Everyone.net CEO Tim Eades Says E-Mail is Just the Beginning

It's a pitch you're likely to hear from many providers of outsourced services this year: the product they deliver to you is not just a killer app—it's also a platform for additional services.

by Alex Goldman ISP-Planet Managing Editor [January 9, 2009]

Everybody's selling platforms now. The service you are about to provide your customers will enable them to do everything. It's the sales pitch that used to go along with broadband itself.

But Tim Eades of San Jose, Calif.-based Everyone.net has a case to make with his company's killer app, which is e-mail.

He has a list of applications that accompany or depend on e-mail, from backup to instant messaging to core business processes like CRM.

ISPs need partners
I believe that the big development here is that outsourced application providers now have another pitch to ISPs. Eades can say to you, "sure your e-mail people are great, but however good you get at e-mail, I can do things with it that you cannot. I can tie it seamlessly into other applications, applications provided by everyone.net and its partners."

The company already works with Rodopi for billing and back end services and with a company called RPost to deliver registered e-mail.

Furthermore, everyone.net is bundling its services into packages for specific customers. So far, there's a one_business package for SMB customers, but I assume that more are planned.

Know what you can do
It's the potential partnerships that will distinguish services like everyone.net's e-mail from the services you can provide. When everyone.net has put together a complete solution consisting of calendaring, presence, fax, phone, e-mail, and collaboration, the company will have something that you are not likely to be able to offer.

While the largest ISPs are trying to build everything in house, or put together best of breed packages from licensed software, it makes sense for independent ISPs to work with outsourcers who can take care of the inevitable interoperability headaches.

And in a declining or even deflationary market, the potential cost savings of outsourcing looks ever more attractive. However, I strongly believe that small businesses such as independent should not only avoid outsourcing abroad, but should try to outsource, if possible, to companies that are local or, failing that, to companies that they have direct access to through personal relationships and ironclad contracts.

A trusted source pointed out this article to me: Satyam Chief Admits Huge Accounting Fraud. The article notes that, "in some cases, Satyam is even responsible for clients' finances and accounting. The revelations could cause a major shake-up in India's enormous outsourcing industry, analysts said, and may force many large companies to investigate and perhaps revamp their back offices."

ISPs will be looking closely at partners' reputations and balance sheets, and local providers of outsourced services may have a new advantage over foreign providers.

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