UUNET Teams with IBM to offer affordable, easy-to-use e-business solutions
Ashburn, Va., May 23, 2000- To support the needs of small businesses, UUNET, a WorldCom Company (NASDAQ: WCOM), today announced Small Business Plus (sm), a new service that provides the hardware, software, Internet access, hosting and 24 x 7 customer support services a company needs to become e-business enabled. UUNET is also offering small businesses access to the latest market trends and e-business news and tips through its new online resource at www.smallbusinessplus.com. Small Business Plus is ideal for small businesses with growing Internet needs, but limited IT staffs and budgets. UUNET's Small Business Plus solutions offer great e-functionality including a variety of fast, reliable Internet access speeds; dependable, high-performance e-mail; and an external Web site for marketing products and services.
"We've seen the incredible impact that affordable high-quality, high-speed Internet services, such as DSL, have had on the small business market, and we believe this is just the tip of the iceberg," said Mark Spagnolo, president and CEO, UUNET. "We have developed our Small Business Plus solutions to give businesses access to comprehensive, easy-to-use packages of Internet services that will enable small businesses to quickly ramp up their e-business practices."
UUNET's focus on the small business is an example of WorldCom's recently announced "Generation D" initiative under which the company is moving the e-business marketplace from an array of fragmented elements to a cohesive suite of e-business services.
Small Business Market
According to Cahner's In-Stat Group, small companies will spend in excess of $200 billion on information technology in 2000. More than 16 million small office/home office (SOHO) business employees will also become Internet-enabled this year, increasing beyond 22 million by the end of 2004. And, according to IDC, the number of businesses selling products on the Internet in 2000 is expected to increase by over 80 percent to 1.58 million companies in 2000 from 850,000 in 1999.
"The problem is that small businesses don't know where to start with technology, and they don't know what questions to ask," said Mark Quinn, director of the U.S. Small Business Administration, San Francisco. "There is a big need for help in this area. What we need are technology partners like UUNET to make this possible. In turn, this lowers the barriers for small businesses to get online by lowering the cost of entry."
Small Business Plus Solutions
UUNET is working with industry-leader IBM to provide small businesses with Business Essentials and Business Essentials Plus, two complete Internet solutions that combine UUNET's access services - DSL, ISDN and analog - with IBM's Small Business WebConnections
SM . Web Connections is enabled by IBM's award-winning, all-in-one Whistle InterJet II ®, a thin Internet server that sits on a company's IP-based local area network (LAN) and provides solutions for up to 100 users.
Both Essential packages offer high-speed Internet access ranging from 56Kbps for analog to 128 Kbps for ISDN to 1.0 Mbps for DSL services. Specifically, the solutions include:
Business Essentials
- LAN-based Internet and email access through DSL, ISDN or analog connections;
- Remote Internet and email access to support users based in other locations;
- Services such as domain registration and Domain Name System (DNS) hosting;
- A fully configured Internet server including router, email server, file server, proxy caching server and file transfer protocol (FTP) server for large file transfers;
- Firewall security;
- Local back-up of Internet server;
- Apache HTTP Web server for intranet site development;
- Graphical User Interface (GUI) administration tool to manage Internet access and email account changes; and
- Administrative functionality such as Web site filtering, compiling mailing lists and reporting.
Business Essentials Plus
- Includes all of the services in Business Essentials and:
- Single-user VPN remote access via tunneling technologies;
- Apache HTTP Web server for development of a public Web site;
- Software tool that allows for quick development of a public Web site; and
- Company Web site including hosting services
Availability
UUNET's Small Business Plus solutions are available immediately to businesses throughout the United States. Business Essentials packages begin at $109/month for an analog line and up to $569/month for a 1.0 Mbps DSL connection. Business Essentials Plus packages start at $159/month for an analog line and up to $609/month for a 1.0 Mbps DSL connection. Prices vary depending on term of contract. Additionally, there is a one-time start up fee of $299 for each package. Complete pricing information can be found at www.smallbusinessplus.com.
UUNET also plans to expand its offerings this year to include enhanced e-commerce packages, specifically developed to meet the needs of small businesses in today's digital economy.
About UUNET, a WorldCom Company
UUNET (www.uu.net), a WorldCom Company and a global leader in Internet communications solutions, offers a comprehensive range of Internet services to businesses, online service providers and telecommunications firms. WorldCom (NASDAQ: WCOM) is a global leader in "all-distance" communications services with operations in more than 65 countries. Revenues in 1999 were $37 billion, with more than $15 billion from high-growth data, Internet and international services. WorldCom and Sprint have announced a merger agreement, which the companies expect to close in the second half of 2000 after regulatory and shareholder approvals. For more information go to http://www.wcom.com.
