Most IT managers know by now that technical problems at eBay, E-Trade and other highly trafficked Web commerce sites have damaged those companies' financials, and to some extent their reputations. What more companies are realizing is that few qualities appeal so vividly to the human psyche as dependability. Security vendor Entrust Technologies goes so far as to embed the concept into its name. But physical reliability is only part of the calculus. Once e-businesses were able to reassure customers that these transactions are secure, traffic started to explode.
Reliability is also about forging trusted human relationships.
What they won't tolerate are customer support personnel who don't return phone calls or play fast and loose with the truth. As associate editor Chuck Moozakis notes in his page 1 story, the infrastructure for these high-speed telecom services is becoming more reliable every day. The bigger obstacle to persuading corporate IT to route critical traffic over these networks is a psychological one. The cable TV industry still has a lot to prove before enterprise customers get onboard. Let us know at the address below.