Everything you need for the office at www.thegofer.com

6/28/2010

Webcraft is pleased to announce the launch of TheGofer.com, a dedicated office supplies and stationery online shop. With hundreds of products on offer ranging from paper products to filing and writing tools, the website is set to provide a one-stop shop to businesses across Malta.

About TheGofer.com

Launched in 2010, TheGofer.com is an online shop providing a vast range of stationery and office supplies directly over the Internet. The company offers high quality, carefully selected products such as paper, filing, printing materials as well as office electronics and consumables. In addition, TheGofer.com uses the Internet to present its items using high quality picture and information to make it easy for customers to find, choose and purchase their everyday needs.

Register to Start

TheGofer.com provides the quickest and most convenient way for businesses of all sizes to purchase office supplies. Initially serving the Maltese islands, customers may simply complete a one-time registration to open an online account with TheGofer.com and to start taking advantage of the ordering and quick delivery services offered.

The Promise

TheGofer.com delivers everyday low prices without compromise to quality whilst always updating and offering the latest products available. In addition, our customer service team is always helpful and available to assist you at all times.

The Technology

TheGofer.com is powered by Webcraft's WorkSpace technology providing all the website and administration services required to operate the business.

Key components of the solution delivered to TheGofer.com include:
+ TheGofer website development
+ eCommerce and SSL digital certification
+ WorkSpace CRM Suite
+ WorkSpace Web Publishing
+ WorkSpace Enterprise Accounting
+ WorkSpace Order Fulfillment

Managed Corporate Email

1/21/2010

Webcraft launches new corporate email solutions to offer a cost-effective, no-hassle service to its customers worldwide.

Webcraft announced today the re-launch of its managed corporate email service following a major upgrade that brings vast improvements, increased reliability and speed.

With in-house IT costs on the rise and increased dependency on electronic messaging and the Internet, businesses are turning to outsourced solutions to build and operate their corporate IT systems. By centralizing these core systems, providers can offer higher levels of functionality and reliability than individual businesses can afford, whilst retaining the core functions and levels of service.

"In general, building in-house IT systems end up costing up to ten times more than out-sourced solutions and often result in lower reliability." says Keith Gauci, Webcraft CEO. "Our entire model is based around centralizing IT skills and infrastructure enabling us to offer truly managed services for our customers to enjoy, without the burden and hassles of the technology."

Webcraft's Corporate Email package is a ready-to-use, enterprise quality email solution. It is based on an email platform in use by many thousands of users and offers high levels of reliability and function.

Key Features:
+ 2GB of storage per mailbox
+ 25Mb of attachment size per message
+ Anti-spam features with block and quarantine options
+ POP3, IMAP and Webmail support
+ Auto Responder (Auto Reply Message)
+ Mail Filters
+ Personal black & white Lists

Malta Business Bureau Reaching Out To Enterprise

11/19/2009

A restructured MBB unveils new proactive initiatives to assist the Maltese business community. A new MBB business web portal entrusted to Webcraft.

The Malta Business Bureau represents the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry and the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association in Brussels. It liaises with numerous EU counterparts, such as Eurochambres, BusinessEurope and HOTREC on matters that affect Maltese businesses.

During a business seminar on the topic of the EU Services Directive held on the 19-Nov-2009, the MBB unveiled its new proactive strategy to strengthen its presence and provide more valuable services to its members. MBB President George Micallef outlined the recent changes within the organization, the appointment of a new CEO and executive staff as well as the various new initiatives taken to roll out new services.

"The MBB's initial role towards its parent organizations was to provide support and advice on EU-related matters, however, this role is gradually evolving to a more proactive approach, seeking to provide direct assistance to Maltese enterprises interested in understanding better the regulatory challenges emanating from pipeline EU legislation..." - said Mr. George Micallef, MBB President.

The MBB also announced the launch of a new business web portal that is to become the primary information and communications channel for the MBB. Running in parallel with the newly launched quarterly paper Business Agenda, the Internet service will provide members and the public with instant access to key information and resources about business and the EU.

"The MBB is pleased to be associated with Webcraft on this important project which will ultimately help to offer more value-added services towards members and raise the MBB's profile on a local and international scene. The product delivered provides the MBB with a total solution for the setup and daily operations of the portal including content publishing, online surveys, e-payments and more." said Mr. Joe Tanti, MBB CEO.

Cloud Computing and the Environment

8/10/2009

Described as the worst recession since the 1930s, the recent downturn in the economy has led many businesses to cut back on their costs in anyway they can. In recent years more businesses around the world have turned to the 'cloud' otherwise known as cloud computing, mainly due to its cost-cutting potential. A less known fact is that cloud implementation may also contribute towards more environment-friendly businesses. So how does it work?

Due to an increasing environmental awareness, companies are continuously pressured into investing money towards greener manufacturing processes; which ultimately cost more than most are willing to spend. Using a utility pricing model cloud computing eliminates the bulk of your company's hardware whilst supplying your data and software as an online service. Specialized data centers provide you with server space and applications to fit your business needs, eliminating the costs of providing your own server system. This also means that any data or software is available anywhere in the world through password driven gateways; the only limitation being an Internet access point.

Cutting Costs
Businesses often have to go through a process of usage prediction and over purchasing of software and hardware to meet the demands of peak periods. This inevitably results in wasted resources during calmer, more common periods of the year. Cloud computing addresses this problem by presenting software as a service; supplying your business with modular applications and 'on demand' server power which is customized to fit your needs.

Relying on a data center doesn't limit itself to reducing hardware costs, your company will also be freed from maintenance fees and issues, erasing the need of technician employment or commissioning. It is also safe to assume that data centers will always provide you with a better server implementation than you can provide on your own, simply because they are specialized to do so.

With servers operating on a 24 hour basis temperature control becomes a major power consumer, requiring considerable space and specialized equipment. Adding up the power consumption from both cooling and running servers results in significant recurrent expenses. Once again, the cloud computing model is more efficient due to its shared resource architecture, saving money which can be invested in actual profit generating practices.

On a wider scale, cloud computing offers virtually unlimited accessibility which enables your employees to work from anywhere they please. Running through an online based system also allows software applications to be updated regularly without having to purchase and install newer versions. Providing flexible working modes to staff at the office, home or on the road can be a key factor in making your business more agile and win new opportunities.

Going Green
Profit generation and eco-friendly results rarely go hand in hand, however cloud computing can be part of the solution. We have seen how you can cut costs by 'delegating' data and software management to online data centers, so how does it improve your ecological impact?

Carbon footprint is a term used to describe the amount of emissions an entity releases in the atmosphere, directly and indirectly. Recent studies from Netsuite have revealed that reduction in pollution from businesses that have adopted the cloud model have reached an estimate 423,000 tonnes metric tonnes of CO² per year. In simpler terms; this would match the electric consumption of 56,000 homes or 1,000,000 barrels of oil annually.

While data centers still require large power consumptions, resorting to cloud computing can effectively help the environment; when making use of personal server systems there is a significant waste of resources. While servers need to run on a daily basis they undergo off-peak hours which use up little to no server capacity. On the other hand, data centers make a more efficient use of server power since each server will manage more than one data system at different times of the day, sharing the load and reducing the total carbon footprint.

A similar concept to public vs. personal transport, data centers have the ability to cater for multiple clients at once resulting in fewer emissions. As a result the emission and power consumption from dedicated cooling systems is also greatly reduced since these are concentrated in one area.

Cloud computing also offers web based software applications which do not require any delivery medium other than an Internet connection. This can greatly decrease waste material in forms of CD/DVD and product packaging which, is most likely to be thrown away only hours after purchase. Many software applications today become outdated just into their first year of release if not quicker. Consequently newer software is purchased generating even more waste. This is not the case with cloud computing where software updates, fixes and patches can be done automatically online, with minimum disruption to your organisation.

Conclusion
Cutting costs, whilst increasing profit and implementing an eco-friendly strategy where an unlikely goal until cloud computing. While it may not be the solution to all our environmental problems it can be a step forward towards more efficient businesses that are not only successful but also less of a threat to the planet.

Contact Webcraft to learn more about cloud computing solutions and how you can help your environment.

Bing! Time up for Google?

8/4/2009

Microsoft launches Bing. The new Internet search application promises much, but will it threaten Google's dominance?

June 3rd marked the release of Bing, Microsoft's already popular search engine - possibly Google's greatest rival to date. Defining BING as a 'decision engine' rather than a search engine Microsoft claims it will help clients make faster, more informed decisions. Effectively BING does boast a number of exciting new features; Deep Links allows the user to gain more insight on a website's resources while Quick Preview provides a 'peek' in individual search results via a hover window, providing a clearer view of the site's relevancy.

Microsoft also identified and acted on 5 key scenarios in which people are prone to surf the web for assistance: Shopping, Travel, Local Business, Health and General Information. Bing is equipped to identify particular searches which fall under any of these categories and instantly provide links to relevant reviews, price comparisons or technical information depending on the search in question. Within only a couple of months Bing has already collected an impressive number of followers, confirming Microsoft's claims of increased ease of use, efficient search results and quick decision making. So is this really time for Google to make a run?

An early case study (source: Catalyst Group) revealed however, that while users confirmed Bing's superior search engine experience, they are reluctant to switch from their primary search engine. With a number of search engines that disappeared over the years, Google has had plenty of time to foster a loyal user base which adds up to millions of searches everyday.

Ultimately many Google users feel that although Bing's features are very well targeted it will be considered a reserve. It seems that at least for now, Microsoft's efforts are still very far away from denting Google's reputation. Nonetheless if you haven't done so already - visit www.bing.com and see for yourself!

Building An Online Business: Online Content

8/1/2009

Unlike paper brochure-ware, the quality of content on business websites can determine overall effectiveness and success. Modern Internet search engines adopt ever smarter techniques to index and rank websites for customers. Effective online PR and content writing can greatly improve visibility of your website and help your business truly take advantage of the Internet.

With the variety of communication technologies (such as WIFI and 3G) already available and the widespread availability of the Internet, we are all moving towards being online, all the time. Many businesses, realizing this shift, have started to exploit this opportunity and to tap a wide variety of online channels to create and serve new global markets. Online content, messaging and social networking are some of the ingredients of a modern marketing strategy.

To better understand how to build an effective website, familiarization with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is now essential. SEO techniques make it possible for all-important search engines such as Google, Yahoo and the recently introduced BING (Microsoft) to 'read' your website and rank it depending on a number of criteria. Content writing has therefore become a major factor affecting page ranking, resulting in visibility of your website. Fact is, this simple aspect of web building is often overlooked.

Graphical Content
A common mistake in relation to SEO is the overuse of graphical vs. text content. While this produces highly attractive websites in terms of visual experience, it also decreases the website's online visibility. Visual and design technologies such as the popular Flash plug-in can tempt many website developers to fall in this trap. Balance between the visual and functional is thus crucial when working with web content. Even-more, websites with a high visual element can often produce the short term impact but at the expense of recurrent usage and usability.

Keywords
The use and choice of words for your online content, particularly main search words or keywords has become a critical SEO skill. Keywords are very significant for search engines as they help them to 'understand' website content. While the abundant use of keywords may result in high page ranking, only a strategic keyword-to-content relation can result in healthy search engine listing for your website. It is common practice that developers attempt to trick search engines into boosting a websites popularity through various cheats (known as black hat techniques) in content. However search engines are becoming smarter and constantly improve their indexing methods to ensure a fair and level playing field.

Much like a popular shopping avenue, page ranking is pivotal for an online business, and the Internet can be an incredible source of new business if properly exploited. However this is only true if visitors on your website are also potential customers. Valuable traffic can be generated by providing the correct keywords and content relevant to your business. Keywords are truly a marketer's dream tool, providing an opportunity to profile and attract interest from targeted market segments.

Original Content
One way customers (and search engines) gauge the activity on your website is through the quantity and frequency of your content updates. Original content on a website, such as news articles or other information, indicates the level of commitment that the organization has to the online channel. Customers tend to be sensitive to this aspect of a website, preferring to shop or do business with those who invest in their websites to keep them fresh and up-to-date. This is also reflected in search engine ranking, resulting in higher ranks for active sites.

Analytics
While it is important to follow through with these techniques, content management does not stop here. Various analytics measure the effect and traffic on your pages to constantly monitor and fine tune your SEO. Page views, popular content and sources of traffic are just a few of the data you may collect to keep an eye on your online business. Analytic tools can also pinpoint any mistakes or possible improvements that can be made to your website content. Furthermore, proper investigation of your website reports can hint alternative business strategies and opportunities available.

Conclusion
Content management and SEO are two powerful tools that can help your website and your online business take off. Their combination and inclusion in a marketing strategy can make the difference between a stale website and one that generates tangible and measurable results.

Webcraft offers a complete Online PR service that can help you build up and maintain your online content. Our SEO specialists can also help your organization generate more traffic and improve your search engine ranking. Contact Webcraft for more information about Online PR services.

Customer Support Executive

7/19/2009

Become part fo Webcraft's international Customer Support team.

As a Customer Support Executive you will be assisting customers to make best use of Webcraft solutions as well as respond to questions and enquiries. As part of a team, you will be responsible for maintaining ongoing communications and delivering regular presentations to clients.

Gathering requirements, explaining functionality as well as delivering user training will be part of your daily duties. Although extensive technical qualifications are not necessary, excellent communication and presentation skills will make you the ideal candidate for this post.

If you think you have what it takes and are interested in the above post, please contact us, sending us your full cv.

Tomtom - Cigars & Coffee (London)

1/1/2009

An online store dedicated to cigar and coffee lovers. Read how Webcraft helped this London based merchant to go global...

About Tomtom

Located in the very heart of London, Tomtom is a leading cigar merchant providing an impressive selection of fine tobacco products. Over the years, the business has become familiar with cigar smokers, particularly Havana lovers and has won the confidence of true connoisseurs, as well as a few prestigious industry awards.

More lately, Tomtom has moved into the coffee business, providing a unique range of coffee beans, teas and related accessories. Tomtom even offers the opportunity to sample their special ranges directly at their coffee shop, maybe together with cakes or brownies.

The Task

Tomtom approached Webcraft to develop their first website with the objective of extending their sales reach beyond the streets of London. The business understood the potential value of the Internet as a direct sales channel and wanted to invest in the technology to start building an online customer base. Customer care and good service was to be at the center of this project in order to guarantee the same level of customer satisfaction enjoyed by shop visitors also to online customers.

"At Tomtom, we leave no stone unturned to find and stock the very best cigar and coffee products. With the Internet we can make these items more accessible and available to our customers, directly from the comfort of their homes. Our products also make great gifts and our website was designed to facilitate just that ..." - Tom Assheton, Tomtom MD

The Solution

Webcraft developed a feature-rich eCommerce website for Tomtom, which not only provides a superb shopping experience to customers but also meets and surpasses the objectives set out. Now in its second major revision, the website has been a success story for the business, creating a healthy and consistent sales channel for both the cigar and coffee business lines.

Beyond the website, the solution provided by Webcraft includes a functional backoffice platform, based on the Webcraft's WorkSpace environment which enables Tomtom to operate and manage the entire solution. Features include the management of their extensive product catalogue, stock and prices, order processing and much more.

"The Tomtom project was interesting for us particularly because we could clearly see and quantify the results achieved in the form of online sales. Webcraft provided all the building blocks needed to build and run the online store for Tomtom, and are proud of this success story." - Daniel Borg D'Anastasi, Webcraft project manager.

Security and Certification

As with any eCommerce website developed by Webcraft, the solution complies with the latest certification requirements (VISA, MASTERCARD, PCI/DSS) and provides a variety industry standard security measures, such as SSL certification.

Payment Processing

The Tomtom website enables customers to place orders and payment by credit card online allowing Tomtom to receive confirmed orders and payments through the website. The solution includes a range of security features to ensure the safety of these transactions and complies with the required credit card security standards.

Search Engine Optimisation

From the onset, the website was designed to take advantage of search engines to attract customers from the Internet and to drive business and online sales. Various search engine optimization (SEO) techniques are employed to ensure the website is well ranked on popular search engine such as Google (www.google.com). Various tools are also provided to enable Tomtom to take control of the way search engines view and rank content on their website.

Key Components delivered to Tomtom

+ eCommerce website
+ WorkSpace Website Content Management
+ WorkSpace CRM Suite
+ WorkSpace Order Processing
+ Payment gateway and SSL digital certification

Building an Online Business: Setting Objectives

6/19/2008

The Internet plays an increasingly important role in the way businesses operate these days. It changes the way we buy, sell, communicate and allows us to operate in ways we never could before. In particular, e-business brings new opportunities to small and medium sized companies enabling them to compete with bigger competitors and to leverage their strengths to grow quickly.

Overview
This first article in this series is aimed at businesses that are still trying to justify investing in new technologies and systems. In fact, a very good place to start your e-business programme is by identifying the goals you wish to achieve and to plan how you will recover your investment over time.

The Value of E-business
As with any other tool, the value of the Internet and its technologies lies in the use you make of it. In particular, the value of e-business is in the particular way you decide to exploit it in order to improve and differentiate your own business. Here are some of the things you could choose to achieve.

Online Marketing
The Internet is an extremely effective marketing tool which offers opportunities which are not available using any other medium. The widespread use of the Internet in your area, country and even worldwide may offer you exposure which was previously unattainable.

Your website offers you a great opportunity to market your brand and products to a wide audience. A well designed website should offer information about your business, product and services as well as contain contact details to enable interested people to get in touch. This is very similar to a paper brochure (in fact it is known as brochure-ware), however a well designed website can do much more.

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a technique that exposes your website content to international search engines such as Google. These in turn attract vast amounts of people searching the Internet, resulting in potential customers arriving at your website. SEO is today a very sophisticated technique that can improve your ranking on search engines to maximize your exposure. You may also wish to purchase advertising space on popular websites or search engines to further enhance your incoming traffic or to partner up with complimentary business.

Another, even more powerful online marketing technique is known as profiling. This technique enables your website to do more than just display information about your business, by collecting data from your website visitors. A registration process or a simple online form can be used to ask users to provide basic details such as their email address. You may then make good use of the data collected to conduct more targeted marketing campaigns or to feed back into your website to provide more personalized services or information.

Direct Sales
Many businesses choose to use the Internet to sell their products and services directly to their customers through a website. This is suitable for many business selling items such as books, music and software -- however it may not be suitable to other types of products or services. Sit in your customers' shoes and consider if online sales makes buying from your organisation any more convenient, effective or offers other advantages.

Selling online can require radical changes to the way your business operates today. You may need to start offering delivery services to your customers instead of expecting them to collect from your shop. Often the greatest change is brought about by the simple fact that you interact with your customers through your website instead of a sales person. Another consideration is the way you will collect payments from your customers online. Using e-commerce you may allow customers to pay you by using a credit or debit payment card and to receive your funds instantly in your bank account instead of invoicing or dealing with cash. The process is safe and is today well accepted by most customers for payments within typical credit card spending limits.

Customer Support and Automation
Depending on your type of business, the Internet may also be a valuable tool to help you streamline your customer support operations such as handling enquiries or requesting quotations. In this case, your website can serve an automation purpose to enhance the quality and availability of your customer services and being able to deal with increasing customers more effectively. This is even-more effective when it can help to eliminate paper work and paper related costs such as billing and accounts. Your website could provide all the billing and accounting facilities that your customers may need as well as providing online payment facilities.

Many tools are available to help you manage and run your customer services on the Internet. In particular, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software applications can help you keep track and manage your customers and your communications. This can result in an overall improved perception of your service and indeed a higher brand equity.

Conclusion
Possibly the most important step of your e-business project is deciding and planning what you want to achieve in the end. In the case of direct sales, this may be easy to measure in terms of actual volume of sales and revenue. However other objectives can also produce measurable and tangible results such as increased business productivity, reduced costs and enhanced brand profile.

Webcraft offers all the building blocks needed to build your online business and offers advisory and consultancy services to assist you to develop and evolve your Internet strategy. With over 12 years of experience in helping organisations of all sizes to leverage the Internet and to succeed in their business, Webcraft provides truly total e-business solutions.

Malta Enterprise E-Commerce Tax Credits Scheme

5/30/2008

A new incentive scheme offered by the Malta Enterprise helps SMEs to exploit the Internet to grow and modernize their business. The E-Commerce Tax Credit Scheme offers a grant of up to EUR12,000 to organizations investing in e-commerce and to conduct business electronically.

Small and medium sized business in Malta now have the opportunity to benefit from a new scheme offered by the Malta Enterprise to encourage local ebusiness and ecommerce development. : Existing businesses can now take advantage of the scheme by proposing projects that will enable them to conduct business online and to exploit the Internet, including online selling and accepting electronic payments from customers.

The E-Commerce Tax Credit Scheme offers business up to a maximum of EUR12,000 to help finance up to 100% of approved projects. The grant is given in the form of tax credits.

Webcraft supports this new scheme which can encourage new entrants to invest in new technology systems to compete on the Internet as well as to attract new business. Small and medium sized businesses should not miss out on this opportunity to gear up to a new way of conducting business, electronically. Particularly, Maltese organisations seeking to attract sales from beyond our shores should find the Internet as an ideal and cost effective sales channel.

Webcraft provides complete ecommerce and ebusiness solutions ideal for organisations of any size. Since 1996, Webcraft has helped local and international customers to take advantage of the Internet and to re-engineer and expand their business. Out tools and software solutions are ideal for SME's allowing customers to leverage ecommerce without imposing any technical requirements or skills. In fact, by keeping initial costs down, Webcraft's solution provides an easy path for companies to subscribe to the services they need and pay only for what they use. At the same time, our ebusiness solutions already power a wide variety of successful local and international businesses in a variety of industries, giving you peace of mind for the future.

Webcraft Online Store
Webcraft offers Online Store, providing all the essential tools you need to establish and operate your own electronic shop on the Internet. The package includes a product catalogue, customer registration, shopping cart, order processing and other modules. In addition, the package includes fully certified (Visa / Mastercard PCI) online payment processing services supporting Maltese and UK banks.

Please contact a Webcraft representative today to learn more about our solutions and how we can help your business take advantage of the Internet. Webcraft can also provide advice and assistance for participating in the Malta Enterprise E-Commerce Tax Credits scheme.

Sunbourne Leisure Parks - Wales

5/29/2008

Sunbourne Leisure is the longest established holiday company in Mid Wales and they own and operate two highly popular leisure parks in the region. Although the business is very well established, the company decided to embark on a modernisation program that would lead to improved operations and the adoption of the Internet and ecommerce as the primary sales channel. In the end, Webcraft delivered a solution that changed the way the business works and boosted the company's sales, virtually overnight.

About Sunbourne

Sunbourne leisure parks are well known in Mid Wales for their stunning views of the Welsh coast and their friendly service. The parks primarily attract family holiday makers and caravan owners. A wide variety of facilities and breath-taking surroundings make Sunbourne parks ideal for short family breaks at any time of the year.

Although the business is well established, the company has this year embarked on a modernisation program to replace its park management software system. The company has also focused on exploiting the Internet as an ideal medium for generating new business and serving a new generation of customers. The use of ecommerce to enable the parks to accept bookings directly over the Internet, as well as to automate payment and other administration facilities, were top of Sunbournes priorities for this project.

The Task
Webcraft was approached to study the current systems in use, and to develop the next step solution, so that the two parks could make use of the latest technologies and exploit the commercial power of the Internet. The solution selected had to fully-integrate with a new website for the parks, including facilities to enable customers to book their holidays online.

"The industry is changing, and Sunbourne needed to move with demand and keep ahead of expectations. Taking full advantage of the Internet proved to be the right way for the business - allowing us to quickly grow the business beyond our traditional markets." says William Jones, MD of Sunbourne.

The Process & Solution
Webcraft started the project by visiting both parks and spending time with Sunbourne's staff to understand their business and requirements.

"I remember having a great time on the parks, enjoying the scenery and taking time to talk with the sales, reservations and administration staff. It was a great way of learning about this industry sharing first hand knowledge and brainstorming ideas," says Chris Vassallo, Webcraft project manager.

Following the discovery stage, Webcraft were able to propose, and deliver, systems that not only met the customer's immediate needs, but also to design a solution that would grow and serve Sunbourne in the future. In fact, Webcraft provided Sunbourne with a solution that could be implemented in stages, over time, to allow for change and to accommodate the changing requirements of the business.

The Back-Office
Webcraft's solution for the Sunbourne back-office is based on the Webcraft WorkSpace platform and provides a cutting edge software solution that is also truly hassle-free. The solution acts as the central park reservations and management system and provides all the facilities required by Sunbourne staff to operate the parks day to day. From customer enquiries (via WorkSpace CRM Suite) to customer check-out, the software system follows the parks' operations and provides tactical as well as management tools.

The Website & eCommerce
Webcraft delivered an all new public website for the Sunbourne parks offering detailed and illustrated information about the facilities offered. In addition to various information and communications functions, the website is also fully integrated with the Sunbourne reservation system. This important function allows customers to select their holiday preferences, view availability and prices and book and pay for their holiday directly on the website. In just a few clicks, customers can complete their holiday arrangements and be well on their way to spending their holiday break at one of the Sunbourne parks. Even more, the website encourages this new way of placing bookings by guaranteeing the best possible deal through a web-only special discount. Full e-commerce facilities enable Sunbourne to accept payments online safely.

The new website was designed from the onset to be search-engine friendly since much of Sunbourne's marketing efforts would be on the Internet.

Moving Forward
The hard work paid off, and soon after its launch, Sunbourne started reaping the benefits. The website was immediately highly ranked on Google, and other major search engines, and traffic poured in. Within weeks of the launch, the company was registering very encouraging online sales, mostly from new customers.

Whilst this is the most visible part of the solution delivered, the WorkSpace back-office has been a great success, contributing to improvements in the company's internal processes and providing a solid foundation for growing the business further.

Apart from continuous improvements, the next major addition will be a full accounting system to replace the company's existing software. The main objective here will be to obtain a seamless integration, from online sales right down to accounting. This will greatly benefit Sunbourne staff by reducing manual processes further and enhance the staff's productivity.

Key components delivered to Sunbourne
+ Park websites
+ Online booking system
+ eCommerce &: SSL digital certification
+ WorkSpace CRM Suite
+ WorkSpace Park Reservations
+ WorkSpace Website Content Management

Create and run surveys on the Internet

5/22/2008

Webcraft launches WorkSpace Online Surveys. Read on to find out what your customers really think.

Webcraft announced today the public launch of a new member of the WorkSpace platform - WorkSpace Online Surveys.

The new application enables you to instantly create and run online surveys and questionnaires on the Internet. This powerful tool gives you the opportunity to gather specific information and feedback through well designed questions from your customers, staff, contacts or even the general public.

Here's how it works:

Creating online surveys in an instant
Create and run surveys on the Internet, as part of your website or stand alone, easily and quickly with WorkSpace Online Surveys. This new application allows you and your staff to instantly create their own surveys and questionnaires and launch them on the web.

WorkSpace Online Surveys allows you to create surveys made up of individual questions, each collecting different types of responses such as YES/NO, drop down selections and free text. This combination of question types and options provides you with a rich and flexible set of tools to build your own surveys and gather just the data you need.

Capturing and analysing real-time data
Once the survey has been launched, the system then collects responses from the Internet users and stores them in a central database. Your staff can then access this raw data and analyse instant and accurate reports in real-time through WorkSpace. WorkSpace Online Surveys offers powerful tools to analyse each type of response and obtain truly meaningful results out of your survey. Just image what your marketing team could do with such a tool.

Key Benefits:

- Simple and easy to use
The application is specifically designed to make the process easy and accessible to everyone. Several tips, templates and other handy tools are provided to make it quick and easy to create professional online surveys and questionnaires.

- Create a survey in an instant, on the internet, from anywhere
With the handy and simple tools provided, you can create and deliver an online survey in minutes. All you need is an internet connection.

- Capture and analyse raw data
How often do you get the chance to know what':s really on people':s minds? With anonymous surveys you will have access to real-time, raw information for your staff to make use of.

- Use as a stand-alone or as part of your website
You can run online surveys as a stand alone by sending out smart URLs by e-mail your customers or else link to your website for maximum effect.

Try it for free
Contact Webcraft for a free trial and demonstration and experience first-hand how simple and effective this application can be.

Malta Communications Authority national portal solution

5/21/2008

The MCA entrusted the development and operation of its national portal to Webcraft. Year after year, the solution has worked, evolved and met the organisation's targets. Today the MCA portal is a success story offering a wealth of information and services to a very demanding industry.

About the client
The Malta Communications Authority is the National Regulatory Authority for electronic communications, e-commerce and postal services in Malta. Since its establishment in January 2001, the MCA has played a pivotal role in promoting competition and encouraging innovation through its involvement in complex legal, economic and technological issues.

The Task
Webcraft was contracted to contribute to the MCA's communication and services strategy for the Internet as well as to provide the organization's first official website. Right from the start, the objective was to set up and operate all of the organization's communication function through the Internet. In addition, as a new organization, the MCA wanted to take advantage of the very latest tools available to make its operations efficient.

Over the years, Webcraft was again tasked with delivering numerous additional improved facilities for the MCA website as well as to provide web applications that enabled customers to interact and transact with the MCA online.

The Process and Solution
The MCA approached Webcraft at a very exciting time, when the MCA was still in its infancy and most of its core structure and goals were being defined. Through close collaboration and sharing of knowledge throughout this time, Webcraft gained a deep understanding of their needs and a close working relationship that contributed with the ultimate success of this project.

The first days were all about establishing objectives, for the website, the online services and indeed the functions of the MCA. Over many discussions and rough sketches, the first MCA web strategy emerged and a short while later the first MCA website was launched. This first phase of the project saw a fully data-driven website allowing the MCA to publish and manage content to their various audiences (operators, consumers etc) through their website.

"The discovery phase of any project is the most crucial and often the most exciting part for us since it allows us to learn about the customer':s needs, but also to propose innovative ideas. : The MCA gave us this opportunity and allowed us to explore new possibilities and to propose solutions that made a difference." comments Keith Gauci, Managing Director or Webcraft. "Since the MCA came to us at such an early stage, we took a long-term approach to their requirements and this resulted in a strong working relation that allowed us to deliver one solution after the next."

Webcraft next focused on the need of the MCA for a robust back-office solution that allows the organization to share and manage information whilst centralizing key resources and data. Key facilities included conference organization and management, online payment processing, document and content management and others.

Webcraft WorkSpace was employed to provide a complete solution for event and conference management, including online registration and payment. In a further phase, a feature rich online auctioning solution was delivered, that is used today by the MCA to run online auctions for telecom and other licenses and rights.

A more recent development was the introduction of an Online Services concept within the MCA website, allowing the MCA to map out and provide progress information about key processes within the organization. The solution allows online users to track processes such as license applications, submit required information or complete data forms and submit payment whilst tracking and monitoring every stage.

Webcraft's involvement does not stop there. With WorkSpace, the MCA also benefits from a flexible working environment that easily integrates with the Internet and the website making functions, such as CRM, fully integrated with everyday tasks. In fact, the MCA make use of a full CRM solution to track and respond to individual customer enquiries and messages.

Moving Forward
Working with a dynamic and enthusiastic client such as the MCA is hugely rewarding for us as we get to showcase our solutions both in Malta and overseas. This also means that we have to stay on the forefront and be ready to deliver the next set of solutions to a customer that often wants to push the envelope of convention.

"Our solutions are less about the technology and much more about business objectives and with customers such as the MCA we are looking ahead at what business benefits we can provide. In turn, the MCA is looking at our solutions in the light of the benefits to its customers overall." continues Keith Gauci.

Key components delivered to the Malta Communication Authority:

+ Corporate website
+ WorkSpace Content Management
+ WorkSpace Document Management
+ WorkSpace Campaign Management
+ WorkSpace Mailing Lists
+ WorkSpace CRM Suite
+ WorkSpace vPOS

Systems Programmer

1/2/2008

Join Webcraft as a Systems Programmer ...

As a Systems Programmer you will be joining our software development team to participate in exciting and varied projects ranging from web applications to ecommerce websites for our international clients. The ideal candidate should possess a good programming foundation and enjoys working in a team. Whilst training will be provided, prior knowledge of ASP, .NET and SQL will be considered as assets.

If you think you have what it takes and are interested in the above post, we are keen to hear from you. Please contact us, sending us your full cv.

Web Graphic Designer

1/1/2008

Join Webcraft as a Web Graphic Designer ...

We are looking to recruit a talented individual to join our team in thepost of Web Graphic Designer. In this role, you will be contributing to a wide variety of projects producing artwork and designs for use on the Internet and marketing campaigns. Prior experience in web design and production will be considered as assets.

If you think you have what it takes and are interested in the above post, we are keen to hear from you.
Please contact us, sending us your full cv.

Positive Advertising, creative communications with a strategic backbone

9/5/2007

Webcraft solutions make a difference to Positive Advertising. Read on to learn how.

About the client
Positive Advertising is a full-service marketing communications agency based in Shrewsbury in the UK. It specialises in delivering high-impact campaigns that tie-in to a longer strategic outlook for clients.
With clients across central England, the company has not only seen significant growth in the past few years, but has maintained a lot of its original clients. The emphasis put on honest client advice and service is one of the reasons that Positive has been so successful in its work.

Positive needed to introduce a back-office function that allowed it to maintain high standards of communication and efficiency, whilst at the same time helped the company keep up with the changing trends of the mercurial communications industry.

Enter Webcraft

The task
Webcraft was briefed with delivering a back-office system that would not only deliver CRM-specific solutions of the highest quality, but would also be used by Positive as a whole-business management solution.

Positive had several important requirements all aimed at adding to the overall experience for Positive':s customers and helping to make essential business processes simple and effective. Specifically, Positive needed a project management solution that could be used to track the progress of any project over a period of time no matter where in the organisation it was currently being worked on. : This solution in turn needed to be linked to the organisation's billing procedures, which would give clients a seamless experience of working with Positive.

The solution that was implemented also had to provide the company with detailed financial and statistical information that would help guide business decisions taken in the future - so it had to be robust enough to cope with these demands.

":We needed to invest in our business management systems - making sure that both Positive as a business and all of the clients benefited from any change,": comments Les Whitaker of Positive Advertising. ":We felt that a system that could be accessed through the internet was vital - it allowed us access to business and account information anywhere in the world and at any time.":

The process and solution
Webcraft and Positive worked closely together to work out what exactly was required, as the solution that was to be introduced was going to impact on almost every part of the business: from working with clients and providing them with information, through to managing projects and scrutiny of workflow, billing and human resource management.

":It was really important to understand Positive':s business from the outset and to identify what they were working towards, ":highlights Keith Gauci, managing director of Webcraft.": From that point we were able to develop back office functions which utilised the Webcraft WorkSpace platform, and tied this in with functions working off Positive's corporate website. It was a truly integrated solution for the company.":

Before WorkSpace was first used by Positive in 2002, client projects were managed by means of written ':job sheets': that were physically passed from person to person in the studio, and briefs were either verbal or had to be typed up and passed across to the creative teams. The implementation of WorkSpace Project Management has revolutionised the process and not only brought about greater efficiency, but also helped to clarify communication between departments.

WorkSpace Project Management allows for projects and associated tasks to be issued online and assigned to a specific member of staff. It also allows for all time spent on a project to be entered and tracked - so that nothing ever gets ':lost in the system':. Yet as important as the Project Management system is, the solution is most effective when paired with the WorkSpace Media Archive - providing a 360 degree management of a project.

The WorkSpace Media Archive allows for campaign materials to be uploaded to a secure server, which the client can then either approve for publication or suggest amendments. Once signed-off, the campaign materials remain archived on the server. So now, instead of hunting through many hard-copy files trying to find the right project, a simple search online, from anywhere in the world and the right project can be found within seconds.

The second phase of implementing WorkSpace solutions for Positive was to link the Project Management system with the online accountancy programme (Enterprise Accounting).This meant that there was greater synergy between the jobs that were being worked on, and the process of billing clients. This not only helped to remove any queries that clients may have had about the amount of time being spent on any one particular project, but also cut down the amount of time spent on administration.

Instead of invoicing taking two and a half weeks to sort out and to issue, the process has now been cut to less than one working week freeing up the administration staff, and providing financial information quicker to the business leadership team.

":The power of WorkSpace is obvious,": continues Les Whitaker. ":Through linking the WorkSpace Project Management with Enterprise Accounting, I am able to pull together financial information at a touch of a button: Im able to compare profitability of different parts of the business and make business decisions accordingly. It':s a truly powerful tactical and strategic tool for the business.":

As WorkSpace is a system that is leased rather than bought out-right, it provides Positive with a cost-effective solution to its system management needs, there is no need to buy expensive software or hardware, or even to employ an IT specialist to oversee the system. It also means that upgrades are completely free of charge and are managed by Webcraft':s technology specialists. This invaluable advice and support offered by Webcraft is never far away as Webcraft provides Positive with on-going system support.

Moving forward
Whilst the WorkSpace functions are intuitive and simple to use, Positive has found that the implications of the systems on the way it does business have been immense. Positive has forged more effective and professional relationships with both clients and suppliers alike and is already looking to the future.

The final stage includes fully automating the invoicing process and linking this even closer with the WorkSpace Project Management system.

Key components delivered to Positive Advertising:
- Corporate website
- Web-based media proofing system for clients
- WorkSpace Media Archive
- WorkSpace Project Management
- WorkSpace Enterprise Accounting
- WorkSpace Mailing Lists
- WorkSpace SMS Messaging
- WorkSpace Campaign Management
- WorkSpace CRM Suite

Webcraft supports FAIR

7/19/2007

As Malta gets ready to adopt the Euro currency on the 1st January 2008, the FAIR initiative prepares Maltese businesses for the changeover and to ensure a smooth transition.

Malta will be joining the single European currency by adopting the Euro as its official national currency as from the 1st January 2008. : FAIR is one of the most important initiatives designed to assist local businesses prepare for the changeover as well as ensure a smooth and effective transition from the old Maltese Lira.

As one of the early supporters of the FAIR programme, Webcraft is an approved subscriber and has completed the acceding requirements set out. : In addition, Webcraft is offering assistance and advice to customers in order to comply with FAIR recommendations concerning their online systems and websites, such online shopping sites.

Contact Webcraft today for more information about our Euro changeover services.

SNG Barratt, the world's leading supplier of Jaguar Spare Parts

7/18/2007

Webcraft WorkSpace solution improves internal efficiency and customer communications for SNG Barratt.

About the client
SNG Barratt is the largest, independent specialist supplier of classic Jaguar spares in the world, with branches in France, Holland, USA and the home of the powerful Jaguar brand, the UK.

During 30 years of successful business SNG Barratt has always put quality products, exceptional service and value for money at the top of its business agenda its dedication to on-going investment is testament to this, and one of the reasons that it turned to Webcraft for development of cutting-edge online business solutions to help take the company forward.

The task
Webcraft was tasked with helping SNG Barratt develop online solutions for interacting with its customers more effectively and efficiently - a wide remit but one with significant business implications.

Specifically SNG Barratt wanted to replace the paper-based 'PDF' catalogue that they had been using in the past with an online version, and then be able to distribute this with ease to all of its clients. There was also a need to investigate how the Internet would be able to help the company improve its internal quotation system, making it more efficient.

"We identified that in order to continue to offer all of our customers across the world the best quality of service, we had to evaluate how we interacted with them online," comments Julian Barratt of SNG Barratt." It was clear that an online version of our catalogue was needed, and a more comprehensive and efficient way of dealing with customers' purchase requirements."

The process and solution
Webcraft approached SNG Barratt's needs the same way it approaches all its clients' needs - by bringing insightful industry knowledge mixed with honest enthusiasm for delivering the right solution in a creative and innovative way.

"It's never just about delivering the final solution and finishing the project," comments Keith Gauci, Managing Director of Webcraft. "It's about having the processes in place that will serve the client well not just for now or in a year's time, but will help 'future proof' the business' online presence for the foreseeable future. We look to provide long-term solutions for all our customers, not just quick fixes for here and now."

The first phase of the project saw Webcraft develop and deliver a data-driven website for SNG Barratt. The website's architecture now provides a much more efficient and customer-friendly approach to searching the products on offer. Customers no longer need to download a PDF file and hunt through the lists of products: instead they can now simply log on to the site, and search for all the products in stock related to any of Jaguar's cars.

Webcraft':s innovative back office function 'WorkSpace' has been employed to allow SNG Barratt total ease of managing their online catalogue. As new products become available, they are simply uploaded to the data-driven back office, classified as to what type of part it is, and then are seen online instantly by all customers. The website also collects and displays statistics of the fastest-selling and most popular products. This information could not be obtained and offered to customers in any way other than through the website.

The website also allows car enthusiasts from around the world to publish their own events, as these are popular with Jaguar clubs, and adds that all important value to the site.

"Our customers feel comfortable with WorkSpace because it's simple to use, yet an incredibly powerful tool," confesses Keith Gauci. "Employees are able to navigate around WorkSpace with ease, but in terms of the benefits it brings to the online business processes, it's immense. Thanks to the system':s functionality, customers visiting SNG Barratts website can now not only browse the catalogue of parts online, but they can add products to their shopping carts, and place their orders online, instantly."

But Webcraft's involvement doesn't just stop there. The WorkSpace back office now allows for staff at SNG Barratt to handle and process the orders received with greater efficiency, because of its flexible nature it allows for different back office applications to be added when needed to help businesses develop and evolve their online presence.

Now WorkSpace allows for SNG Barratt customer enquiries to be handled with greater speed and importantly, it allows for the business to dramatically shorten the quotation process for customers - delivering on their promise of providing a quality service.

Communicating with customers is easier with Webcraft WorkSpace CRM solution, which enables SNG to track and respond to individual customers and their enquiries. The CRM system collects and manages case history and customer intelligence, helping to increase efficiency of the organisation's customer service.

Moving forward
The Internet doesn't stand still and neither should a company's ability to exploit all of the opportunities that online business brings. Webcraft is still helping SNG Barratt deliver exceptional service through the Internet, specifically with an international angle.

The US market has been specifically targeted through an improved website, whilst WorkSpace's back office applications have been further developed and extended to allow the company to centralise all of their web-based operations - helping to further improve efficiency.

"We have aimed to make SNG Barratt's website a vital sales and marketing channel for the company, and we think we have far exceeded their expectations," says Keith Gauci. "The beauty with Webcraft and WorkSpace is that when the online business needs of the company grow and adapt, then WorkSpace will be able to grow and adapt with the company. It will always be there as a flexible and powerful tool in which to engage with, and deliver to customers."

Key components delivered to SNG Barratt:
- Corporate website development
- Web Content Management
- Online Product Catalogue and Search Engine
- Shopping Cart & Order Processing
- CRM Suite
- Customer Profiling and Website Personalisation

WorkSpace Intranet solution for schools

7/3/2007

Webcraft launches WorkSpace Intranet for schools. St. Aloysius' College (Malta) launch Malta's first comprehensive Intranet school system linking teachers and staff, students and parents promoting collaboration and information sharing using the Internet.

Founded in 1907, St. Aloysius' College is a prestigious Jesuit education institution based in Malta. During the years, the College has always been on the forefront of education earning an excellent reputation and is today a model for other education organisations.

As part of a constant commitment to improving its facilities and array of educational tools St. Aloysius' College (Malta) announces the launch of Polanco, an Internet based Intranet service to promote collaboration and information sharing between teachers and staff, students and parents. Named after Fr. Polanco the first Jesuit communications officer (1547) appointed by St. Ignatius, the Intranet aims to make use of the very latest technologies and the Internet to improve its service to all the school stake-holders as well as to improve internal efficiency by reducing paperwork.

Webcraft developed and operates the Polanco system for St Aloysius' College based on the WorkSpace Intranet platform. In addition, Webcraft is a key strategic partner for the College, providing all IT infrastructure requirements and Internet connectivity for a truly one-stop solution.

"Customers want to establish relations with key partners that can truly provide total solutions, including all its components. : Our customers enjoy the benefits of working with a company that focuses on delivering the full solutions and making sure they work for them. Webcraft also operates the solutions taking care for all technical aspects of the project to ensure its success and reliability."-- Keith Gauci, Webcraft Managing Director

Key features of the WorkSpace School Intranet solution include Attendance, Time Table management, student records, facility reservations and much more.

"Webcraft did a great job and the Polanco system was up and running in no time. Soon after launch we were already working from across the globe where it instantly made an excellent impression."-- Fr. Patrick Magro sj, St. Aloysius College Rector

Contact Webcraft today to learn more about WorkSpace Intranet and what it can do for your organisation.

Managed IT Services: A different model for your business

3/14/2007

In the past, obtaining the IT systems to run your business meant purchasing expensive packages, employing skilled IT personnel and maintaining these systems until they become obsolete. Increased competition and the need for business flexibility has created a demand for a new model for outsourcing business IT requirements in the form of Managed Services. Managed Services promise to offer a lightweight approach to IT, increasing business agility and lowering initial investment and operating costs. The new model also lowers barriers to market entry, enabling small enterprises to compete with bigger, established competition.

Many businesses owning and running their own IT solutions will agree that these quickly become the core of their business. This may make perfect sense for the IT manager, but should the core of your business be your IT? Unless your own business is providing IT solutions, then your true business core lies in the competencies and product you provide to your customers. The rest is only a vehicle to achieve your real objectives, right? As obvious as this may sound, yet most businesses still choose to spend a very significant proportion of their resources and energies in owning their IT system.

Managed IT Services
Managed IT Services are nothing else than turning seemingly complex IT solutions into a commodity. It can effectively provide your business with the same (or higher) quality IT without the burden and risk of ownership. : You may think of it as IT on tap, where you can simply make use of the services and pay for what you consume.

Managed Services are provided by third-party providers and are governed by a Service Level Agreement (SLA). The SLA defines the level and quality of the service contracted as well as defines terms such as guarantees and support. Ownership of the system remains to the provider whilst your business only pays for the services it subscribes too.

What does this do to your business? In a nut-shell, it shifts your business focus and core competencies from IT to your true business core allowing you to finally take the IT for granted and get to work on your real business goals.

The Managed Services model is not yet pervasive in all types of IT solutionshowever it has quickly proven itself and become successful in many others. Particularly, the model appears to work best for small and medium sized enterprises which benefit most from the lower initial investment and the flexibility it offers the business to pick and choose from existing and proven solutions.

The Benefits

Reduced initial capital outlay
Since your business does not purchase nor own IT systems, the initial investment required to access managed services is normally low. In addition, you use systems that are proven and in use by other organisations and therefore this model shares research and development costs efficiently for the provider and your business.

Reduced operating costs
Owning and operating an in-house IT system is very inefficient for any business. : This is because of the inherent duplication and extra capacity that these systems require to operate safely and continuously. Even more, growing your systems with your business may be harder than you think. On the other hand, Managed Services allow the provider to leverage economies of scale by sharing operating costs (such as hardware spares and engineering personnel) among subscribers. This results in an effectively lower operating cost for businesses and much higher quality and reliability than any one business could realistically justify.

Access to IT skills and advice
A lesson learnt in the IT world is that nothing sits still for very long. Technology changes, dangers emerge and new ideas evolve resulting in a highly fluid and dynamic environment to work in. Business that own their IT systems are invariably forced to invest resources in keep up with all this and to stay up-to-date. This is why, selecting a partner to procure your Managed IT Services is crucial. However, in this fast changing world, your business takes advantage of the resources and advice from the selected Managed Services partner to keep abreast with the tools and techniques available without having to make this part of your business core.

Risk Management
Managed Services and outsourced IT are seen as a way of hedging against many forms of business risks. For example, as new requirements emerge for your business, your outsourced provider will be required to upscale your solution to accommodate your growing business. In this way, the provider takes on the risk of providing solutions that can scale and handle the increased requirements as well as the availability of personnel to provide and operate the new solution. In this way, your business does not pay for the initial expenditure from the start, but the operator must think ahead and be ready to provide you with your next solution.

Business Agility
One of the most convincing arguments for Managed Services in IT lies in the flexibility that is provides to business. This is largely due to the lack of long term commitment that is otherwise the purchase of any particular system. Managed Services are normally subscription based, which means that if the particular service did not live up to the businesses expectations it can be simply turned off, together with any costs associated with it. This gives businesses more room to experiment and try out new opportunities as they arise without having to risk much.

Success
The IT world is bursting with opportunities. Managed Services and IT outsourcing are merely some of the tools that exist that can help you succeed and your business prosper. However, nothing beats having a strategy and a plan to follow. Each choice has implications, and each decision needs proper thought and planning. This is why Managed Services is not sold as a magic pill that can cure all illnesses, and neither does it fit every need. On the contrary, Managed Services should be complimented with proper consultation and advice that can lead to a plan to follow.

Webcraft draws on its experience in IT systems since 1996, to provide a wide range of Managed Services and IT outsourcing opportunities, particularly aimed at small and medium sized organisations. Contact Webcraft today to discover what Managed Services can do for your business and to discuss in detail your plans and requirements.

Sales & Marketing Executuve

3/7/2007

Join Webcraft as a Sales & Marketing Executive...

You will be expected to manage key customer accounts whilst contributing to an overall company sales and marketing strategy. The exciting opportunities offered by this post require a smart individual, possessing excellent presentation and interpersonal skills as well as a general understanding of internet technology.

If you think you have what it takes and are interested in the above post, we are keen to hear from you. : Please contact us, sending us your full cv.

Content Writer

12/13/2006

Join Webcraft as a Content Writer...

Webcraft is seeking the services of a talented Content Writer to assist in the production of high quality articles and content for use online and offline such as on this website or paper documents. The ideal candidate should possess excellent English writing and presentation skills as well as be able to work as part of a team. A knowledge of the Internet or related technical background will be considered as assets.

If you think you have what it takes and are interested in the above post, we are keen to hear from you. Please contact us, sending us your full cv.

Web Applications Developer

12/1/2006

Join Webcraft as a Web Applications Developer...

Webcraft is seeking to recruit a web applications developer to join the software development team. : The ideal candidate should have a solid understanding of modern programming techniques, database concepts and the Internet as well as enjoy teamwork. : Whilst not a requirement, knowledge of programming languages such as ASP, .NET and SQL are considered as assets, however training will be provided as necessary.

If you think you have what it takes and are interested in the above post, we are keen to hear from you. : Please contact us, sending us your full cv.

Webcraft WorkSpace Document Management launch

10/1/2006

Imagine having access to all your work documents at any time from any place. Imagine an easy way to share and collaborate with colleagues working with files from the office, home or on the road. Imagine a safe and secure system to store and manage vast amounts of documents across your entire organisation from one intuitive application that can also link to your website and all other WorkSpace applications.

Webcraft announced today the release of its Document Management solution within the Office Automation suite of WorkSpace applications. The brand new solution, is designed to add a whole new dimension to the capabilities of the WorkSpace platform offering a wide range of document management capabilities to Webcraft customers.

WorkSpace becomes your central file repository
WorkSpace Document Management will enable users to take advantage of the WorkSpace platform to centralise the storage and management of all corporate documents across their entire organisation. Even-more, the facilities of this application make document sharing and online collaboration easy and effective even between colleagues working from different office sites, from home or on the road.

Key features of WorkSpace Document Management:

Document Storage & Retrieval

WorkSpace Document Management becomes a central repository for all the key documents in use within your business. Your staff can simply login and load their documents such as word processing, spreadsheet or PDF files into WorkSpace Document Management. In addition, documents can be conveniently organized into volumes and folders to easy location by others. Within a short time, WorkSpace document management will become the natural source for the latest and most up-to-date business documents within your organization.

Online Document Sharing

Once you load and organize your documents, you can use Document Management to share key documents or folders with other external applications such as other WorkSpace applications or your website. By doing so, you ensure that these applications always contain the latest revisions and updates without additional work.

Document Tracking &: Notification
A key feature of the WorkSpace Document Management system enables you to monitor and track any changes to particular documents. The facility will automatically notify you whenever a change has occurred to the document or when a new version is loaded. In addition, a user making any change to a document can also notify other users of the change using the same system.

Flexible Permission Control

WorkSpace Document Management provides a robust and flexible permission control system that allows you to grant or deny access to folders to other users of the system. Controls are provided to allow you to define permissions based on WorkSpace roles or individual users for maximum ease and flexibility.

Version Control

Version Control is achieved by means of a control policy available to administrators. This facility enables an administrator to activate the automatic retention of document versions, providing a change trail for every document in the system. Previous versions of each document are easily available and can be quickly retrieved.

Powerful Document Search

A search engine is provided that allows users to search through the document archives by means of a variety of tools, such as keywords and document categories. In addition, WorkSpace Document Management support the use of custom Meta-Tags allowing users to create their own additional criteria, useful for searching for specific types of documents.

Check-in / Check-out

A check-in check-out facility enables users to temporarily lock documents for their exclusive use. This allows other users to view the locked documents but not change them. The facility is designed to be useful in the case that a document is undergoing a series to changes requiring other users to refrain from loading new versions.

Please contact Webcraft to learn more about Document Management and how you can benefit from this solution. : Send email to info@webcraft.com.mt

A CRM strategy for SMEs

6/26/2006

Customer Relationship Management is essentially a shift in an organisation's culture moving away its focus from its internal processes to its customers. Whilst the concept seems simple enough, its effects and implications for a business can be far reaching. The idea that spending more time and energy gaining and developing customers seems logical and clearly results in increased sales and revenue. However an effective CRM strategy will also implement this in such a way to reduce costs and enhance internal efficiency. The benefits of a CRM strategy would therefore be aimed at improving the business' profitability and stimulating growth.

Customer Relationship Management is essentially a shift in an organisation':s culture moving away its focus from its internal processes to its customers. Whilst the concept seems simple enough, its effects and implications for a business can be far reaching. : The idea that spending more time and energy gaining and developing customers seems logical and clearly results in increased sales and revenue. : However an effective CRM strategy will also implement this in such a way to reduce costs and enhance internal efficiency. The benefits of a CRM strategy would therefore be aimed at improving the business' profitability and stimulating growth.

What Is CRM Anyway?
Customer Relationship Management is essentially a basic shift in an organisation's culture moving away its focus from its internal processes to its customers. Whilst the concept seems simple enough, its effects and implications for a business can be far reaching. The idea that spending more time and energy gaining and developing customers seems logical and clearly results in increased sales and revenue. However an effective CRM strategy will also implement this in such a way to reduce costs and enhance internal efficiency. The benefits of a CRM strategy would therefore be aimed at improving the business' profitability and stimulating growth.

CRM Technology In Your Business
In the past a comprehensive CRM strategy was complicated and expensive to implement mainly due to a labour intensive approach. This meant that CRM was out of reach for most SME businesses and only truly applicable to large corporations. However CRM technology today brings down the cost and human resources requirements of CRM through automation and IT integration. : In fact today CRM and CRM technology are most valuable to SMEs who can adopt a CRM strategy to compete with larger competitors in their market.

Whilst your CRM strategy would require you to spend more time and resources on your customers, as your customer base grows, CRM can become a significant ongoing cost for your business draining precious resources and lowering your margins. CRM technology on the other hand provides a range of tools that become more effective as your customers grow. Evenmore, the use of the Internet as an integral part of your CRM strategy enables you to extend your reach to more customers without requiring major investment. Comparing this approach to the traditional 'face to face' model clearly opens new CRM opportunities and benefits for SMEs in virtually every industry.

The Tools
A CRM strategy brings together various people within your organisation to work together in ways they have never done before. Whilst every individual in the organisation is somehow involved and part of the CRM culture, sales persons and customer service personnel are always on the front-line. CRM technology tools are therfore needed to facilitiate the new cooperation and workflow between the different players as well as to automate the sales and customer service functions as much as possible. Here are some of the tools available to achieve just this.

Contact Management
The increased requirement for teamwork and cooperation within the business in order to manage customer accounts is facilitated through the adoption of a pervasive Contact Management system. This tool is designed to become a central reference of customer contact information across your organisation. It also enhances the team':s workflow by allowing this information to be shared between various departments and individuals at all times. Ultimately your organisation will be able to respond and act upon customer issues more promptly and consistently meeting some of your CRM objectives.

Calendar
Sales people would particularly benefit from a common and shared time management tool that they can use to plan and schedule their day. Such a system would be even more effective if it can be accessible from both the office as well as out in the field keeping them in contact with their schedules at all times. A Calendar solution would put your team in a better position to leverage opportunities as they arise. In addition, it would be also valuable to management to coordinate the team as well as to extract key indicator data and reports.

Messenger
A vital ingredient of your CRM strategy is undoubtedly your customer communications. However you operate internally within your business, the ultimate link to your customers lies in your ability to communicate and interact. This is why attention must be given to the choice and management of your customer communications. In this respect, the Internet offers a truly golden opportunity to organisations to streamline their communications into a channel that is both incredibly effective as well as low-cost. Even more, the Internet is an ideal communications channel over which you can deploy a CRM technology automation tool.

A Messenger tool would be adopted by your sales and customer service staff as the preferred customer communications channel. Linked with your website on the Internet, customers can easily place requests or enquires which are directed and routed through your organisation in the most efficient way. The Messenger provides a range of automation facilities to your staff to ensure that communications are efficient, fast and consistent. In addition, workflow facilities such as escalation and case management would allow your team to work electronically resulting in savings for your business and superior service to your customers.

Choosing a Technology Partner
A large number of software companies offer a variety of CRM solutions and products. Some of these are intended for large companies whilst others are specifically designed for SMEs providing light weight packages that bring quick results to the business at reasonable costs.

Apart from the size of the software package, another critical factor lies in the technologies adopted and supported by the vendor. In particular support for the Internet is only offered by some of the latest packages and not by others. The selected vendor should provide extensive support and integration options to cater for your immediate and future Internet requirements.

Deployment and integration issues are also key to the choice of a technology partner. You should investigate the deployment modes offered by the vendor for your solution such as outright purchase as opposed to a hosted solution whereby you will pay a yearly fee to cover all the services you require. In fact the latter will also ensure that an ongoing relation is established with the vendor to support and grow the solution with your business in the future.

Finally, seek a technology partner that is committed to innovation and that you can trust to build a solid working relation.

As with most technologies this is a fast evolving environment where you should develop long term relations to ensure the success and longevity of the selected solution.

Keith Gauci is the managing director of Webcraft Limited where he is responsible of developing CRM technology solutions for customers.

Webcraft develops and provides comprehensive Internet based technology solutions inlcuding CRM. Contact Webcraft to learn more about the solutions available.

Webcraft WorkSpace makes online accounting easy for SMEs

6/1/2006

Webcraft announces the re-launch of its WorkSpace Accounting Suite to include a complete online accounting solution ideal for small and medium sized businesses. Read this article to learn more.

Webcraft is announcing today the re-launching of its WorkSpace Accounting Suite which is now available in a variety of solution packages aimed at small and medium sized organisations. The all-new applications and tools are based on the previous version of the robust WorkSpace Accounting solution but tailored to the needs of smaller businesses.

The advantages of online accounting

Delivering a truly online solution for business accounting, the WorkSpace Accounting Suite offers a variety of advantages over traditional accounting software systems.

Firstly, organisations that are already using the WorkSpace platform and model within their business will be pleased to learn that they can now integrate yet another part of their operations into this system. : WorkSpace Accounting Suite offers a vast range of accounting applications within the familiar and reliable WorkSpace platform. In addition, the new accounting facilities fully integrate and take advantage of other key WorkSpace services such as Contact Management and Messaging to achieve seamless integration. This approach largely reduces staff training time and costs whilst leveraging the existing investments for maximum benefit.

The WorkSpace Accounting Suite offers online connectivity between your business accounts and your own corporate website. This means that many routine accounting tasks such as customer statement enquiries, online payment processing and many others can now be easily provided to your customers through your website over the Internet. Automation and efficiency are key design elements of these powerful applications that enable organisations to make the best of the Internet and their own resources.

Businesses that grow from a single location to multi-location are often faced with geographical difficulties and with having to manage data and services across different sites. Once again, the WorkSpace Accounting Suite was designed from the onset to eliminate geographical issues by offering a virtual data platform enabling your staff to collaborate anywhere they are through the Internet. As with all other WorkSpace applications, the Accounting Suite is accessible to your staff from anywhere in the world through any available Internet connection, whilst retaining the level of safety and security that is synonymous with WorkSpace.

If you are interested to learn more about the WorkSpace Accounting Suite and how it can improve the way you work, please contact Webcraft today.

Send email on info@webcraft.com.mt

Interactive Information Service for the Malta Chamber of Commerce

10/20/2004

Members and non are to benefit from a new Internet information service rolled out by the Chamber of Commerce. The new website features a wide variety of content appealing to professionals, students and the general public, with premium content available exclusively to Chamber members.

In its latest bid to improve communications with its members, the Malta Chamber of Commerce announced today the launch of its all-new interactive website aimed at providing a whole range of information services and coverage of ongoing events and current affairs.

Chamber members and non are encouraged to log on and to register with the website to take advantage of the wealth of news and key resources available through the website and compiled by the Chamber of Commerce website team. In addition to various public sections, updated continuously, the website also provides value added services to registered members of the chamber and extends the benefits of their membership to the Internet.

In an effort to make the new service simple to use and appealing to the variety of users expected to be using this system on a daily basis, an innovative graphical approach was adopted specifically to simplify the navigation experience and make users comfortable with its numerous sections and facilities.

Maria Abela - :Webcraft Project Leader
":Whilst the initial requirement for a system that acts as a communication platform between the Chamber and its members and the public was identified at the very start of this project, it was only through the numerous discussions that ensued that the really good ideas started flowing. Reducing paperwork, improving efficiency and enhancing the Chamber':s image were all other objectives identified for this website. Our job was to bring it all together for the benefit of the Chamber and its members.":

The new website project was entrusted to Webcraft who provide all technical and support services to the Chamber.

KURA - Intranet for hospitals in Malta

6/3/2004

Webcraft's new KURA intranet system links three hospitals in Malta to improve internal communications and efficiency.

Webcraft announced today the official launch of KURA, a new intranet platform serving St Lukes, Sir Paul Boffa and Mater Dei Hospitals in Malta.

The new system was unveiled today during an inauguration event held at St Lukes Hospital presided by Hon Minister Dr. Louis Deguara.

Fresh ideas and cutting edge technologies were the main driving forces behind the design and development of KURA. The system is set to empower all hospital staff members, providing access to more information than ever before and encouraging increased efficiency through a host of electronic services and applications. In particular, KURA incorporates a robust workflow management platform designed to aid the collaboration and online cooperation between team members.

"KURA will quickly become the main means of communication and collaboration throughout the three hospitals, replacing a large number of paper-based systems. Serving over 3500 users, the new Intranet will contribute greatly to overall efficiency and accountability." --Arthur Azzopardi Director, Information Management and Technology, MDH, SLH

The KURA intranet is currently being rolled out within the various hospital units and departments whilst new applications are being finalized for deployment later this year.

KURA was developed and is operated by Webcraft.

Website must do the job

1/7/2004

Webcraft in the press... Article featured in the Shropshire Star (UK) technology insert - Switched On.

Press article released: 7-Jan-2004
Source: Shropshire Star - Switched On
Country: United Kingdom

The last time you inputted a search into an internet search engine, how many results did it throw back at you? A hundred, a thousand, ten thousand? It seems like everyone has a website, but having a site just for the sake of it will do your business no favours, and the advice from Shrewsbury-based Positive Advertising is to work towards a website that will successfully integrate with your organisation.

The first step in creating a successful website is deciding exactly what you want your website to do. To create a return on the inevitable time and money that will be invested into the website, the site must contribute to an increase in revenue, cut costs by delivering parts of your business more efficiently or make your customers happy.

There are many ways to do this, with one being to use the website as a sales channel extension, like a call centre, a catalogue, a shop or a sales force. But unlike a catalogue, a well-developed site can interact with your potential client, as well as reach a wider market area than any catalogue could. But more often than not, websites do not take advantage of all the opportunities that are available to them and fail to be effective, often doing nothing more than just looking pretty. This is mainly due to a combination of not thinking through the purpose of the site, how a potential customer will move through the sales process and the lack of an effective back office system, which manages the site. The advantage of using Positive Advertising is that they will work with prospective clients during this development stage, taking time to understand their business, advising on how best to structure a site.

Positive Advertising works closely with Webcraft to create websites that have exceptional back office systems, which provide numerous functions such as order processing, stock control, payment processing, customer tracking and online forums to name but a few.

The backoffice system we have created is designed so that anyone can use it, says Keith Gauci, managing director of Webcraft. This means that clients can manage their own website in-house, giving them a degree of autonomy. But if the client does not have the necessary resources to manage the entire website, they can outsource sections of the site to be managed by someone else.

While the possibilities for websites seem to be endless, Nick Spiteri, director of Positive Advertising, is keen to point out that they are not stand alone business solutions, When developing a website, it is equally important to build a website strategy, which deals with how the website integrates with the rest of the business, he says. Positive Advertising can ensure that your website reflects and delivers what the rest of your business does, and advise you on the most effective approaches to the marketing and development of your site.

Any website that is created by Positive Advertising and Webcraft is always produced to the highest standard, and combines the latest technology with strategic and creative thinking.

Webcraft Internet Payment Services & ECommerce

10/10/2003

Webcraft's merchant services have registered huge success with the introduction of entry level PSP (Payment Service Provider) services and more elaborate total eBusiness solutions. Read on to learn more about Internet credit card gateway services and how you can run your business on the web.

Webcraft is an authorised Internet credit card payment gateway for Bank of Valletta and provides a range of Internet payment solutions to clients with a variety of requirements.

Different clients have different requirements for their online payment solutions and therefore Webcraft offers a scaleable approach to processing credit card and debit card payments over the Internet.

Level 1:
Internet Payment Gateway (entry-level)
Webcraft offers a basic payment processing solution based on a basic API (application program interface) that allows software developers to connect their own applications (such as a shopping cart) to a credit card and debit card processing gateway. This solution is ideal for customers who wish to add payment processing functions to their existing software. Full technical documentation and support are available. Attractive card processing rates are available for volume clients.

Level 2:
ECommerce Package (selling online)
Webcraft offers various online sales packages including the various functionality you require to sell your product or service online. An integrated solution based on our ASP (application service provider) model and our WorkSpace web platform ensures peace of mind and scaleability and includes all the functionality and benefits of an online payment gateway solution together with the shopping cart and order collection and processing software you need. This solution is ideal for clients who require a complete turn-key package to start selling online. The Webcraft ECommerce package is today serving customers such as Marks & Spencer (www.winedrop.com), Tom Tom Cigars (www.tomtom.co.uk) and the Malta Communications Authority (www.mca.org.mt).

Level 3:
Complete EBusiness Solution (running your business on the web)
Clients who wish to take full advantage of what the Internet has to offer to their business will be interested to integrate as much of their operations as possible onto a simple platform for maximum flexibility and effectiveness. Webcraft offers total solutions for running your business operations online, gaining from the benefit of streamlining and process distribution. Apart from providing all the technology you will require to integrate every aspect of your business, including sales automation, marketing, accounting, administration and customer relationship management (just to mention a few), we will also provide the expertise to guide you to the appropriate combination of solutions drawing on our experience. Today Webcraft delivers ongoing business consulting and strategic solutions to companies in a variety of sectors including manufacturing, health &: medicine, government, financial services, publishing and more in countries including the UK, Italy, Austria, Switzerland and Malta.

Contact Webcraft today to learn more about our Merchant solutions and how these can help you achieve your business targets.

Data Protection Seminar - Malta

8/6/2003

Data Protection & Security seminar hosted by The Malta Communications Authority together with the Data Protection Commission focused on the telecommunications sector.

Data protection laws and regulations have recently come in force in Malta and other new legislation is due to be in place over the next months in line with Malta':s accession to the EU next year.

The Malta Communications Authority together with Data Protection Commission delivered presentations on the subject today at the Victoria Hotel in Sliema during a seminar aimed at the telecommunications industry. The interactive debate explored the impact of the new regulations on the various players in the industry specifically telecom operators, internet service providers and content hosts. Various speakers gave an overview of the the concepts and framework of the new laws and the directives of the EU from both the legal aspects and the technical implications.

In a question and answer session towards the end of the event, attendees were allowed to voice their opinions and questions to the panel. The discussion covered instances of perceived inconsistencies of the law as well as opinions of how the laws and their implementation can be improved in the sector.

Webcraft will be following developments and studying the impacts of local and EU data protection regulations to be in a position to guide its clients. More information will be made available to clients at a later stage and on demand.

Should you wish to learn more about this subject please write to info@webcraft.com.mt

WorkSpace RoadShow event held in Malta

6/28/2002

The first event in the ongoing WorkSpace RoadShow series was held by Webcraft on the 28th June 2002 in Malta. The event also marked the official launch and presentation of the new WorkSpace 1.0 platform as well as introduced the ongoing RoadShow event for WorkSpace users.

The first WorkSpace RoadShow event was held on the 28th June 2002 in Malta, hosted at the Victoria Hotel in Sliema. The RoadShow is a regularly scheduled event designed specifically for users of the WorkSpace platform and customers using this system within their business.

Keith Gauci - Webcraft Managing Director
"With the WorkSpace RoadShow event, we plan to keep WorkSpace users well informed of the latest developments and new facilities as they become available as well as make it serve as a training session for new users of the WorkSpace platform. The event is also ideal for customers to meet and share experiences and ideas as well as to put forward suggestions on how to improve the system further and discuss their own plans with Webcraft."

The first event in the series held today marked the official launch and presentation of the new WorkSpace 1.0 platform. Following an official presentation of the new suite, attendees were given the opportunity to try out the software for themselves. Each attendee was also provided with a notebook computer for the duration of the event for a hands-on experience of the various items and features demonstrated. Solutions demonstrated included during the event included Content Management, Portal Systems, User Profiling, Messaging and eCommerce.

Migrating Users
Today's event also included dedicated sessions for users migrating from older versions of the application. Whilst most attendees were eager to learn about what the new platform provides, migration paths were also presented to individuals who are already using previous versions and who wish to start taking advantage of the new platform. Migration paths make the transition easy and smooth, and can allow clients to switch from a previous version to WorkSpace in the way and timeframe that best suits the client's needs.

The RoadShow event is planned to be held again in other countries to provide more opportunities to customers around the world to join and experience the new WorkSpace 1.0 range of solutions.

For enquiries about this event, please write to info@webcraft.com.mt.

Next Generation Enterprise Portal Solutions

5/25/2002

As companies strive to improve the way they manage and organise information, internally with their staff, externally with their clients or within a network with their partners or suppliers, the need for a powerful yet simple approach is felt. As most SMEs built their first web-based applications in an effort to automate, organise and streamline their management of information, they struggle to maintan systems up-to-date and working seamlessly within their organisations. Whilst attempting to reach specific goals for each new investment in technology, often companies run the risk that these same new systems impose greater costs and require more resources to maintain than their intended benefits. This can result in low performance and return on investment made. Enterprise Portals and corporate intranets may provide a tool to consolidate existing technology investments and help SMEs to streamline their operations.

For the past years, Webcraft has been powering a wide variety of portals systems on the Internet and within companies and has learnt much about the requirements and success factors of such solutions. Over the years, the experience gained in these varied projects and industry sectors has driven Webcraft to deliver ever more robust and integrated portal management modules which are now in use in established portals, with a track record of functionality and stability over time.

Webcraft today powers portal systems in diverse sectors including health &: medicine news and specialised communities. A short while ago, Webcraft announced the birth and roll-out of its new core application platform, WorkSpace, set to revolutionize the way companies leverage the Internet. Based on this all-new technology platform and the powerful combination of Webcrafts portal solutions, the next generation Portal Solutions have been unvieled, offering unparralleled intergation, functionality and flexibility.

Introducing Enterprise Portal Solutions
As companies strive to improve the way they manage and organise information, internally with their staff, externally with their clients or within a network with their partners or suppliers, the need for a powerful yet simple approach is felt. As most companies built their first web-based applications in an effort to automate, organise and streamline their management of information, they struggled with maintaing systems up-to-date and working seamlessly within their organisations. Whilst the indivdual key applications performed their tasks and reached the assigned objectives, often the effort of maintaining these systems was greater than the benefits resulting in lower performance and return on investment.

Webcraft Enterprise Portal Solution is a package of closely integrated applications designed to offer all the key portal applications over one platform. Whilst leveraging on the success of the individual portal modules, and offering new and innovative functionality, the entire package is designed to offer a scalable and robust environment within which companies can build and manage their information resources.

Content Management
Certainly one of the strongest features of Enterprise Portal Solutions is the functionality offered by its Content Management module. Designed to enable businesses to take full control of their data, standard features include:

+ Content publishing
+ Multi-level content approval
+ Automatic archiving and information expiry
+ Dynamic categorization and information re-engineering
+ Powerful search mechanisms
+ Full XML Support
+ Centralized or satellite management architecture
+ Automated content cross linking

User Profiling
Because the vast majority of portal applications are built around a target user-base, and designed to offer as much personalisation functionality as possible, Enterprise Portal Solutions include Webcrafts unique User Profiling engine, featuring a vast selection of user profiling and content personalisation options.

+ Security / Content filtering
+ Dynamic registration
+ Multi-level registration options
+ Flexible matrix profile system

Virtual Community Applications
Fostering a community on the Internet or within a virtual environment such as an Intranet requires more than content provision and organisation. A variety of interaction opportunities are provided to the enterprise to maintain an open dialogue with users and enable two way interaction as part of the portal experience.

+ Discussion Forums
+ Mailing Lists
+ SMS gateway
+ Online polls

E-Commerce Capabilities
A payment processing gateway, enabling the portal system to integrate a payment collection facility is also included. The gateway allows businesses to accept and process online credit card payments.

Workflow Management
Workflow Management consists of a set of tools and applications designed to enable and encourage online collaboration. The software is ideally suited to manage and track teams of people working together on projects or tasks, sharing information and removing the boundaries and limitations of location and time. Workflow Management effectively extends the boundaries of your team into a virtual office environment increasing internal efficiency, accountability and producing real-time reports and key information to management.

+ Project Management
+ Ticketing
+ Resource Planning
+ Time &: Attendance
+ Leave Management
+ Contact Management

Contact Webcraft now to learn more about Enterprise Portal Solutions and how your business could benefit today.

Hunting for a Havana?

7/25/2001

Tomtom, the award winning Cigar Retailer in London, today announced the launch of a new e-shopping website franchise. Representing the major cigar brands from Havana, the site is set to serve both cigar enthusiasts and experts around the world.Has it ever occurred to you how different one cigar is from another? Well, cigar lovers, we would like to introduce you to www.tomtom.co.uk.

Tomtom, an established cigar retailer in the UK, has joined Webcraft's hall of fame this week. The site is rich in information on a vast range of Cuban cigars including leading brands such as Bolivar, Hoyo, H Upmann, Cohiba and Montecristo.

The website sports various facilities which help make this specialized shopping spree efficient and easy. Apart from having a 'News and Views' section, which is regularly updated with interesting tips and info, it also has a 'Havana Size Guide' and an FAQ reference. All these contribute to a rich experience aimed at cigar smokers.

E-commerce capabilities provide users with a safe and efficient shopping experience taking advantage of Webcraft's secure servers and credit card clearance in collaboration with Bank of Valletta (Malta).

Webcraft ASP offering and vision

6/7/2001

Increased pressures for companies to be efficient and competitive, accelerated rate of technology evolution and ever higher IT maintenance costs have been the main factors that have brought about a new trend in the software industry, worldwide. Webcraft explains its vision and strategy.

Nearly six years ago, when Webcraft first started offering its software applications in ASP mode the term ASP had not yet been coined up, and no models existed for this new deployment method. Borne out of customer demands and real-life business propositions, our strategy was simply aimed at delivering what was really needed to our corporate clients.

The Objectives
A number of factors emerged during the past few years placing a great deal of pressure of companies in all sectors. Firstly, competition and open markets forced companies to seek any way possible to increase efficiency and competitiveness. Businesses needed to find a more effective model for their IT departments in order to make them more cost effective and flexible at the same time. For years people have dreamt of an IT outsourcing model that really worked, and this was the time to find one. The second factor effecting business in general was the ever-faster pace of technology, bringing new products and services to the battleground every other day. Rising maintenance costs of software, higher cost of specialist personnel and higher demands in software functionality meant that no single company could hope to keep up with the pace for long.

The Tools
The IT revolution that brought about this situation also brought new tools and technologies enabling businesses to operate in ways previously unthinkable. Most remarkable of these (but there are many others) is the connectivity and communications tools, mostly in the Internet sector. Lower connectivity costs and the availability of high speed wide-area networking brought about a totally new way of doing business, and the only danger for those that choose to lag behind. Many compared this new technology to the introduction of the telephone or fax. I think that the effects of the Internet is much deeper in that it does not simply add a channel to the existing communications of a company, but has the potential of change the way the business operates and indeed the business itself. In reality the concept of the Internet re-wrote the rules of basic business concepts such as Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Supply Chain Models and Self Service Retail.

The ASP Model Defined
Driven by lower connectivity costs and higher reliability and availability of Internet based communications, companies have started to take the IT outsourcing model a step further. What used to be regarded as the procurement of software or IT services through third parties is now being regarded as the procurement of software services. In other words, the ASP model is all about delivering services (often this refer to software functionality) through third party companies other that the software itself. No longer is a business interested in the underlying layers of technical matters, but the ASP relationship delivers QOS (Quality of Service) levels based on service. Let us take an example, whilst in the past a business would contract a company to develop a software application specifically for its needs, based on its software standards, operating system, development platform etc now such an agreement would be purely based upon the business benefits that the company will attain from the software. How this is achieved is irrelevant. In fact it is not truly irrelevant (not to the ASP provider anyway), however it is so fast changing that it is left to the provider to specialize in this role and to change the technology to maintain the agreed level of service (QOS).

The Benefits
In brief our ASP model promises to deliver four major advantages over conventional software development models.

predictable costs

business flexibility

technology independence

future proof

Our ASP promise
Just like we foresaw this need several years ago, Webcraft today is working to deliver the solutions of tomorrow, making them available today. In the past we have concentrated to deliver ASP solutions for raw application functionality such as content publishing, e-commerce and messaging. The next step is to create suites of business applications that will be available to companies worldwide in our ASP architecture. These will include applications for CRM, Accounting, Scheduling, Personal Assistants and Decision Support Systems (DSS). Contact Webcraft to discuss your needs of today and tomorrow and for more information about our ASP solutions.