Torstar Selects Q9 Networks To Provide Managed Bandwidth Services
13 November 2003
TORONTO, Nov. 13 /CNW/ - Q9 Networks Inc., the leading Canadian provider of managed Internet infrastructure and Web hosting services, is pleased to announce it is providing Torstar Corporation (www.torstar.com) with managed Internet bandwidth services for its key media properties, including the Toronto Star, The Hamilton Spectator, The Record (Kitchener-Waterloo), the Guelph Mercury and various other online properties, including waymoresports.com and newinhomes.com.
Services are being provided through Q9's high-availability network, which is directly connected to multiple Internet backbones and backed by an industry leading, 100 percent uptime guarantee.
"As the dominant newspaper publisher in Southern Ontario and owner of the largest circulation daily in Canada, our Web properties require the highest level of performance and reliability," says Dave Young, Manager, Technology and Network Services, Torstar Media Group. "The Toronto Star Web site alone receives more than one million unique visitors per month. We selected Q9 from a number of potential providers because of its demonstrated ability to deliver a superior level of network reliability, scalability and security."
Q9's sole focus on Internet infrastructure services allows it to hire, train and retain highly qualified experts in Internet-specific disciplines. Key services are backed with service level agreement (SLA) guarantees for installation time and problem identification and response. These factors enable customers to outsource mission-critical systems to Q9 with complete confidence.
"Q9 is extremely pleased to be working with Torstar, one of Canada's largest and most respected media companies," says Osama Arafat, CEO, Q9 Networks. "By leveraging Q9's unique network and sole focus on Internet infrastructure services, Torstar is able to realize substantial cost savings while focusing on core competencies. Torstar's selection of Q9 is a strong validation of our capabilities, our talented staff and our industry-leading SLA-backed guarantees. We look forward to providing Torstar customers with an unparalleled online experience."
Q9 delivers outstanding service through an extensive suite of customer care products, including a Web-based portal that provides complete visibility into customer equipment and Q9 services. All Q9 and customer systems are monitored from the Q9 Network Operations Centre (NOC) 24 hours a day, seven days a week. NOC experts are also available to customers on an around-the-clock basis to resolve issues and provide advice.
About Torstar:Torstar Corporation is a broadly based media company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TS.B). Its businesses include newspapers led by the Toronto Star, Canada's largest daily newspaper; CityMedia Group, publishers of daily and community newspapers in Southwestern Ontario; Metroland Printing, Publishing & Distributing, publishers of more than 60 community newspapers in Southern Ontario; and Harlequin Enterprises, a leading global publisher of women's fiction. For more information, visit www.torstar.com.
About Q9 Networks:Q9 Networks is the leading provider of outsourced Internet infrastructure and managed hosting services for companies with mission-critical IT operations. Q9 raised $115 million in private equity financing to fund a national network of Internet data centres in major Canadian cities. Q9's data centres and network are engineered for 100 percent uptime with SLA-backed guarantees. Q9 managed services, including: bandwidth, dedicated servers, firewalls, load balancing, Virtual Private Networking (VPN) and back-up/restore, enable the rapid provisioning and scalability of client Internet operations. For more information, visit the Q9 Web site at www.Q9.com.
