Cobweb Solutions and USA.NET Form Transatlantic Strategic Alliance

November 22, 2006; 03:45 AM
Cobweb Solutions and USA.NET, Europe and North America’s leading providers of Microsoft Hosted Exchange and collaboration services, have formed a strategic alliance focused on continuing to provide operational excellence and the delivery of innovative new services to customers.

With both companies already known for the highest quality, reliable Hosted Microsoft Exchange solutions available today, this alliance will benefit customers by accelerating the delivery of new Web-based next-generation messaging and communication services including advanced security, mobility, Unified Messaging (UM), Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). The alliance will leverage the companies' combined industry expertise, proprietary intelligence, and research and development capabilities.

Strategic discussions between Cobweb Solutions and USA.NET began through the companies' combined participation in Microsoft Corp’s Hosted Messaging and Collaboration (HMC) and Exchange Technology Adoption Programs (TAP) for Hosting Partners.  Microsoft TAPs are designed to enable Microsoft’s leading partners to more quickly evaluate and adopt Microsoft technologies and deliver innovative new solutions for the benefit of customers.

Both companies continue to achieve industry recognition and certification above and beyond competitors in their respective marketplace. USA.NET is SAS 70 Type II Audited, Microsoft Gold Certified, salesforce.com Certified, a member of the Microsoft TAP for Exchange 2007, and winner of the 2006 Microsoft Excellence Award for Exchange Hosting Solutions.  Cobweb Solutions is also a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and member of the Exchange 2007 TAP, the winner of Microsoft's EMEA Hosting Service Provider of the Year 2004 and is both ISO9001 and ISO27001 Certified.

"Microsoft is pleased that two valued Microsoft Gold Certified Exchange Hosting partners are working together to further enhance and expand the first-class services they provide to their customers," said John Zanni, director of Worldwide Hosting at Microsoft. "The alliance will serve to strengthen their collective service delivery offerings and to enable customers with even more options for reliable and scalable hosted services."

"The market for Microsoft Hosted Exchange services is heating up, and this new partnership underscores the growing demand for this type of solution," commented Sara Radicati, president and chief executive officer of The Radicati Group.

"The alliance between our two companies will help us continue to make our organisations the benchmark for quality service delivery in the industry," said USA.NET Chief Executive Officer David Ramon.  "Our shared goal is to deliver next-generation services that meet the needs of our current customers and lead the way to cutting edge solutions for the future."

"Aligning with USA.NET provides both organisations with a unique opportunity to benefit from the expertise and experiences of another market leading provider," said Mark Adams, Cobweb Solutions managing director. "By benchmarking and sharing best practices with each other, we expect to enhance our already high levels of customer support and service delivery, and more quickly deliver new services to market."