Brisbane ISP flags further expansion with Sydney office

Brisbane data networking and internet service provider iExec has expanded into NSW, with a North Sydney office slated to open 1 September.

Brisbane data networking and internet service provider iExec has expanded into NSW, with a North Sydney office slated to open 1 September.

Steve Robinson, managing director at iExec, said the four-year-old company had gradually broadened its focus from internet service provision to data networking with an eye to the small to medium sized corporate market.

"We're really targeting that middle corporate space," he said. "I don't believe those guys have been served too well by the large telcos, or even by the second and third tier companies."

Robinson said iExec had proved successful because it had focused strongly on flexibility, innovativeness and serving customer needs.

"We've been expanding just a little bit, but it's really nothing to brag about," he said.

iExec last month opened a new head office and a data hosting centre in Brisbane. The service provider had grown from two staff in 2000 to 20 today, not counting new hires for the Sydney office.

Former Volante corporate sales executive John Holmstead would start in Sydney on 1 September. Robinson and his family would also move down to Sydney to oversee the new operation for a minimum 12 months. "My other corporate sales executive is based in Brisbane, he's from Volante as well," Robinson said.

The company hopes to expand into Melbourne by mid-2005.

iExec worked with various carriers, including Uecomm, Powertel and Optus and fostered strategic partnerships with companies such as Volante. However, the firm had no plans to adopt a channel model.

"If we get referred to a client of an integrator, we want it to be because we deliver the best product," Robinson said.

He pointed out that some salespeople tended to promote the products of whichever firm paid the biggest kickbacks to its resellers. That was not the best way to serve customers, Robinson said, before noting: "We don't want to get involved in that."

iExec had around 200 customers. For example, the company managed the WAN infrastructure for several large charities, including Amnesty International and St Vincent de Paul in Australia.

The service provider was also looking at releasing an EFTPOS over IP product for the retail sector, for which it had high hopes.

"We've also dabbled in VoIP, like everybody else, but I think the EFTPOS over IP will be the real jewel in the crown," Robinson concluded.