Guernsey E-Commerce Incubator Launches ASP Training Solution Provider

Jason Gorringe, Tax-news.com, London

24 July 2000

Sometimes an idea is so obvious that you don't think of it until it stares you in the face. If e-commerce can be more profitable offshore, then surely e-commerce financing should be more profitable offshore as well?

Opta Enterprises is an e-commerce incubator in Guernsey, and it specialises in start-ups which offer ASP solutions to clients who want the benefits of offshore hosting for their product offers without the hassle of having to set up independent operations offshore.

Recently Opta launched Traineasy.com, an Advanced Learning Solution Provider. With the help of GT Online (Guernsey Telecom) Traineasy is bringing Guernsey's offshore e-business benefits to on-line learning.

Earlier this year traineasy.com signed a European partnering agreement with Intralearn Software Corporation of USA for their Internet-based learning management system.

"What we have," explained David Honey, traineasy.com's Managing Director, "is the first online learning solution that enables training providers and educational institutions to create, manage and administer multiple online learning Internet sites under a single, fully integrated online learning management system. The software leads the market in ease of use for the content provider and ease of use by the student. The name, traineasy.com, speaks for itself."

The proof of this claim came when their first customer was selling exam revision training on the worldwide web six weeks after their initial contact with traineasy.com.

The International Franchising Association have adopted the system for its education, training and certification programmes in the USA. It was at the IFA's 1999 Convention that Honey discovered the software and was immediately struck by its European possibilities. "The USA leads the world in Internet development and this product is well in front of its competitors. As technology is changing the world at an ever increasing pace it is creating a rapidly growing training requirement. The system that we are offering is tried and tested."

With traineasy.com offering third-party training providers the opportunity to deliver their own online training courses from its Guernsey based server, Business Development Director Rick Rowland believes that the company has the best of both worlds. "We knew that the combination of world leading software and the benefits of delivering Internet based services from an offshore base, would give us a tremendous edge. Many of our UK customers, however, would be supplying training in the business to business sector where VAT can be reclaimed. We therefore needed a high quality, good value service provider to enable us to compete in this particular market. Of all of the service providers that we approached we found that GT Online best met our requirements."

Rick Toms, GT Online General Manager, was pleased to have secured traineasy.com's business. "We believe that we have a world class operation at Centenary House, and traineasy.com has confirmed this. They were looking for expertise in network management and hosting as well as a physically secure environment for their system. Our experience and development of the Ecommerce Data Centre ensured we met their requirements better than any other provider. We wish traineasy.com every success with their new venture."

Honey sees the UK venture as a foundation for expansion, "IntraLearn in the USA are already growing at 400% per annum. There are significant differences between the use of the Internet in the USA and Europe, so we see the UK venture as a pilot. traineasy.com plans to use the franchising expertise of its parent company, Opta Enterprises, to rapidly expand into other English speaking markets and into Europe."

Not surprisingly the new company's website is at www.traineasy.com. Further information can be obtained from Rick Rowland on tel: 233 255.

.

Recommended

Write a comment