ERIN Profile

Luxembourg Business, September 1998

ERIN specializes in E-Business solutions utilizing Internet and related technologies. The company works with dynamic organizations, helping them to integrate this technology to increase their business efficiency and competitive edge. Working closely with its international client base, ERIN puts a high emphasis on both quality of service and client liaison.

The organization determines specific needs and translate these requirements into successful solutions. It provides skills in the fields of design, development, and integration, as well as marketing and organizational issues, and applies them via their key business services.

ERINs range of expertise covers WebSites, Web applications, intranets, multi-lingual publishing, and databases.

Its customers include public sector organizations such as European Union Institutions, as well as financial institutions and other private sector companies.

ERIN has designed and developed, and also hosts, dynamic and interactive multi-lingual WebSites for a broad client base. All projects are unique in approach and outcomes but one aspect remains consistent - ERIN's high level of service.

<*dv_3*>Some projects involve information dissemination via an extensive hierarchy of data; these projects require comprehensive planning to ensure that the design and development phases are achieved without problems.

Such projects include multi-lingual WebSites for Luxembourg banks with automated facilities for remote publishing of fund prices. Re-engineering projects involve porting of databases and realization of interactive WebSites where data is stored in database format and presented on-the-fly when requested by site visitors. Intranets are then utilized to enable database management via a secure data management application, also Web-enabled.

ERIN also successfully realizes corporate intranets, including a large project in Brussels for an organization of 1,000 staff. This project not only included analysis, technical design, development and presentation, but also management and publishing issues aimed at maximizing the effect with the minimum level of support.

Other projects involve the enhancement of standard electronic mailing lists to avail of a single publishing point for both dynamic WebSite publication and mass electronic mailing: this results in reduced administrative costs.

Also involved is the development of platform-independent applications which can be downloaded from Web servers for subsequent uploading and data processing via database applications.

<*dv_2*>The technical tools which are used by ERIN staff in such projects include Oracle and Access databases; UNIX and NT platforms; Corba technology; and HTML, Java, ASP, SQL, VB and other programming languages.

Communication
Prior to technical issues being addressed in Internet publishing projects, Communications and marketing issues need to be comprehensively tackled: however, such issues are often neglected which can result in ineffective WebSite projects. ERIN assists its clients in defining marketing strategies based on electronic media which includes detailing communication issues. Concepts from branding, localization, presentation, and many more are included.

Systems integration
ERIN is involved in other projects more closely related to traditional information technology. Such projects include application development for statistical and database systems - covering design, development, testing, and support phases.

Due to increasing difficulties in hiring suitably-qualified and experienced technical staff, ERIN has established a network of resources which can be called upon for specific projects: the profiles which are available include consultants, project managers, designers, developers, webmasters, graphics design artists, systems and network engineers, and others.

Training
ERIN undertakes training courses in the fields of information and Internet technologies. These cover a range of training solutions which include conventional classroom courses at ERIN's training centre and tailored training programmes at clients premises. Internet-related courses cover many aspects of the Internet Technology domain, aimed at management, technicians and content publishers.

In addition, ERIN has developed a unique approach to the re-engineering of existing training material. This is based upon Internet techniques, resulting in interactive training material accessible via Web browsers, on both Internet and Intranet platforms.

Products
<*dv_1*> ERIN complements its core services with a product range which enables the organization to provide total solutions to its international client base. This product range covers telecommunications, networking, server hardware and software; however, it is in the security domain where ERIN is most active. ERIN's leading product is Raptor System's Eagle, the most secure firewall available today. Eagle works at the application level, using a set of application-specific security proxies to evaluate each attempt to pass data in or out of the network it secures.

In addition, Raptor has implemented VPN capabilities to secure network level sessions, and packet filtering on a per-interface and per-tunnel basis to provide increased flexibility to system administrators and users.

Raptor also secures internal networks or Intranets through the EagleLAN and offers a remote or branch office solution through EagleRemote. Raptor offers solutions for the five domains of security: the Internet, the Intranet, the mobile worker, the remote office, and the total integration and management of all these products.

New projects
ERIN is involved in a new initiative, set up to service and support European SMEs in protecting their innovations - i.e. intellectual property rights. This substantial project comprises a Help Desk of patent attorneys, technical writers producing tutorial and IPR-related material, public relations, multi-media production and a comprehensive WebSite.

ERIN's responsibilities include the WebSite structure, database applications, extensive multi-lingual WebSite Help system and technical infrastructure. ERIN is working with partners from Germany and Ireland on this project.

<*dv_0*>This article first appeared in the September 1998 issue of Luxembourg Business. It is the Copyright (1998) of International City Magazines (ICM S.a.r.l.) and we use it with their kind permission.