti-Porn
Hosting: Managed, Dedicated, Shared, Co-location, SQL Solutions

Awards

· ‘Customer Service Excellence’ Daily Telegraph/Energis Customer Service Award 2000
· ‘Internet Product of the Year’ Networking Industry Awards 1997 and 1999

Strengths

· Largest independent Business-only ISP
· Privately owned
· Employ over 250 people
· Over 3,500 business customers
· Well known in the market place
· Support Dept of 40 highly skilled and focused individuals
· Technical Support and help desk available 07:00-19:00
· 24x7 365 days a year emergency technical support
· Over 250 employees
· A market led company; always looking for new services and new levels of performance
· Stable, profitable with sustainable growth and debt free
· Continual development programme and extensive training for all employees
· Customer retention annually over 97%
· Successful virus scanning service – led to the set-up of a separate company; Messagelabs
· Provide tailored Internet solutions
· 15% of shares allocated to an employee share option scheme
· Ranked 31 in the Sunday Times Tech Track 100 2003
· Outer core network comprises 17 POPs located across the UK

Nildram

Web Address: www.nildram.net

Profile: An IP Communication Service Provider, their mission is to deliver high-end solutions to business and business strength services to consumers.

Established: 1995
Location: Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire
Turnover: Unknown
Geographical Coverage: Unknown

Target Market: Business and Residential

Clients: Action Computer Supplies, Network Associates

Accreditations: Unknown

Products

Connectivity: Dial-up, Surftime, Global Roaming, Surftime, ADSL, SDSL, Leased Lines, Global, Roaming, Business Packages
Security: e-mail Anti-Virus, Secure Broadband ADSL
Hosting: Web Space, Shared, Dedicated, Co-Location, Domain Name Registration

Awards

· ‘ISP of the Month’ – for July 2003 by net4nowt

Strengths

· Have their own Internet backbone (Aylesbury, London, Manchester, Amsterdam and Frankfurt)
· Only UK ISP to have 100Mbps connections to both the LINUX and LoNAP peering points
· Control of own International connectivity; ensure the network is never over-subscribed
· Technical Support available 24x7
· Sales available 09:00-20:00 Mon-Fri and 09:00-18:00 Sat
· European traffic routed directly to Europe, rather than via the USA
· Not reliant on BT, can perform upgrade to links themselves
· Reviews that their speed is good, great, excellent and constant.

Weaknesses

· Not a business only ISP
· More emphasis on Broadband
· Expensive (but you get the quality that you expect) – according to reviews
· Support and customer service has gone downhill due to their growth – according to reviews
· Support experts have been elevated out of front line support, leaving inexperienced people – according to reviews

Twang

Web Address: www.twang.net

Profile: An engineer based Integrated Communications Provider. Providing connectivity, hosting, voice and data integrated communications systems.

Established: 1998
Location: Newbury, Berkshire
Turnover: Unknown
Geographical Coverage: UK

Target Market: Business and Residential

Clients: British Telecom, Lucent Technologies, Newbury Building Society

Accreditations: AVAYA Gold Business Partner, WatchGuard Expert Partner, Microsoft Certified Partner, Citrix, AppSwing Certified Partner

Products

Connectivity: Dial-up, ADSL, SDSL Leased Lines, Wireless, Global Roaming, Business Packages
Security: Firewalls, VPN’s, Anti-Virus and Anti-Spam
Hosting: Web Space, Co-location, Domain Name Registration
Other: Business Telephone Systems, VoIP, IP Office, Least Cost Routing

Strengths

· Online Store
· Local rate Technical Support number
· Online FastTrack Support System, allocated ticket number to track your query

Currently support the homeworker bases of some huge organisations including Vodafone and a very large oil company – further house hold names can be found here: http://www.twang.net/company/clients.asp
99% Business ISP
Own internet backbone BTW IPstream customer with multiple POPs
Again we have been trading since ‘99 and serve a considerable portion of FTSE100
Technical Support is 24Hours

Via Networks

Web Address: www.vianetworks.com

Profile: An International Internet company providing Internet solutions and managed services.

Established: 1997
Location: Reading, Staines, Warrington, Europe and North America
Turnover: $68.7m
Geographical Coverage: Europe and the United States

Target Market: Businesses (Small and Medium Sized Enterprises)

Clients: Darlingtons, West Bromwich Albion FC, Danka UK plc, Anthony Hunt Associates

Accreditations: Unknown

Acquisitions:
· Up to 2000: 26 business focused Internet Services Companies in 14 countries
· 2003: FORUM Fuer Telematik AK (hosting specialist)
· 2004: Amen (European web hosting company)

Products

Connectivity: Dial-up, ISDN, ADSL, SDSL, Leased Lines, Global Roaming
Security: Firewalls (Managed/Unmanaged), VPN’s, Anti-Virus, Anti-Spam
Hosting: Shared, Co-located, Managed and Enhanced Shared
Other: Web Design/Development, Voice Solutions, Network and System Design

Strengths

· Business only provider
· Own and manage own Internet Backbone (multiple STM1 155Mbit/s circuits)
· A pan European redundant network
· Technical Support contactable 24x7 at local rate
· Customer Care Team available Mon-Fri 08:30-18:00 at local rate
· Strong cash position of $70m+ with virtually no long-term debt
· Specially trained team to support network and web hosting customers available Mon-Fri 08:00-20:00 at local rate
· Customer support site (e4VIA) view account details online
· Broad solutions portfolio, offering flexibility and reliability

Weaknesses

· Huge company – may be less impersonal

Pipex Communications

Web Address: www.pipexcommunications.net

Profile: Provide a range of integrated telecommunications solutions, covering access, hosting, oracle, security and voice.

Established: 1991
Location: London, Leeds, Manchester
Turnover: £11m (6 months up to 30 June 2003)
Geographical Coverage: Unknown

Target Market: Business and Residential (SME’s, Corporate and Public Sector)

Clients: Kellogg’s, Sony, John Lewis, AMEC plc, Unisys

Acquisitions:
· Oct 2002: Transigent
· Jul 2003: XTML Limited
· Oct 2003: Pipex Internet Limited

Accreditations: Cisco, Microsoft, Oracle, Citrix

Products

Connectivity: Dial-up, ISDN, ADSL, SDSL Leased Lines, Wireless
Security: Firewalls (Managed and Unmanaged), VPN’s, Managed Anti-Virus and Anti-Spam
Hosting: Dedicated, Shared, Co-location, Load Balancing
Other: ASP, Oracle, Voice

Awards

· ‘Best Business ISP’ – Future Publishing UK Internet Awards 2000 and 2003
· ‘Best Consumer Broadband ISP’ – Future Publishing UK Internet Awards 2003
· ‘Best Broadband ISP’ – for 2002 in the ISP Review Awards 2003
· ‘Best Broadband ADSL’ – ISP Review Awards 2003
· ‘Best Business ISP’ – Practical Internet Awards 2003
· ‘Best Consumer Broadband Provider’ – ISPA Awards 2003

Strengths

· UK’s first commercial ISP
· Multi-million pound business
· Long established, experience and profitable ISP
· 50% customers gained on referral from existing users
· No Voicemail
· Technical Support available 09:00-20:00 Mon-Fri and 09:00-18:00 Sat
· Technical Support available 24x7 365 days a year to Leased Line/Dedicated Hosting Customers
· Unique ticket number generated for technical support calls
· Sunday Times Tech Track 100 – Top hundred fastest growing UK Technology Companies
· Over 100 POPs nationwide with data centres in London, Leeds and Manchester
· Speed is fast, consistent and reliable – according to reviews
· Telephone and email support is good and you’re not kept waiting long – according to reviews
· One of the cheapest ISP’s – according to reviews
· Staff are pleasant and courteous – according to reviews
· Offer the best newsgroup service – according to reviews

Weaknesses

· Not a business only ISP
· Complaints can only be dealt with by email
· Domain Space they provide is constantly down – according to reviews
· Technical Support not available 24 hours
Demon Internet

Web Address: www.demon.net

Profile: A long established Internet Services Provider, their main focus is to provide powerful Internet connections.

Established: 1992
Location: Finchley, Dorking
Turnover: £219.2m Yr Ended 31st March 2003
Geographical Coverage: UK

Target Market: Business and Residential

Clients: Capital Radio plc, Shell, Conoco, Orange

Accreditations: ISO9001:2000, Investor in People

Acquisitions:
· May 1998: Purchased by Thus (telecoms division of Scottish Power)

Products

Connectivity: Dial-up, Surftime, ISDN, ADSL, Leased Lines, Wireless
Security: Firewalls, VPN’s, Spam Filtering
Hosting: Advanced, Co-location, Server/Web Hosting, Domain Name Registration
Other: Web Design, Voice, Email and News Software, WAP

Awards

· ‘Best ISP’ – Net4Nowt January 2004
· Thus crowned ‘Network Operator of the Year’ – Comms Channel Expo Awards

Strengths

· Long established ISP
· Strong Brand
· No download caps
· Tailored packages
· Technical Support available 24 hours at local rate
· ADSL order tracking status line
· Unlimited email addresses
· Currently in 2nd position on Net4nowt.com for reliability, support and speed

Weaknesses

· Not a business only ISP
· Main focus is Broadband
· Pricing very expensive – according to reviews
· Poor customer service, conversation logs not kept – according to reviews

Plusnet

Web Address: www.plus.net

Profile: An ISP focused on providing low-cost connection packages.

Established: 1997
Locations: Sheffield
Turnover: Unknown
Geographical Coverage: UK

Target Market: Business and Residential

Clients: Unknown

Products

Connectivity: Dial-up (unmetered and Pay-as-you-Go), ADSL

Awards

· ‘Best Broadband ISP’ – PC Pro Magazine 2003
· ‘Best ISP on the Planet’ – Internet Magazine 2003

Strengths

· Technical Support available 24x7 (local rate) or online ‘contact us’ system
· Calls to Technical Support not difficult to get through (ISP Review)
· Customer Support Ticketing System
· Referral Scheme – subscription discounts by referring friends
· Low cost connections
· Extra features included with connections (web space, domains etc.)
· Account automation tools – take control of your account
· Friendly discussion forums
· Currently in 3rd position on Net4nowt.com for reliability, support and speed
· Good stability and price (ISP Review)

Weaknesses

· Not a business only ISP
· No bespoke solutions
· Very basic product offering
· Sign-up ability only online – not over the phone
· Primarily focused on providing cheap Internet connections
· No so good for gamers or those looking for good surfing speed (ISP Review)
· Email Support – responses a little slow (ISP Review)

Web Address: www.bt.com / www.btglobalservices.com

Profile: One of Europe’s leading providers of telecommunications services. Their principle activities include local, national and International telecommunications services, higher-value broadband, Internet products and services and IT solutions.

Established: 1981
Location: London
Turnover: £18,727m 2003 (Group Turnover)
Geographical Coverage: Global

Target Market: Business and Residential (SME’s, Corporate, Public Sector)

Clients: Canadian Pizza (UK), Binary Security Systems, Sky Voice UK Ltd

Accreditations: Oracle Alliance Partner

BT Divisions

BT Retail: Comms Service Provider to business and residential in the UK
BT Wholesale: Network Services Provider to comms companies, network operators and service providers in the UK.
BT Global Services: Business Services and Solutions Division serving customers worldwide
BT Openworld (BT Yahoo!): Internet Service delivering Broadband and Narrowband services to 1.7m+ businesses and consumers in the UK

Products

Connectivity: Dial-up, ADSL, SDSL, Wireless, Leased Lines
Security: Firewalls, VPN’s, IPSec, MPLS, ATM, Frame Relay
Hosting: Dedicated, Managed Hosted, Co-Location, Global Domain Name Registration
Other: Web Design, Voice over IP, Video Conferencing, WAN, LAN, Storage

Strengths

· Own and operate own Internet Backbone
· Strong Brand (household name)
· Huge company and budget
· Technical Support available 24 Hours
· Serves over 20 million business and residential customers
· Provide Internet access in 37 countries across the globe

Weaknesses

· Not a business only ISP
· Technical Support 50p per minute
· Long wait/queues to speak to Technical Support
· Over subscribed network

Opal

Web Address: www.opal.co.uk

Profile: An ISP part of the Carphone Warehouse and talk talk group

Established: unkown
Location: High Wycombe, Newbury, Warrington
Turnover: Unknown
Geographical Coverage: Unknown

Target Market: Business and Residential (SME’s)

Clients:

Accreditations: Cisco Premier Partner, Cisco Security and Wireless LAN Specialist, Blackspider Partner, MIMEsweeper Partner, Extreme Reseller, HP Partner, more can be found on their web site.

Products

Connectivity: Dial-up, ISDN, ADSL, Leased Lines, LAN, WAN, Remote Access, Wireless
Security: Firewalls, VPN’s, Anti-Virus, Anti-Spam
Hosting: Web Space, Co-location, Virtual Web Hosting, Domain Name Registration
Other: Web Design, VoIP, Network Audit

Awards

None mentioned

Strengths

· None

Weaknesses

· provide poor customer service.

Fastnet

Web Address: www.fastnet.co.uk

Profile: An ISP formed because its founders were dissatisfied with the service and support they received from other providers around at that time.

Established: 1995
Location: Brighton, East Sussex
Turnover: Unknown
Geographical Coverage: UK

Target Market: Business (Small businesses)

Clients: Unknown

Accreditations: Unknown

Products

Connectivity: Dial-up, ISDN, ADSL, SDSL, Leased Lines
Security: Firewalls, VPN’s, Virus and Spam Filtering
Hosting: Webspace, Shared, Dedicated
Other: Web/Application Development

Awards

· ‘Best Small Business ISP’ ISPA 2003

Strengths

· Stable company
· Same ownership since its formation
· In profit since 1996
· Tech Track 100 – Ranked 58th Sept 2003 (based on ‘00/’02 sales growth)

Weaknesses

· Not a business only ISP
· Technical Support available 09:00-17:30
· Very small Company
· Don’t offer bespoke solutions
· Focus is mainly on Internet Connectivity
· Poor web site – vague online product information

Newnet

Web Address: www.newnet.co.uk

Profile: An ISP providing web hosting, co-location and Internet access.

Established: 1995
Location: Fareham, Hampshire
Turnover: Unknown
Geographical Coverage: UK

Target Market: Business and Residential

Clients: Keyfort, Digital Disc Design, Gencon

Accreditations: Unknown

Acquisitions:
· Dec 2003: ISP division of NetConnect

Products

Connectivity: Dial-up, ADSL, SDSL, Leased Lines
Security: Firewalls, Anti-Virus, Anti-Spam
Hosting: Web Space, Co-Location, Dedicated Hosting, Domain Name Registration
Other: IP Transit, Voice Telephony Services, Ground-Station Services, Newsfeed, Virtual ISP

Awards

· Shortlisted for ‘Best Business Broadband Provider’ ISPA 2003

Strengths

· Have their own Internet Backbone
· All equipment/services used are owned by themselves
· 8 Data Centres (two in Fareham and six in London)
· NAP’s in Bristol, Guildford, Newbury, Manchester and Birmingham
· Access to over 100 POPs throughout the UK
· Peer with over 310 other ISP’s including Microsoft, NTL, BT, AboveNet/MFN, PSI Europe and Demon)
· Technical Support available 06:00-21:00 Mon-Fri and 09:00-17:00 Saturdays
· Dedicated Technical Support numbers for Leased Line and Co-Location customers
· NOC’s protected substantial UPS and auxiliary power generators
· 99.975% availability
· Only ISP to achieve top placing in both dial-up and web hosting tests in the same month (Internet Magazine Dec ’99)
· One of the largest news server clusters in the UK
· Currently ranked 58th in the world league tables (Demon rated 117th and BT 125th)
· No time limit on dial-up connections
· ADSL central pipe capacity of 155Mbps

Weaknesses

· Not a Business only ISP

Eclipse Internet

Web Address: www.eclipse.net.uk

Profile: An ISP originally formed to service the South West and beyond. Their focus is to provide proven and robust Internet solutions.

Established: 1995
Location: Exeter and Plymouth
Turnover: 2.9m 2001/2
Geographical coverage: UK

Target Market: Business and Residential (Home Users, Teleworkers, Corporates and Government)

Clients: The Wrigley Company, Fujitsu, Sony, BBC, IBM Consulting Services

Accreditations: Unknown

Products

Connectivity: Dial-up, ADSL, SDSL, Leased Lines, Wireless
Security: Firewalls, VPN’s
Hosting: Web Space, Co-Location, Rackspace, Server Rental, Domain Name Registration
Other: E-Commerce Solutions

Awards

· ‘Best Business Broadband Provider’ ISPA 2003
· ‘Fastest Broadband Provider’ ADSLGuide.org.uk July 2003 and 2004

Strengths

· Own Infrastructure and Equipment
· Owned and funded privately
· POPs in London (Telehouse), Bristol and throughout the South West
· Telephone Support 08:00-20:00 Mon-Fri and 09:00-17:00 Saturdays
· Online Ticket Allocation (Technical Support, Sales and Customer Service Teams)
· Equipment monitored 24x7 by experienced staff
· Clear pricing structure / no hidden extras
· Established and growing company – profitable and debt free
· A 50% compound growth in 2002
· Listed for 2 years in the Tech Track Top 100
· An Innovative, development led company
· Highly skilled personnel
· 50% of staff work in customer services
· First ISP to develop an online order tracking system for broadband
· Smaller company – communicate on a more individual basis
· Referral programme

Weaknesses

· Not a business only ISP
· Mainly focused on providing broadband

Zen Internet

Web Address: www.zen.co.uk

Profile: An ISP providing a range of services to the home and business user. Their mission is to provide ‘a complete Internet solution’ backed by an unrivalled level of support.

Established: 1995
Location: Rochdale, Lancashire
Turnover: Unknown
Geographical Coverage: UK

Target Market: Business and Residential (SME’s, Corporate and Educational Establishments)

Clients: Umbro, Sony, Balfour Beatty, Ticketmaster

Accreditations: Microsoft Certified Partner, WorldPay Accredited Partner

Products

Connectivity: Dial-up, ISDN, ADSL, SDSL, Leased Lines
Security: Firewalls, VPN’s, Content Filtering
Hosting: Web Space, Shared, Dedicated, Co-Location, Domain Name Registration
Other: Web Design, E-Commerce, IP Transit

Awards

· ‘Britains Best Business Broadband’ Practical Internet 2002
· The Duke of Westminster Award 2002
· 9th place – Technology Fast 50 Awards 2003

Strengths

· Own and operate own Internet Backbone
· Long Established ISP
· Technical Support available Saturdays 09:00-17:00
· Sunday Times Tech Track List – – Ranked 46 Britains fastest growing tech companies
· 2nd Fastest Broadband Provider – ADSLGuide.org.uk 2004
· Minimum 1 month term contract on some services
· Informative web site – pricing available online

Weaknesses

· Not a business only ISP
· Technical Support only available 09:00-17:00 Mon-Fri
· No Anti-Virus / Anti-Spam Offering
· Don’t offer bespoke solutions