NEWS

Leading IT Firm Helps SMEs Seize Internet Opportunity for Free

Singapore—December 5, 2001-- SMECommunity.com is a private-sector initiative to empower Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Singapore with a presence on the World Wide Web. The package comes complete with web hosting and e-mail services, an Online Business Directory and Classified Ads section, and no pop-up banners or advertisements at the SME's websites. All this - free.

Add to this, a web content management tool, ContentManager, which enables SMEs to set up professional looking websites without any prior knowledge of programming, in as little as five minutes. This website-builder is the first of its kind in Singapore, and is valued at $6,000 in the market. Free technical support to learn how to use this tool is provided. The web hosting furnished at no charge in the SMECommunity.com package is housed in the same high-availability, high-speed network (with 99.7% uptime) as the one provided for paying customers. SMECommunity.com is like having a highly-paid webmaster, without the highly-paid part.

SMECommunity.com is funded entirely by leading e-commerce and web hosting provider Signetique IT Pte Ltd, which poured $500,000.00 into the infrastructure, yielding a value of $6 million in the services generated, according to conservative estimates.

This bolster for SMEs, abolishing the final barriers to online presence, couldn't have been more timely. A difficult economic climate demands better technology - to explore new ways to boost sales and cut costs. SMECommunity.com is an outstretched hand to all SMEs to embrace technology, with no risk of losses. A one-time setup fee of $100, to sift serious intentions from casual interest, is all it takes to get started. No payment is required for the actual services provided.

But why so much for so little? What's the catch? CEO of Signetique, Raymond Tan, explains "What's the catch? Believe it or not, there's absolutely none. It's a genuine offer to get SMEs connected. SMEs must get used to the fact that help can come from the private-sector, not necessarily from the Government only. There are gains for us, of course, but intangible ones, like the goodwill created. This is not a commercial venture. We have benefitted from the Internet, and now we want to do a little to help others benefit from it, especially small and medium businesses which often get sidelined."

ADDITIONAL CONTACT INFORMATION:
Roland Tan – Mobile: (65) 9-654-8143
Douglas Quek - Mobile: (65) 9-119-8057
Kenneth Tan – Mobile: (65) 9-010-8675

About Signetique IT Pte Ltd
Signetique, a leading web developer and web hosting provider since 1995, delivers customized end-to-end online business solutions. Counted among its many clients are famous names like Citibank, Epson, OUB Manulife, Singapore Zoo, PSB (Productivity and Standards Board), Diners World, Deutsche Telekom, Qantas Holidays, Singapore Red Cross Society, and thousands of other domains.

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