Product training programme

The training of BD team is divided into three parts:

• sales process training (covered in this page [1])
• product training (covered here)
• technical training (covered in this page [2])

Sales process training outlines the scope of the sales job and includes grooming tips. This will be applicable to entry level sales people with less than two years of corporate sales experience. More senior sales person may have a quick reading of the sales material -- which will suffice for her level of maturity.

The second part, product training, is specific to the product suite, scope of the product, product applicability, target market, and vendor dependencies. This page covers the product training programme.

The third part, technical training, covers technology concepts which are related to this product suite, and is covered in a separate page [2].

Merce product suite

• Merce: basic services

This section covers an overview of basic services offered by Merce. The basic services are the essential base on which the entire structure of Merce Suite is created.
Basic features addresses the basic needs of any organisation related to IT infrastructure. Needless to say, Merce has nothing to do with physical level IT infrastructure like, cabling, switch configuration, server room design, etc.

• Controlled mail messaging: Controlled messaging is one of the most important features offered by Merce. Here, the key feature is "controlled" and not messaging.
• Controlled Web access
• File server
• Print server
• Merce: top up services
• Internal chat
• Intranet
• Merce Insight
• Standard features
• Customisation options
• Merce Firewall
• Basic firewall
• IDS
• VPN
• Office-to-office over VPN
• Laptop to office
• Merce: backup options
• D2D
• Standby backup server
• High availability server
• Auto switch over
• Other add-ons
• Thin client setup
• Server rationalisation
• Blackberry integration
• Mail and data migration
• Mail gateway
• Mail/data encryption
• IP table routing
• MX service and backupoption
• Mtracks: abridged version of Merce

Features and application

• Mail
• Mail box quota
• Attachment inspection
• Mail size specification
• Mail source control: defining sender recipient based control
• Webmail
• POP account (on laptop, remote offices)
• MX services
• Reports
• Web proxy
• Website blocking
• Advertisement blocking
• Content filtering
• Reports
• Security features
• Antispam
• Antivirus
• Firewall
• VPN
• Merce Insight
• Traffic volume monitoring
• CPU load
• Link up and down, packet loss, jitter
• Bandwidth consumption and availability
• VPN
• When is it needed?
• Office to office
• Laptop to office
• What all VPN can do?
• Backup

Merce scope

• Network software vs. business application software
• Network application is a backbone to the IT system. Business application s/w addresses business problems
• Network s/w are cost centres whereas application s/w allows business process simplification
• Network s/w are invisible to the end users, business apps s/ws are used by the function people
• Server application vs. desktop applications
• Server apps are usually more complex
• Entire organisation depends on server apps and hence, extremely critical
• Example: Tally, MS Office vs. Mails
• Enterprise software
• LAC (Logging, Audit, Control)
• RAS (Reliability, Accessibility, Scalability)
• Integrated services for WAN setup

Target market and product applicability

• Small companies:
• No of users: 50 to 100
• Scenario: single location, a couple of laptop users, dependency on IT
• Major concerns
1. Mail archiving
2. File server and control
3. Centralised information: mail and data
4. Laptop users need to access mails and files when outside office
5. SPAM
• Our offering
• Mtracks: pt 1 and 2
• Firewall: pt 4
• VPN: pt 4
• Backup options: pt 3
• MX record on our server
• Medium (100 to 1000 users):
• No. of users: 100 to 1000
• Scenario: I HO, 1+ major branches, 1+ small offices (<5 users), a few road worriers, WAN connectivity between a few branch offices
• Major concerns
1. Lack of centralised control over users
2. Lack of centralised information storage system (mail & file)
3. Unmanageable servers spread across multiple sites
4. Expensive WAN connectivity, no control over WAN usage
5. Inadequate backup procedures
6. Unreliable mail flow during month end, holidays
7. Mail archiving
8. ERP ready infrastructure
• Our offering
• Merce: pt 1, 2, 3
• Merce Insight: pt 4
• Merce F/W and VPN
• Standby server pair/HA: pt 5
• MX record on our server: pt 6
• Manufacturing organisation
• Scenario: 1 HO, factories, unreliable WAN, lean IT staff
• Major concerns
1. No control over branch and sales offices
2. Inadequate, unreliable data backup
3. Unreliable mail access, limited email IDs shared by all
4. Issues with WAN connectivity
5. Data transfer from branches to HO is not efficient or reliable
• Our offering
• Mtracks or Merce: depending on the size of each branch
• Mail archiving
• Firewall and VPN: for file server access and WAN substitute
• Services organisations
• Scenario: Large no of users, multiple offices, desktop based data storage, no WAN, usage of MSOffice, mails and browser
• Major concerns
1. Official data on the desktops
2. Multiple copies of the same file
3. LAN and internet chokes
4. Heavy dependency on mails
5. High cost of licensing or pirated software
6. Need to access files/mails from outside the office
7. Documents, training material, templates -- common to all
8. 100% work dependency in computers
• Our offering
  • Merce: pt 1, 2, 3, 4
  • Firewall and VPN: pt 6
  • Thin-client setup: pt 5
  • Intranet: pt 7
  • HA: pt 8

Decision makers and influencers

• Small setups (t/o:<50 crores): (DM) Owners (I) Close network
• Medium size I (t/o: 50-500 crores): (DM) IT manager and MD (I) Vertical specific customers
• Medium size II (t/o: 500-1000 crores): (DM) CTO /CIO (I) Other large customers

Vendor dependencies

• Hardware suppliers and AMC
• supply the hardware and support to h/w
• in small companies they are important influencer for decision making
• FM service providers
• Supplies onsite engineers on T&M
• External engineers maintain the servers and trouble shoot
• Technically not too competent
• Could be important influencer
• System integrators
• They drive sales
• Technically competent
• Important influencer in medium/large companies
• Internet service providers (ISPs)
• This information is needed for the actual installation
• Major dependency for product performance
• No role in decision making/influence
• Mail hosting service (24x7) provider (MX record, POP boxes)
• Data centre: server co-location, Web hosting etc.
• As above
• Strategic partners (RH, IBM, Intel)
• If deal is bundled with some big brand -- brand can push the sales