Q: What is Software as a Service?

1. There are no perpetual license fees. The software is paid for as it is consumed usually on a monthly per user subscription basis or a fee per transaction.
2. The User is not required to purchase, install or maintain any software, hardware or infrastructure. The Software Vendor provides all parts of the solution with the exception of the User's PC and Internet connection.
3. The User accesses the application via a web browser

Some examples of other Software as a Service providers include:

• Salesforce.com
• eBay
• Linkedin
• Internet banking applications

Q: What are the advantages of Software as a Service?

• No large up front license costs.
• No expenditure on hardware costs.
• No need to employ additional IT resources to support and manage the Service.
• Ability to access the Service from any PC with an Internet connection. You are not locked in to the office.
• Available immediately. No setup required.
• No barriers to switching providers at a later date. The pay-as-you-go pricing model means you are not locked in to a provider who no longer meets your needs.
• Continual access to the latest version of the Software without having to go through an upgrade process.

Q: My company is not based in Australia . Can we still use your Service?

A: Yes you can. Please note that we will still bill in Australian Dollars. Your credit card provider will convert our charge to your local currency at the exchange rate applicable at the time of the transaction.

Q: I like your applications but they would be of even more benefit if they could be integrated into my existing business applications. Is this possible?

A: Yes it is. Our Services have been designed with integration in mind and we would be happy to consult with you on your particular requirements. Please contact sales@empowermessaging.com for further information.

Q: How secure is my data?

A: The transmission of your data from your PC is secured via SSL encryption. This is confirmed by the small lock icon in the bottom tray of your browser and also by the https prefix (rather than http) in the URL shown in the address box of your browser. However, it is important to remind customers that they are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality and security of their Usernames and Passwords.

A: No. Like most Software as a Service offerings the empowermessaging suite of applications has been designed to be intuitive, user friendly and easy to learn. If you do require some assistance help is at hand on support@empowermessaging.com . Users will also have access to our Knowledge Base and User Forums.

Q: There are lots of SMS companies out there. Why should I choose empowermessaging?

That's the thing. We don't think of ourselves as an SMS company. Our focus is on building applications that deliver a real business benefit. We just happen to use SMS as one of the message delivery mechanisms. So whilst there are some other companies that provide SMS messaging technology we don't believe any of them have the level of sophistication of applications like Campaign Manager or Staff Match.

A further benefit of our focus is that we don't try and make our money out of sending the message like our competitors. We happen to believe that one day SMS will be replaced by cheaper data packet delivery mechanisms on 3G networks. When this happens our applications will still work whereas the SMS focussed companies will go out of business.

Q: What is SMS?

A: SMS (Short Message Service) is a service for sending text messages of up to 160 characters to mobile phones that was originally designed for use in the Global System for Mobile (or GSM) communication standard. Due to the popularity of SMS it is also available on GPRS and 3G mobile phone networks. SMS is similar to paging however, SMS messages do not require the receiving mobile phone to be active and within range and will be held, by the network, for a number of days until the phone is active and within range

Q: What is MMS?

A: Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) is a communications technology that allows users to exchange multimedia communications between capable mobile phones and other devices. An extension to the Short Message Service (SMS) protocol, MMS defines a way to send and receive, almost instantaneously, wireless messages that include images, audio, and video clips in addition to text. The simplest application of MMS is to forward photos taken by camera phone to another mobile phone.