New Products Can Get Your Small Firm Wired
A variety of exhibitors at last week’s Internet Showcase in San Diego are working on products designed to make it easier for small companies to connect their entire office to the Internet or set up an online storefront to sell products and services.
Encanto Networks (https://www.encanto.com or [888] 362-2686) will soon begin shipping “e.go Commerce,” a $1,295 hardware-software package designed to provide small companies with access to the Internet and the ability to sell products and services on the World Wide Web.
The package includes a dedicated computer, software and peripherals needed to set up a small local area network and Internet connection. It also has software to create Web pages and catalogs.
The e.go has a built-in 56K modem, a four-port Ethernet hub and a hard disk with the capacity to store thousands of Web pages. Although it’s a computer at heart, it doesn’t function as a PC. The user controls it from any PC on his or her network using an Internet browser, such as Microsoft’s Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator.
The device enables employees to share e-mail and browse the Web, but its real strength is a feature for setting up an online storefront. The program can set up Web pages to display products, take orders, verify credit card numbers and produce shipping and sales-tracking reports.
In addition to buying the hardware, you need to sign up with the company’s Internet service provider, which charges $49.95 a month for a standard phone connection or $79.95 a month for faster integrated service digital network (ISDN) service. The price does not include the phone company’s telephone or ISDN charges.
The device is designed for a small-business owner who doesn’t want to invest in an expensive full-time Internet connection. If a user comes to your site and the e.go server isn’t online, there will be a delay of about 40 seconds while the Encanto Internet service provider dials your e.go and connects it to the Internet. Your site’s visitor will get a message asking him or her to wait while the connection is made. A Web site running on e.go can serve only about five visitors at a time, so it’s not suitable for anyone whose Web site will attract even a modest number of simultaneous visitors.
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The InterJet, from Whistle Communications (https://www.whistle.com or [888] 494-4785), is an all-in-one small-office Internet appliance that provides not only Internet and Intranet publishing but also a LAN and Internet e-mail server and secure firewall, according to Brian Lawley, Whistle’s director of product management.
The product, which starts at about $2,000, is a hardware device with built-in software. It’s designed to enable everyone in the office to surf the Web, send and receive e-mail and share data between computers in the office.
The InterJet software allows the network administrator to assign e-mail addresses to new employees and to publish Web pages that can be posted on the Internet. It also provides an internal Intranet accessible only to staff as well as an “xtranet” that provides information to select customers, partners and remote employees who enter a password.
The Whistle InterJet comes with either a 56K modem or an ISDN adapter, but some models can be connected to high-speed full-time Internet connections such as T1 lines or cable modems. Whistle has made arrangements with about 150 Internet service providers to offer service to InterJet owners.
The Multi-Services Internet Gateway from FreeGate Corp. (https://www.freegate.com or [408] 617-1000) is a more expensive ($5,500) solution for businesses with 10 to 200 users. The device provides all of the services of the other two products plus communication between multiple office, remote management of servers and the ability to support a larger network. Like the other products, it consists of hardware with built-in software.
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There are also alternative solutions. You can manage a local area network and an Internet connection on a PC using special software or an integrated software-operating system strategy such as Microsoft Small Business Back Office Server for Windows NT.
Another option is to host your Web site at an ISP. ISPs can offer fast and reliable connections to the Internet at a reasonable monthly cost and often can provide services to set up Web pages and conduct online commerce. By using an ISP, the business owner doesn’t have to worry about buying and maintaining special equipment. Most important, the ISP will ensure that the site is always online and accessible. Be sure to shop around for an ISP that is not only competitively priced, but also responsible and likely to remain in business.
ICat (https://www.icat.com or [888] 289-4228), a software company that publishes Internet commerce software, will release iCat Lemonade Stand in April. The package is designed to enable a small business to create its first Internet storefront using only a Web browser, according to Product Manager Adam Tratt.
ICat eliminates the need to buy and manage one’s own server because its software runs on host machines maintained by participating ISPs. These ISPs are expected to offer the service to small businesses for a monthly fee, starting below $100. ICat will first offer a free trial period to give merchants a chance to test the service, according to Tratt.
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You may write to Lawrence J. Magid at magid@latimes.com and visit his Web site at https://www.larrysworld.com
