Personable.com

Profile
Personable.com is the first true consumer Application Service Provider, providing online access to an array of "shrink-wrapped" software applications such as Microsoft® Office. Founded in 1999, Personable.com is located in Fountain Valley, California.

Need for Reliability, Scalability for Web Customers
Benjamin Chou, president of the startup based in Fountain Valley, California, says the exploding market for application hosting services will include a profitable niche for the service that his company provides—offering consumers and small businesses quick and easy online access to an array of "shrink-wrapped" software programs on a rental basis. Personable.com eliminates up-front investment and the ongoing costs of upgrading software or hardware to accommodate the latest versions. Working off of Personable.com’s servers, customers also benefit from the convenience of being able to access popular applications and work on their files when and where they need to—from any PC that has a connection to the Internet.

But to bring the idea to reality, Personable.com needed a strong technological foundation. It needed rich Web functionality to make the company’s product an attractive online offering; easy manageability so the small company could control costs and administrative overhead; scalability for customer growth; and reliability, so customers could access software and data day or night, on any day of the year. The solution that best fit the company’s needs was Windows 2000 Advanced Server.

Windows 2000 Provides the Foundation
"The key for us is that our service will respond adequately at all times for our customers. Our goal is to give our customers easy access to applications, with no more downloading, no more installation problems, and no more of the compatibility issues that plague the users of today's sophisticated desktop software," says Chou. "With Windows 2000 Advanced Server, we have been able to design and deploy an attractive and effective Web site, and we are confident that with Windows 2000, we can provide the kind of reliability and availability we need to attract and retain customers."

With Windows 2000 Advanced Server, Personable.com is able to take advantage of the following:

• The integration of Microsoft Terminal Services, making it easier for the company to distribute applications to clients.
• The Microsoft Active Directory^TM service, which lets Personable.com easily manage its customer base. Active Directory offers a central location for setting up policies for new and existing customers, establishing group policies, and establishing and monitoring security. Personable.com also wrote custom code for Active Directory that allows the company to provision customers in real time so they can start working within minutes.
• The ample memory supported in Windows 2000 Advanced Server, which improves system performance and provides extended head room for usage spikes.
• Great reliability and fail-over features, helping to ensure that customers can always access their applications and data.

With these and other features of Windows 2000 Advanced Server, Personable.com can build on a powerful operating system that offers the features and benefits of high-end corporate systems—without the accompanying cost and overhead.

Software and Services
Windows® 2000 Advanced Server
Office
SQL Server^TM 7.0