Software-as-a-Service Pioneer asknet Trusts Oracle to Help Deliver Secure and Successful Online Stores

May 28, 2008

Thanks to e-commerce, consumers can shop around the world with the click of a mouse. However, just like in the real world, customers expect online merchants to make ordering and paying for purchases a simple and secure process. It can be a challenge for vendors to create online stores that securely handle customer data and offer the performance that online shoppers demand.

Oracle Alliance partner asknet is a pioneer in providing on-demand e-commerce solutions. In 1997, the firm began selling software via the internet to customers in Germany. Today, asknet provides a reliable online distribution channel, complete with online shopping carts, secure online payments, policies that address international regulations and compliance, and Web analytics that determine which products and services are selling.

The company’s instant online distribution channel now has international reach, serving Europe, North America, and Japan. The solution supports more than 40 currencies and more than 18 languages. Jaywant Rao, asknet vice president of Sales and Business Development says, “Our Oracle-based solution provides the scalability, flexibility, integration, and localized rapid deployment to meet the needs of our customers.”

“We mirror the Oracle on-demand stack,” continues Rao. “We leverage the stack to give us the flexibility to meet the requirements of the stores we are creating. All the customization of the online shopping carts, the look and feel, is done via Oracle Forms. Because of Oracle technology, we can quickly build customized stores that look and feel and scale for clients.”

Nero Inc., an asknet customer since 2007, develops and distributes digital media solutions in 26 languages through 14 localized Web-based stores. The company relies on asknet’s online shopping services—including its transaction engine, logistics distribution, and customer support—to reach markets around the world. “We wanted a partner that would allow us to grow internationally,” says Kris Barton, Nero senior vice president. “The online sales channel has become our top sales channel as a company, and we’ve seen significant, double-digit percent growth in the past year. We’ve also been able to localize our Web shop and offer relevant localized payment methods, which better cater to our customers throughout the world.”

Barton also appreciates asknet’s ability to manage the security and availability of customer data. Barton says, “asknet has adapted some of the reporting policies to meet our business needs. We are satisfied with the security and reliability that they provide to both Nero and our customers.” Oracle 10g Database technology and RISC architecture–based servers allow asknet to provide a complete server backup in case of failure. According to Rao, asknet can leverage Oracle’s high-availability features, and they trust Oracle’s native features for performance, scalability, and service levels. “We use features that are built into Oracle because they are tested and reliable.”

Oracle system management tools also help asknet ensure system performance and capacity. Rao says, “We use database features to manage growth. We do service-level agreement capacity planning and performance tuning with native Oracle tools. We can keep up with performance spikes and can do predictable planning with Oracle.”

Another area that is critical for asknet is scalability and the ability to use technology to broaden its product range. Because certification and compliance are huge issues for asknet customers, the company works continually to provide expanded financial analysis services. Rao reports that asknet offers a key performance indicator dashboard, drill-down reporting and scheduling features based on Oracle Warehouse Builder, and Web 2.0 and mobile shopping cart support with Oracle integration. “Customers love knowing how products are selling. We do a lot of drill-down and analytical reporting—all analytics come from Oracle.”

Barton believes that it is this critical focus on meeting customer demands for versatility and flexibility that makes asknet so successful. “Our decision to opt for asknet as our e-distribution partner was based mainly on the global range and the comprehensive functionalities of its technology. We are convinced that with asknet as an experienced service provider, we will be able to continuously increase our online sales.”