Toronto, Ontario / March 4, 2003 / Q9 Networks Inc., the leading Canadian provider of Internet infrastructure and managed Web hosting services, is pleased to announce it has been awarded a contract for infrastructure services by Moneris Solutions, Canada's largest processor of credit and debit card transactions.
Q9, which also hosts eSELECTplus, Moneris' Internet-enabled merchant payment service, will provide Moneris with additional physical space in one of its secure data centres and a complete suite of managed infrastructure services, including: a storage area network (SAN), servers, firewalls, load-balancing and back-up devices. The added services will be used to host new order entry and data warehouse systems.
The decision to outsource the infrastructure for these mission-critical systems was based on Q9's ability to provide rapid installation, a high level of ongoing technical support and industry-leading service level agreements.
"We were extremely impressed by Q9's support and responsiveness with our eSELECTplus product, which they have been hosting since it launched in 2002," says Al Tinney, CIO, Moneris Solutions. "Customer service is Moneris' number one priority, and for these new systems, Q9 offers a rapid installation time that is considerably shorter than other estimates we had received. We are confident that Q9 will continue to meet our needs both now and into the future."
Q9 delivers unparalleled service through an extensive suite of customer care products, including a web-based portal that provides complete visibility into customer equipment and Q9 services. All Q9 and customer systems are monitored from the Q9 Network Operations Centre (NOC) 24 hours a day, seven days a week. NOC experts are also available to customers on an around-the-clock basis to resolve issues and provide advice.
"We are delighted with this significant expansion of our relationship with Moneris, one of North America's top merchant payment processing companies," says Q9 Networks CEO, Osama Arafat. "Since its inception, Q9 has worked diligently to deliver outstanding service to Canada's financial community. This win clearly establishes us a preferred vendor to another high-profile member of that community."
Q9's sole focus on Internet infrastructure allows it to hire, train and retain highly qualified experts in Internet-specific disciplines. Key services are backed with service level agreement (SLA) guarantees for installation time and problem identification and response. These factors enable customers to outsource mission-critical systems to Q9 with complete confidence.
About Moneris
Moneris Solutions is Canada's leading technology merchant processing company. Moneris was formed in December 2000 as a result of a 50:50 joint investment between the RBC Financial Group and BMO Financial Group. Moneris provides businesses with technologically advanced, easy to use, point-of-sale solutions designed to electronically process and authorize credit and debit card transactions, including customized loyalty card transactions. Moneris' leading-edge technology allows merchants to streamline payment processing and improve business efficiency. Moneris is Canada's largest and one of North America's largest merchant payment processing companies. Moneris serves more than 300,000 North American business locations and has a staff of over 1100 employees. With its head office in Toronto, Ontario, the company also has offices in Chicago, Illinois, Montreal, Quebec, Vancouver, B.C. and Sackville, NB. For more information, please visit www.moneris.com.
About Q9 Networks
Q9 Networks is the leading provider of outsourced Internet infrastructure and managed hosting services for companies with mission-critical Web operations. Q9 raised $115 million in private equity financing to fund a national network of Internet data centres in major Canadian cities. Q9's data centres and network are engineered for 100 percent uptime with SLA-backed guarantees. Q9 managed services, including: bandwidth, dedicated servers, firewalls, load balancing, Virtual Private Networking (VPN) and back-up/restore, enable the rapid provisioning and scalability of client Internet operations. For more information, visit the Q9 Web site at www.Q9.com.
For further information, please contact:
Q9 Networks
Kevin Spikes
Manager, Marketing Communications
Toll-Free: 1-888-696-6626 x7211
Kevin.Spikes@Q9.com