 These days it seems like every
industry is staking its claim online, so why should the
self-storage industry be any different? Launched in April,
www.onlineselfstorage.com provides comprehensive online
reservation and payment systems for 13 self-storage companies
across the United States.
While the site represents a
nationwide campaign, the idea itself was home-grown in Tucson
by Vision7 Software.
National Self Storage and The
Schomac Group formed the new company Online Self Storage after
being approached with the idea by Vision7, which now holds an
equity position in the company in exchange for software
development services. As part of the Online Self Storage
partnership, Vision7 creates the features and functions of the
site, while leaving the other partners free to perform
marketing and sales operations.
This business
relationship model, called a Venture Technology Partnership,
was created by Vision7 in order for the company to invest in
new business ventures as partners rather than performing
work-for-hire. Through the model, instead of investing cash in
a new company, Vision7 invests its technological expertise in
exchange for royalties or equity in a long-term relationship.
Vision7's fields of expertise include Internet, e-commerce,
database and wireless mobile computing
solutions.
APAC supports
AT&T
AT&T Broadband’s customer support
services will now be provided by the local center of customer
relationship management company APAC Customer
Services.
After establishing a presence in Tucson last
month, APAC announced the deal with the nation’s largest
provider of broadband services on Tuesday. The AT&T
network currently serves about 16 million homes.
APAC
will provide customer service for several broadband markets,
as well as selling services such as high-speed Internet, cable
and phone. The company also hopes to sign other western region
clients.
Based out of Illinois, APAC operates 53
customer service centers across the country with about 14,000
employees. The new Tucson inbound sales center is 63,000
square feet and will employ approximately
450.
Ephibian ‘Provider of Year’
During
its Celebration of Innovation Awards, the Arizona Software and
Internet Association recently named Tucson’s Ephibian as the
“Service Provider of the Year.” Ephibian is an Internet
service firm specializing in database-backed Web
sites.
Over 800 people attended the June 14 AZSOFT.net
ceremony. The top award winner, named “Company of the Year,”
was Scottsdale’s KnowledgeNet.
Area code
changing
Just another friendly reminder: the 520
area code will officially split in two on June 23. The new 928
area code will launch on Saturday, effective in areas such as
Yuma, Flagstaff, Sedona and Prescott. Tucson, Sierra Vista,
Nogales, Casa Grande, Benson and other cities in the Tucson
area will not be affected. Customers in the 602, 480 and 623
area codes will also be unaffected.
Between June 23 and
Jan. 5, customers will have a permissive dialing period,
allowing either area code to be used.
For more
information, contact the Arizona Corporation Commission at
(800) 222 7000.
Telecom Expo
postponed
The Community Information And
Telecommunications Alliance’s fifth annual Tucson Link Telecom
Expo has been postponed again. Initially set to take place in
May, then changed to June 26,"Getting Connected:
Telecommunications In Tucson” will now be postponed until
August.
However, in July, CITA will pick up with a
regularly scheduled Tucson Link Forum, "E-learning: New
Options For Education and Workforce Development."
|
.gif)
.gif)
.gif)
.gif)
.gif)
.gif)
