Outlook Technologies, Inc. -- Solutions

FAQ

Outlook answers your most frequently asked questions.

Does Outlook sell services or products? Are you an Application Service Provider (ASP)?
What is the CMS Suite?
What are the differences among CMS/Core, CMS/Media and CMS/Merchant?
How is Outlook different from your competition, like Broadvision, Interwoven, Vignette and OpenMarket?
How can you guarantee a 6-12 week implementation? How does Outlook reduce my Time to Market?
Why is an outsourced solution cost effective?
How does Outlook reduce my Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)?
How are your services priced? What do the prices include?
Why should I trust Outlook to run my back office Web operations? How do I know that you can meet our changing needs?
How can Outlook respond as quickly as an internal IT department?
What type of customer are your services intended for? What if I already have an IT department focused on the Web site? Do you replace them?
Who builds the web sites? We are already working with a great design firm and our in-house staff is top notch. Does Outlook replace that staff?
What databases, platforms and Web servers do you support?
What happens with our current, homegrown systems? We've spent a lot of money investing in our existing, custom applications? What if we've been using a packaged e-commerce system?
What types of security measures do you take?
If Outlook hosts my system, will we have dedicated machines or are they shared with other customers?
What happens if we switch services or choose to manage our Web operations in-house?

1. Does Outlook sell services or products? Are you an Application Service Provider (ASP)?

Outlook is a provider of eServices, not an ASP per se. We bundles these services with the CMS Suite to provide a complete solution for your Web site. We combine consulting, products, development, and hardware to offer a complete solution in 6 to 12 weeks. We utilize a Roadmaps to analyze, design and build a customized, turnkey Internet solution for each client. We sell our eServices as a subsciption-based service, not a packaged product. This provides our customers with the best possible solutions, especially in a time-sensitive environment.

2. What is the CMS Suite?

The CMS Suite is a Content Management System family of browser-based tools that Outlook incorporates into its eServices to meet a client's needs. The CMS Suite is highly customizable, flexible and scalable. It consists of CMS/Core, CMS/Media and CMS/Merchant.

3. What are the differences among CMS/Core, CMS/Media and CMS/Merchant?

CMS/Core delivers Web-based technology to manage your Web site content. CMS/Core separates page format templates from content allowing the Web producer to assign topic responsibilities to members of their staff based on areas of expertise. Content developers can create content without having to be concerned with design and formatting issues, while Web designers can create effective page designs that control content throughout the Web site.

CMS/Media provides the functionality and flexibility for you to update Web site broadband content and manage ads in real time. Expanding on the technology that CMS/Core uses, CMS/Media allows Web producers to quickly draw from a pool of text-based articles, images, audio, and video files to format, prioritize, and schedule content to be dynamically published on the Web site.

CMS/Merchant enables e-commerce for business-to-business and business-to-consumers. CMS/Merchant allows Web merchants to quickly create product merchandising effects that seamlessly integrates the shopping cart, check-out, payment services, and order fulfillment functions.

4. How is Outlook different from your competition, like Broadvision, Interwoven, Vignette and OpenMarket?

Outlook differs from them in several ways. First, our solutions are quickly deployed in 6 to 12 weeks; following our Road maps ensures a much more rapid time to market. Second, our customization approach is specific to you, comprehensive and low cost. Third, our subscriptions-based services work for you in several ways; there are no user licensing costs and technical staff is not required. Fourth, the CMS Suite offers features and functions that some competitors do not offer, including Ad Management, Table of Contents Generation, Dynamic Prioritization of Content, Automated Code and Content Distribution, Revision Control and Data Rollback Capabilities.

5. How can you guarantee a 6-12 week implementation? How does Outlook reduce my Time to Market?

Outlook reduces your Time to Market by implementing our proven Road Map strategy. By following the road map, we can guarantee the 6 to 12 week implementation period. Our average implementation time is 6 weeks because we have streamlined the process. With an experienced team and the CMS Suite onhand, we can analyze, design, develop, test and launch a customized solution to move you into the marketplace quickly while meeting your needs. Most of our efforts involve leveraging our knowledge and customizing the particular Web solutions for our clients. Outlook has optimized our technology to support building solutions in short time frames.

6. Why is an outsourced solution cost effective?

The cost of Outlook's services are significantly less than the cost of hiring your own team and building a comprehensive, scalable Web solution as well as the supporting environment, especially in a tight labor market where experience and strong technical skills are highly valuable. Our subscription service lowers the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for you and offers a predictable monthly fee for budgeting. With our rapid Time-to-Market, Outlook can complete your project in the time it takes to organize a team. Furthermore, by leveraging Outlook's 7x24 Data Operations center, capacity planning, and monitoring to host and maintain your Web operations, you free up resources to concentrate on your core business.

7. How does Outlook reduce my Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)?

Essentially, you are outsourcing the management of your Web IT operations to a qualified, experienced company. Our subscription-based payment model works very well, especially for dot com customers. By offering our subsciption-based services, Outlook substantially reduces the costs incurred with a) purchasing and maintaining hardware and software, b) staffing and labor to develop and support the Web site and back office c) a data center and d) downtime. Furthermore, your costs do not increase based on the number of users. As a result, the exponential growth of your business allows you to increase your staff without worrying about your IT budget.

8. How are your services priced? What do the prices include?

Outlook's pricing model begins with a predictable monthly fee, including maintenance, training and support. This subscription-based pricing allows you to easily forecast your costs. It is based on a 24-month contract, the type(s) of CMS service used, and where the service is hosted. Premium services can be added for additional monthly fees. Initial deployment and ongoing development are not included in the service pricing. However, when Outlook upgrades the basic functionality or features of its services, they are available at no additional cost to you.

9. Why should I trust Outlook to run my back office Web operations? How do I know that you can meet our changing needs?

Outlook believes that the tools and development necessary to create these Web sites is simply too strategic, business-critical to be handled in-house. Maintenance of back office infrastructure demands the full-time attention of a team of dedicated experts. The time and resources necessary to develop these systems in-house is difficult to acquire and manage, a managed, outsourced solution can quickly bridge that gap. From start to finish, Outlook ensures that your needs will be met today and in the future by providing scalable and flexible solutions. We focus on our core competencies to let you focus on differentiating your business in the marketplace. By focusing on the technology, Outlook continues to support you as your Web site grows.

10. How can Outlook respond as quickly as an internal IT department?

Outlook's primary objective is to provide best of breed service to our customers. On the Internet time is everything, whether it's Time to Market or uptime. We understand the need for immediate responsiveness to customers. Our eServices are centered on the ability to rapidly build, deploy, upgrade and maintain the foundation of your eBusiness. Our Web site management and monitoring are comprehensive, 24x7 processes that address and resolve issues quickly.

11. What type of customer are your services intended for? What if I already have an IT department focused on the Web site? Do you replace them?

Outlook's services are designed primarily for companies at all stages of eBusiness, from newly created dot com companies to publishers executing their online strategies, from existing Web sites that require better solutions to companies that need an end-to-end solution. Outlook's staff has significant experience in technical operations. We have developed and managed large-scale Web operations for clients as diverse as Time Warner's NY1 News, PetPlanet.com, cars.com and Vraag & Aanbod. We typically manage the infrastructure, development and releases of the back office as well as manage the production environment of the live Web site. Outlook reduces your need to entirely staff your Web operations in-house.

12. Who builds the web sites? We are already working with a great design firm and our in-house staff is top notch. Does Outlook replace that staff?

Outlook always builds the backend that supports the Web site. However, we, you, or a third party may build the frontend of your Web site. Outlook has an exceptional design team, but it's your decision. We will work with your producers and designers or any designated third party to integrate the frontend and backend of the Web site to ensure scalability and best practices. We may not replace your existing staff, but the automation of certain tasks, such as content scheduling and data management, may free up your staff.

13. What databases, platforms and Web servers do you support?

Outlook supports most of the major platforms and software applications used for large scalable Web sites.

14. What happens with our current, homegrown systems? We've spent a lot of money investing in our existing, custom applications? What if we've been using a packaged e-commerce system?

Outlook will work together with you to assess the situation. To meet your needs Outlook can integrate its solutions with existing applications whether they are highly customized or packaged. Outlook recognizes that certain existing pieces of your business need not be altered or integrated. Our team works closely with you to develop the highest level of service and customer satisfaction as possible. Keep in mind that Outlook provides full maintenance and support for systems that tend to become very costly. We offer significant scalability and flexibility. The economies of scale work in clients' behalf since the needs of multiple clients will lead to collaborative upgrades. Outlook also takes our clients to another level. For that reason, we're replacing homegrown, functional systems left and right because our clients have found that our solutions offer more opportunities to expand their business efficiently.

15. What types of security measures do you take?

Outlook maintains a highly secure environment. We have dedicated staff that takes rigorous measures to ensure the safety of your systems and data, in terms of both the physical and the virtual worlds. Outlook systems are protected by a firewall to protect against incidence of network security breaches. Delivery of pages to Web servers and access to back office systems is done under encrypted logins and sessions to eliminate the possibility of information being compromised during transfer. Outlook utilizes the proper authentication of registered users, encryption of secure data during transmission and controlled access to the data to the authenticated users. We provide our clients with Administration tools so they can manage users at their own discretion. Outlook fully supports the use of Digital Certificates and SSL technology.

16. If Outlook hosts my system, will we have dedicated machines or are they shared with other customers?

Outlook employs dedicated hardware for each customer's back office infrastructure and Web site to maximize the benefits you receive. Depending on the need, some development environments may be shared in order to maximize the economies of scale.

17. What happens if we switch services or choose to manage our Web operations in-house?

Any customers that migrate away from Outlook should not encounter any significant technological issues on Outlook's part.