02-02-09 | Blog Post
Question 1) Can you tell us about your client experience with Online Tech?
We currently have 4 dedicated servers with Online Tech. We upgraded in 2009 to Online Tech’s High Availability Power Services. We also use the managed backup and network storage. As our business continues to grow, we’ll work with Online Tech to scale our server capacity as necessary and consult with their support team on best practices related to backups and security.
Question 2) Online Tech turned to your company for our website redesign and more because of the reputation of your Content Management System, Bulldog CMS. We love using it – tell us what makes it special?
Well, if you’re already using (and loving) the Bulldog, then you probably have your own ideas about what makes our CMS special. Our clients (like Online Tech) tell us that unlike other Content Management Systems, the Bulldog is easy and intuitive to use, and does not require that you dig into the actual HTML code to modify content, make tables, add photos, or create links.
When we developed the first version of the Bulldog a few years ago, we wanted to give our clients a tool that empowered them to maintain their own websites – because if our clients make frequent updates to their sites, they’ll connect more strongly with prospects and customers, and they’ll increase site traffic because their site will be fresh and inviting to the search engines.
Since our CMS is a hosted application, we continue to make upgrades and improvements to it (which we push out to clients as they become available). This year we’ll make the Bulldog available for lease by other web companies who want to empower their own clients to manage their sites. We’ll also create a version of Bulldog CMS that is available for web developers to purchase, customize, and offer to their clients.
Question 3) You’ve been in business in Ann Arbor, Michigan since the 90’s? How has the recession impacted your business and how you do business?
Although we have been in the web/internet arena since the 1990’s, we didn’t start Inner Circle Media until 2001. Eight years later we’re still in business, and doing better than ever. During our time in business, the economy (in Michigan and the US) has never been all that great. In fact, our team keeps saying, “Just imagine what business will be like when the economy is actually good!” At present we have a growing team of seven experts, and revenues continue to climb by 15-30% per year.
One insightful decision we made early on was to diversify our target market and to NOT actively pursue business with the automotive industry. Most of our business comes from technology companies, health care and research organizations, educational institutions, and nonprofit organizations. By targeting these markets, we’ve managed to grow and prosper.
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