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Value Republic does not allow the performance of its staff to depend on their location. Thanks to Belgacom they always have access to documents, data or e-mail - at the office, at home, with the client or on the road.

Value Republic helps organisations to optimise their cost management. The business does this in various different ways. It helps its clients to budget better, provides consultancy for purchase management, acts as negotiator for purchase contracts and provides support through e-sourcing solutions. Clients of Value Republic include large organisations such as Goodyear, Kraft, Bacardi, GlaxoSmithKline, etc… as well as a range of small and medium-sized enterprises… Since being set up in the spring of 2008, Value Republic has grown into a business with ten staff. And the company is still growing. It recently also opened an office in France.  The Belgian business will be moving shortly to a larger office. “Our staff continuously commute between our offices and our clients”, says Philippe Van Loock of Value Republic. “Communication is crucial to being able to work as efficiently as possible.”

Always connected

Value Republic decided to look for a supplier that would be able to offer a full service solution, day and night, seven days per week. At the office Value Republic has VDSL. That solution indeed offers the capacity and performance that Value Republic is looking for, but satisfies only half of the company’s needs. “We work mainly on site with the client”, says Tom Timmerman, the founder of Value Republic. “It is often the case that when we are with the client we have no access to the network - for security reasons. That is why we looked for a reliable solution to always give our staff access to the data and documents that are located on the server in our office.” Value Republic also found the solution to this problem easily with Belgacom. Staff work at the client’s site with their own laptops. They always have access to the mobile network using a GPRS card.

In the cloud

Tom Timmerman: “This gives us access from any location - at home, with the client, in traffic, at the airport -to documents, e-mails and other data, which is essential for us to operate effectively.” For Value Republic, mobile network access is especially important because staff who are with clients are no longer dependent on getting network access from the client. Tom Timmerman: “In order to be able to give optimal performance, we have to be able to focus on the tasks we carry out with clients, and these operational solutions are an outstanding means of achieving this. A communication platform that works badly results in delays and frustration and that is the last thing we need!” Documents and data still reside today on our own server. In cooperation with ICT Comfort, which offers outstanding service and reliable solutions, Value Republic is looking at virtualising its IT environment.  This will make a good data connection even more important!

Single point of contact

In order to further increase the mobility of the business, each employee of Value Republic also has a BlackBerry. Tom Ceulemans of Value Republic: “This means our staff can always consult their e-mails, diary and contact list. That results in a more efficient use of time.” Finally, Value Republic also came to Belgacom for a new telephone system. The choice fell on Forum 500, on a rental basis. “We wanted a small system, but with the functionality of a larger one. The rental model makes it possible to switch to a larger system if the business continues to grow this quickly.” At Belgacom, Value Republic found a one-stop shop solution for fixed and mobile telephones, and for a fixed and mobile internet connection. Tom Timmerman: “We are specialists in cost management; it goes without saying that we scrutinised that investment very thoroughly. With Belgacom, as a growing SME we enjoy the same solutions and services as a big business.”

Business benefits

-  Single point of contact for fixed and mobile telephone service, fixed and mobile internet

-  No other vendor can offer a comparable solution

-  BlackBerry offers the best compression speed, the simplest management and the lowest TCO

-  Total solution offers the highest degree of mobility, at the office, at home and with the client

Company profile

Value Republic is a consultancy business that helps clients to reduce their indirect and commercial spend. The business has been operating since the start of 2008 and is based in Zwijndrecht.

More info?

For more information on this solution, visit the Belgacom website or contact your Account Manager.