Introduction / Summary
Nile Online (NOL), one of Egypt’s leading telecommunications operators, provides Internet and Web hosting infrastructure for a large customer base. Its current hosting service runs on open source environment, but NOL is migrating to Microsoft® Exchange Server 2007 to meet customer demand for features such as push e-mail, shared calendar, and remote access to e-mail. NOL is expecting 15 per cent revenue growth over the first 18 months.
Business Needs
NOL has adopted several Microsoft technologies under its licensing agreement. However, its current infrastructure for providing Internet and Web hosting for a large customer base is running on open source—qmail on a Linux (Debian and Fedora) environment.
However, Nile Online has detected growing customer demand for Microsoft communications and collaboration technologies. Mokhtar Fakhr, Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, NOL, says: “Given the clear market direction as well as growing demand from our customers, it was imperative for our executive team to integrate the Microsoft environment within NOL solutions and promote Microsoft products among our offerings.”
Among the features NOL customers want are:
• Push e-mail, which automatically relays e-mail messages from a desktop to a mobile device—a feature of Exchange Server 2007.
• Technology to provide shared calendars—also provided by Exchange Server 2007.
• Microsoft Office Outlook® Web Access for remote access to a desktop computer.
• A more user-friendly graphical user interface (GUI) than qmail.
• A simpler way of configuring e-mail clients—another Exchange Server 2007 feature.
• High availability and reliability for mailboxes.
• Greater innovation and better support for Web hosting.
Solution
In early 2007, NOL decided to deploy Exchange Server 2007, with the hosted Exchange service due to go live in April 2008. The company’s executives evaluated the advantages of this solution because of the easy out-of-the-box integration of Exchange Server 2007 with other Microsoft technologies, which decreased the effort, time, and technical expertise needed for interaction between different systems.
May Hussain, Business Development Manager, Nile Online, says: “Exchange Server 2007 is a very reliable product because of the many high availability solutions for the mailbox and network load balancing for the client access role. It also includes built-in anti-spam features to ensure our mail boxes are safer and more secure.”
Added to these security and reliability features, NOL was well supported in the deployment by round-the-clock technical backup. Mohamed Abdel Azeem, Chief Technical Officer, NOL, says: “Microsoft is helping our IT team to manage customer support more efficiently. The support made our decision to move to Exchange Server 2007 as our strategic hosted solution easier and more straightforward.”
NOL was also one of the first early adopters of Windows Server® 2008—both nationally and internationally—and is evaluating three other Microsoft technologies to offer on a hosted basis by 2009:
• Microsoft Dynamics™ CRM—to provide the best service for customers and vendors.
• Windows® Rights Management Services—to help control digital information flow.
• Microsoft Office SharePoint® Server 2007—to connect employees and customers through an easy-to-use portal.
Benefits
NOL switched its strategic e-mail solution from open source to Microsoft in response to huge customer demand for a better level of service for both e-mail and Web hosting. Some 70 per cent of NOL customers today are asking for Microsoft Web hosting. Khalid El Shoromolisy, General Manager Sales and Marketing, NOL, says: “By introducing Microsoft products to our offering, we were capable of enriching our e-mail and hosting packages with a variety of new features that are specific to Microsoft. In return, we expect an increase in NOL revenue because of the high demand for this product line.” Other benefits include:
• Customer and revenue growth—over the next 18 months NOL is forecasting 15 per cent revenue growth and a 35 per cent increase in customers.
• Easier mailbox management—the user-friendly GUI will make it easier for NOL to manage customer accounts and mailboxes.
• Successful pilot—one large NOL customer tested and launched the product ahead of the official launch and particularly liked the push mail.
• In-depth technical support—Microsoft has impressed NOL with its strong local presence in Egypt and network of partners.
Pull Quote
“By introducing Microsoft products to our offering, we were capable of enriching our e-mail and hosting packages with a variety of new features that are specific to Microsoft. In return, we expect an increase in NOL revenue because of the high demand for this product line.”
Quote Credit
Khalid El Shoromolisy, General Manager Sales and Marketing, Nile Online
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