Information Technology:

We are living in the information age.
The fastest growing industry in the world today, is the IT industry. What are you doing about it?

The Internet:
The two fastest growing industries in the world today are the Internet and the Multimedia market. Companies not utilizing these technologies will find themselves falling further and further behind. Bill Gates once expressed that: if you re not on the Internet you won t be in business

Facts:

1. According to a survey conducted by Acuity Media Africa, during first half of January 2001, South African consumers spent R20-million at Internet sites during the 2000 holiday season.
2. The year 1999 saw more than half a million new users arriving on the Internet in South Africa, to bring the total number of Internet users in South Africa to 1,82-million. (South African Internet Services Industry Survey 2000)
3. Average income of Internet users is just under R11 000 per month with most respondents employed in the computer field. (South Africa online The 3rd South African Web User Survey)
4. It is estimated by the year 2002, 490 million people will have Internet access, world wide.
5. In the last four years the Internet usage in South Africa has increased nearly 5 fold.

1. 24 hour access.
2. Interactivity
3. Flexibility and Versatility
4. Targeting
5. Tracking and Metering

W&C Information Consultants CC can design anything from a simple web presence right through to a fully interactive multimedia site, back by a sophisticated database and e-Commerce solution. The Internet is an extremely powerful technology that enables companies to communicate, transfer data and manage documents, without great expense.

Many Companies make use of expensive turnkey solutions, generating great cost to companies and not always offering the solutions the companies wanted. W&C Information Consultants CC makes use of open source technologies such as PHP, my SQL and Linux. These technologies are downloadable from the Internet at no cost. The use of such technologies enables W&C Information Consultants CC to deliver effective solutions, very cost effectively, but also offers unique customization opportunities. The open source market is a well-established market, offering regular updates, brought to the public by some of the brightest individuals in the world.

The latest trends in Internet technologies are definitely moving away from straightforward advertising on the internet. Companies are realizing the potential that the Internet actually offers to improve communications. (B2b, b2c & c2c) Companies are also coming to the realization that the global village is at our fingertips. If we use the correct Internet technologies, it is relatively easy to create Internet communities, within this global village. It is important to note that an Internet community is a group of people who share some kind of common interest, be it a product, an activity, or a common employer. In this sense, South African Breweries, for instance, has several related communities, e.g. a community of consumers, a community of employees, a community of vendors, and a community of suppliers. From a CRM point of view, it will benefit SAB greatly to become more aware of these communities, and exploit the communities` platform to learn more about their industry, but also give information to the relative communities.

Globally the term e-Business is being used more and more. Companies want to streamline their internal and external processes. What this means is the implementation of Intranets, Extra-nets and E-Commerce in the day to day running of businesses. Businesses are coming to the realization that their legacy systems are very often inadequate. Companies often have large data basis of clients, without having the means to make use of this knowledge, or do not have the storage space, onsite to maintain these databases. E-Knowledge systems streamline these processes. Data Mining and Data Warehousing, improves storage and accessibility of information. CRM systems improve customer communications and as such improve customer relationships. The benefits of e-Business are to many to list in this short Business Plan.