Qwest Cyber Solutions: An Application Service Provider

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Founded in 1999, Qwest Cyber Solutions LLC operated as an application service provider. The company primarily offered various vendor products available for enterprise resource planning, customer relationship management, and back office solutions. It also provided professional services, such as initial implementation and ongoing support services. There was a lot of buzz with numerous press releases starting in 1999 at the launch through 2000 with headlines such as 

May 16, 2000
Qwest Cyber.Solutions Launches Business Partner Program To Extend Availability Of ASP Solution that goes on to  report: Qwest Cyber.Solutions (QCS) is the industry's largest enterprise applications service provider (ASP) delivering scalable and reliable business critical software solutions through remote management and hosting of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Business-to-Business (B2B) E-Commerce applications. A joint venture between Qwest Communications International Inc. (NYSE: Q) and KPMG LLP, QCS leverages Qwest's state-of-the-art Internet protocol broadband network and CyberCenters as well as KPMG's consulting and software integration expertise. QCS' software applications portfolio includes Ariba, Captura, Oracle, PeopleSoft, SAP, Siebel, and others.

But in December of 2001 BaselineMag.com reported 

QCS lost $65 million from July 1999, when it was founded, to December 2000, and executives don't expect the company to be profitable before next year.

 …….QCS co-founder KPMG Consulting wrote off its 49% stake, taking a $63.3 million charge, when divesting non-core businesses earlier this year. Neither KPMG nor QCS will say why KPMG didn't find a buyer for its half of the business. Customers were alarmed but not panicked by the pullout, which left QCS with much experienced former KPMG talent .

…… Lars Rabbe, CIO of Redback Networks, worries that QCS may not have a broad enough skillset to handle some additional projects. And he also says tight management is required. 

Qwest.Cyber Solutions became a defunct entity when the KPNQwest partnership collapsed in bankruptcy in 2002.​ The website's domain expired and the site disappeared from the WWW.

Recently I discovered that the domain for qwestcybersolutions.com/ was available so I bought it with the goal of recreating some of its content from archived pages. I definitely didn't want someone else purchasing the domain and re-purposing the site for something that had nothing in common with the original website. The retrieved content is a snapshot of what started out as a grand vision. I believe it should be available for online​ viewing, if for no other reason than for historical purposes​.

I found this site to be inspiring for what they were offering at the time. Technology has advanced in leaps and bounds since 2000. I happened to work for a software enterprise that offers custom web app development services for companies that require customized, industry-specific needs which are outside the scope of the typical commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) programs that many companies initially buy. Unfortunately when a business utilizes commercial off-the-shelf software, they become a captive to the company that built the software. I have seen the disruptions that occur when a company's COTS software was discontinued? It's pretty horrifying. Usually the company will have some to pay for some expensive upgrades or in the worst scenario, go out of business. The customized business and web applications we create for clients is actually owned by them. They can keep the programs and tools as long as they like. Part of my company's sell pitch for custom software development is that it alleviates the worry that the one day-in and day-out program a company relies on, suddenly will not be available anymore. The enormous expansion of the cloud and the advancement in customized programs and apps has changed the way many companies and organizations do business.  

Now step back to the time period between 1999-2001 when things appeared to be looking great for Qwest Cyber Solutions LLC.

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Qwest Overview

Qwest is an Internet communications company. Our growing range of advanced Internet applications and services are delivered -- and enabled -- by the most advanced network on earth. It is the first network designed and built for the 21st century demands of Internet-based communications. It is a new-age pathway for anything our customers can imagine, at speeds they never thought possible. 

The Qwest Cyber.Solutions advantage lies in its seamlessness. Now your Application Service Provider (ASP) and Application Management solutions for customer management, supply chain, and enterprise resource planning are available through one stop shopping (hardware, software, and services); one contract; one price; one monthly bill; and one rapid implementation -- all delivered to you over the Internet.

In the ASP market, alliances have become increasingly common, but Qwest Cyber.Solutions is different. Qwest Cyber.Solutions is the first to couple existing parent's strengths into a complete end-to-end offering under a single management structure. Qwest Cyber.Solutions enters the market with resources that include the most technologically advanced Internet Protocol backbone in the industry, existing application infrastructure management capability, a network of CyberCenterssm, and significant outsourcing expertise.

Our end-to-end services portfolio includes:

  • Business Advisory
  • Enhancements
  • Application Functional Support
  • Application Technical Support
  • Templatized Solutions / Implementation

 

A New Kind Of Company

As voice, data and image converge, Qwest is a company positioned to take full advantage of one of the great economic opportunities in history. Driving that convergence is the Internet.

Qwest Cyber.Solutions LLC is a joint venture between Qwest Communications International Inc., the Internet communications company, and KPMG LLP, a leading professional services firm, to provide Internet-based end-to-end application service provider (ASP), and application management (AM) services. Qwest Cyber.Solutions combines strategic assets from both Qwest and KPMG. Qwest owns a 51% stake in the venture, with KPMG owning 49%.

The venture leverages existing Qwest and KPMG relationships with Hewlett-Packard, SAP AG and other industry-leading hardware and software providers.

Qwest Cyber.Solutions offers customers the broadest set of vendor products available for Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and E-Commerce solutions in the marketplace today, a state-of-the-art Internet Protocol (IP) broadband network, industry leading CyberCenterssm, and a starting skill base of more than 450 certified applications specialists.

 

 

Partners

The Qwest Network

Qwest's high-capacity, Internet protocol-based fiber optic network, incorporating the latest advances in transmission technology, gives you the broadband capacity to send data, images and video as easily as voice - on a single platform. Qwest Network PDF

Qwest Global Presence

Qwest is fulfilling its plans to expand its product and service reach to Europe and Mexico and in the future, Latin America and the Pacific Rim Qwest Global PDF

Qwest Internet Hosting Services

Qwest Internet Solutions, the single-source for Internet solutions by Qwest, offers you one of the most comprehensive ranges of hosting services in the Industry Qwest Hosting PDF

Qwest Internet Data Centers

Qwest Internet Solutions, the single-source for Internet solutions provider, offers state-of-the-art hosting for your mission-critical websites and Intranet applications. Qwest Data Centers PDF

 

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Hewlett Packard

Hewlett-Packard Company -- a leading global provider of computing and imaging solutions and services for business and home -- is focused on capitalizing on the opportunities of the Internet and the proliferation of electronic services.

HP and Qwest are building the world's foremost e-services Application Hosting Service (AHS) that will provide company-wide access to business-critical applications purchased over the Web on a monthly usage basis. HP is investing up to $500 million, scaling according to user demand, to build the AHS system including hardware, software, services and support, in exchange for a share of the revenue based on a per-user, per-month utilization.

 

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Microsoft

Microsoft Corp. and Qwest formed a strategic relationship that will redefine the boundaries for electronic commerce, Web hosting and other mission-critical business software applications and services. This relationship enables businesses to have high-speed network services that maximize network resources, reduce costs, generate new sources of revenue and optimize management of computing operations. The Qwest service, built on the Microsoft® Windows NT® Server operating system and Qwest's Internet Protocol (IP)-based fiber optic network, is designed for businesses of all sizes. To accelerate Qwest's time-to-market with business services, Microsoft will license a broad range of its software to Qwest.

 

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Cisco Systems, Inc.

Qwest and Cisco Systems, Inc. extended their strategic alliance with a multi-year agreement to develop the world's most advanced communications platform to support the migration of traffic from traditional legacy networks to Qwest's high-speed Internet Protocol network. The Qwest network platform will be built predominately on Cisco communications equipment and will be the leading all-Internet based network deployed in the United States. Under this agreement, more than 80 percent of all Qwest's new-world services will travel over Cisco-built networks.

 

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SAP

Enterprise Applications Services for SAP: Comprehensive Solutions for Individual Business Needs

SAP Applications are a critical foundation upon which our clients build their core businesses. Outsourcing this crucial component is unsettling to most organizations, which is why the Qwest Cyber.Solutions approach is focused on managing and operating the application in accordance with the direction set by our clients. Qwest Cyber.Solutions can provide the industry and SAP knowledge necessary to guide optimal decisions while you retain complete control of your system. Regardless of your timing in the SAP implementation cycle, Qwest Cyber.Solutions can offer you a comprehensive solution to help you meet your individual business needs. Qwest Cyber.Solutions' SAP services include Package Integration solutions for application design and implementation as well as Enterprise Applications Services for life cycle support.

 

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Siebel

Customer Relationship Management Services for Siebel: Focus on making your customer happy, and leave the rest to us.

Your customers are the most important part of your organization. Do you have the time and money to support your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system in accordance with its importance? If operating your Siebel application has become a critical issue for your organization, it’s time to turn to Qwest Cyber.Solutions (QC.S). Let QC.S tend to your internal sales, marketing, and customer service systems.

The Siebel functionality is delivered directly via the Internet and displayed through a Web browser. Your sales representatives and marketing staff will be able to access the system from anywhere in the world. This capability will lead to a stronger relationship with your clients.

QC.S manages your system the way you would like. We provide you with dedicated professionals with industry knowledge and technical expertise. QC.S can give you the peace of mind you have been looking for.

 

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Oracle

Enterprise Applications Services for Oracle: Focus on your business, and leave the rest to us.

Applications sometimes take on a life of their own. Tending to them, keeping them running smoothly, responding to ad hoc requests, and deploying them to a growing number of users seem to take up all your time and resources. If operating your Oracle applications has become a critical issue for your organization, it's time to turn to Qwest Cyber.Solutions. The Qwest Cyber.Solutions EAS team provides a complete suite of services to our customers via a service-driven infrastructure and flexible pricing model. Given the breadth of our offering, we can customize our services to address your individual business needs.

 

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Peoplesoft

Enterprise Applications Services for PeopleSoft: Solutions at the Speed of Light

The Qwest Cyber.Solutions Enterprise Applications Services team is dedicated to implementing and performing PeopleSoft Applications Management at the speed of light in an easy to understand, turn-key solution. What could be simpler than: one stop shopping (hardware, software, and services); one contract; one price; one monthly bill; and one rapid implementation?

Qwest Cyber.Solutions is committed to providing clients with a full spectrum of benefits throughout the life cycle of their PeopleSoft applications.

 

QC.S Press

 

06.21.99 - Press Release - Will Deliver Industry's Most Comprehensive Internet and Facilities-Based Services

 

QWEST AND KPMG FORM APPLICATION SERVICES PROVIDER JOINT VENTURE

Will Deliver Industry's Most Comprehensive Internet and Facilities-Based Services

DENVER, June 21, 1999 - Qwest Communications International Inc. (NASDAQ: QWST), the Internet communications company, and KPMG LLP, a leading professional services firm, today announced that they are forming a joint venture, called Qwest Cyber.Solutions LLC, to provide Internet-based end-to-end application service provider (ASP), application hosting (AH), and application management (AM) services. The venture will leverage existing Qwest and KPMG relationships with Hewlett-Packard, SAP AG and other industry-leading hardware and software providers. 

Qwest Cyber.Solutions will have multi-year contracts under management valued at more than $400 million that will provide a base to compete in the global market for applications management that analysts estimate will be grow to $25 billion by 2001. The venture is a facilities-based applications service provider with assets of more than $120 million. 

The venture will offer customers the broadest set of vendor products available for Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Back Office solutions in the marketplace today, a state-of-the-art Internet Protocol (IP) broadband network, industry leading CybercentersSM, and a starting skill base of more than 450 certified applications specialists. 

Qwest Cyber.Solutions will combine strategic assets from both Qwest and KPMG. Qwest owns a 51% stake in the venture, with KPMG owning 49%. Qwest and KPMG are both contributing assets to the venture to accelerate the deployment of these services. Specifically, Qwest and KPMG will leverage existing contracts with independent software vendors for the venture. Additionally, Qwest will contribute domestic and international access to the Qwest Internet -based fiber network. Additionally, there will be access to the newest Cybercenter hosting facilities giving Qwest Cyber.Solutions customers worldwide access to secure IP connectivity with industry leading service level agreements to their outsourced data and applications. 

KPMG will contribute selected methodologies, templates, software and help desk facilities, and the more than 450 applications specialists. KPMG has a well-established track record for fast, efficient, flexible, quality software implementations. The firm has core competencies in delivering solutions for the middle market and providing complete Information Technology and applications management outsourcing, which allows clients to focus on their core business. 

"In the last few weeks, Qwest has moved aggressively to establish a leadership position in the applications services sector," said Joseph P. Nacchio, Qwest chairman and CEO. "Our joint venture with KPMG is the capstone of our ASP strategy. Through the venture we will offer customers fully managed and complete end-to-end Internet-based solutions that will drastically change and improve the way organizations operate." 

Customers for the venture will include mid-range enterprise organizations seeking network-based applications solutions, and larger enterprises seeking to outsource the management of services to run their businesses. The venture will provide integrated services for Internet-based delivery of mission critical business applications for customers around the world. Applications will be managed and hosted in Qwest's Cybercenters, which are directly connected to Qwest's nationwide IP network. 

"Our joint venture with Qwest capitalizes on this explosive new market by creating the industry's first total solution for managed and implemented business applications," said Steve Butler, chairman of KPMG LLP. "Qwest Cyber.Solutions will offer secure, reliable, efficient management of mission-critical business operations for our enterprise customers. Through this venture, customers seeking competitive advantage can realize the benefits of outsourcing applications." 

Qwest Cyber.Solutions will be headquartered in Denver, Colorado. John Charters, vice president of Qwest's business development organization, will lead the venture as chief executive officer. Phil Garland, head of KPMG's applications outsourcing, will be chief operating officer. The two companies will soon announce additional staffing appointments. Qwest Cyber.Solutions LLC will initiate service immediately. For customers seeking additional information regarding the services offered by Qwest Cyber.Solutions, please call 1-877- CYBRAPP.

In a separate arrangement, Qwest is engaging KPMG to serve as the system integrator to project manage, build, configure and support Qwest's next generation, multimedia operations and business support systems (OSS/BSS). KPMG will serve as the prime contractor of the project, teaming with Cisco Systems, which will provide network infrastructure. The network will ultimately provide the backbone for Qwest Cyber.Solutions. 

About Qwest Qwest Communications International Inc. (Nasdaq: QWST) is a leader in reliable and secure broadband Internet-based data, voice and image communications for businesses and consumers. Headquartered in Denver, Qwest has more than 8,500 employees working in North America, Europe and Mexico. The Qwest Macro Capacity® Fiber Network, designed with the newest optical networking, will span more than 18,500 route miles in the United States when it is completed by mid-1999, and an additional 315-mile network route that will be completed by the end of the year. In addition, Qwest and KPN, the Dutch telecommunications company, have formed a venture to build and operate a high-capacity European fiber optic, Internet Protocol-based network that has 2,100 miles and will span 9,100 miles when it is completed in 2001. Qwest also has nearly completed a 1,400-mile network in Mexico.

About KPMG LLP KPMG LLP is the U.S. member firm of KPMG International. In the U.S., KPMG partners and professionals provide a wide-range of accounting, tax and consulting services. As a provider of information-based services, KPMG delivers understandable business advice - helping clients analyze their businesses with true clarity, raise their level of performance, achieve growth and enhance shareholder value. KPMG International's member firms have more than 6,700 partners and 92,000 professionals in 157 countries. KPMG's Consulting practice can be found on the web at http://www.kpmgconsulting.com or reached through the firm's site at http://www.us.kpmg.com.

 

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09.29.99 - Press Release - General Motors First Fortune 500 Company to Adopt New ASP Solution

 

CAPTURA SOFTWARE AND QWEST CYBER.SOLUTIONS DELIVER WEB-BASED EXPENSE MANAGEMENT SOLUTION

General Motors First Fortune 500 Company to Adopt New ASP Solution

BOTHELL, Wash. - (September 29, 1999) -- Captura Software today announced a strategic relationship with Qwest Cyber.Solutions, a leading application service provider (ASP), to offer its corporate customers increased flexibility in meeting their expense management needs. Qwest Cyber.Solutions will be the ASP to deliver the Captura E-Finance Solution suite, which enables companies to automate how they process expense reports, purchase orders and other procurement documents. By forming this relationship, Captura and Qwest Cyber.Solutions will deliver customers Web-based expense management solutions that are affordable, easy to use and fully managed. Automotive leader General Motors is the first customer that will adopt the software-subscription model from Captura.

"The combination of Captura’s innovative expense management solution and Qwest Cyber.Solutions’ record for providing software access over the Internet swiftly and securely made it easy for us to choose a hosted deployment," said Pedro Farah, Executive Director, Worldwide Purchasing, Finance, General Motors. "The Web-based solution not only streamlines finances for our traveling employees and accounting professionals, but makes it easier on our IT department."

The strategic relationship will be detailed by representatives from Captura and Qwest Cyber.Solutions during a press briefing today at 11 a.m. EST at the Essex House in New York.

"Application and services hosting has emerged as the most significant trend in the computer industry this year, and the hosting model is already well on its way to transforming the way corporations will purchase software functionality," said Dwight Davis, Service Director, Summit Strategies, Inc. "Expense reporting and other financial services are naturals for hosted deployment, and I would expect rental of this functionality to become the norm for medium-sized to large companies in the coming years."

"Companies are increasingly turning to the Internet as the key enabler of important business operations. As we experience this high demand for application services, Qwest Cyber.Solutions welcomes the opportunity to add Captura to its growing list of application partners," said John Charters, CEO of Qwest Cyber.Solutions. "Providing scalable Web-based applications provides great benefits to companies that want to provide employees with innovative technology solutions while also streamlining operations and maintaining focus on their core business."

"Ultimately, this is about providing a completely flexible expense management solution for any size company, anywhere in the world. By working with Qwest Cyber.Solutions, we can provide our customers with a completely Web-based solution that can be accessed by thousands of desktops with only a single implementation," said Dan Vetras, president and CEO of Captura.

How Captura’s Subscription-Based Solution Works

A company with locations in multiple countries deploys Captura’s e-Finance solution at a central location such as a secure server site. Employees incur expenses using a single corporate credit card such as a Citibank MasterCard, and the charges are automatically downloaded from Citibank’s database and imported into Captura’s solution. When an employee in France accesses the company Intranet, he clicks on an "Expense Report" tab. The credit card charges are pre-populated in the system as euros, but in the United States, the charges appear in dollars. The employee adds a few details and submits his expense report electronically. Captura’s solution processes his report, liases with other company computer systems, flags any expenses that do not meet pre-defined rules and calculates taxes based on the employee’s profile.

"The shortage of skilled IT professionals is leading more and more companies to outsource application maintenance, upgrades and user support to application service providers like Captura, but some companies are still concerned about moving business-critical applications beyond their firewalls," said Katarina Bonde, executive vice president of Captura. "By offering customers the flexibility to license or subscribe to our software via our new ASP model, we are positioning ourselves to meet the needs of even more companies for whom one size does not fit all."

About Qwest Cyber.Solutions

Qwest Cyber.Solutions is a leading provider of Internet Protocol based end-to-end ASP, Applications Hosting (AH), and Applications Management (AM) services. Qwest Cyber.Solutions offers the broadest range of subscription-based solutions for Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), and other industry applications.

About Captura Software

Captura® Software, headquartered in Bothell, WA, delivers comprehensive global expense management products and superior services through its suite of e-Finance Solutions. Its e-finance solutions allow companies to automate expense management using Web-enabled technology and capture essential financial data that can help them make sound, timely business decisions. Captura is leading the e-finance category through its worldwide deployment, its growing list of customers and its partnerships with global leaders in financial, software, travel, and communications industries.

Captura has offices in Atlanta, GA; Boston, MA; Chicago, IL; Dallas, TX; Los Angeles, CA; New York, NY; San Francisco, CA; Seattle, WA; Wayne, NJ; Washington DC. Captura's European headquarters are in London, UK, with an additional European office in Paris, France. Captura has built a strong infrastructure of customers, partners, and strategic alliances with more than 400,000 seats sold. Customers include adidas-America, Ford Motor Co., General Motors, Hercules, Inc., Merrill Lynch & Co., CGU, Lockheed-Martin, Pfizer Inc., Reckitt & Colman. For more information about Captura and its products, in the U.S. call +1-425-424-1000; in Europe call +44 181 263 2914 (U.K.) or +33 153 53 67 15 (France); or visit the company's Web site at http://www.captura.com.

 

QwestCyberSolutions.com