digital bridges overview 2009

Digital Bridges creates high performance organisations by unlocking the value of the web through the

rigorous application of globally accepted management disciplines, effective process engineering,

innovation and deep experience from around the world.

Digital Bridges “bridges” the traditional divide between Business and IT. We translate the business

and operational requirements of the organisation into strategies, processes and implementation

methodologies that optimise IT investment.

Digital Bridges’ three primary offerings; Strategy, Content Management and Public Relations

Digital Bridges Company Profile

Content Management

Content strategy and creation and

management of content in line with strategy

Public Relations

Maintain the business’ public presence on-line, offline and events.

Strategy

Translation of Business strategies into strategies and specifications for web based applications

Web Strategy

We consult on

Organisational strategy and frameworks for web alignment across the organisation;

Digital and web based application strategy and delivery on the mandate of the organisation;

User Adoption Modelling to ensure that the users embrace the technology and the organisation

gets the optimal return on its IT investment;

Security and Risk Mitigation to reduce the risks associated with all stakeholders having the power

to communicate through web based technologies;

Customised application development for specific audiences and segments which maximise

revenue streams;

The ongoing management and development of the applications as they mature and grow to meet

the organisations changing needs;

o Develop roadmaps for ongoing delivery and project prioritisation

o Manage Performance Improvement Points

Relationship management methodologies that enhance communication and collaboration

between stakeholders in a business to Business or Business to Consumer environment using

systems theory;

eMarketing and communication strategies for 21st century business models, developing Web

oriented value propositions, defining the business case and revenue models, brand building,

optimising the network effect, managing community dialogues, setting up quantifiable

measurement systems etc.

The development and deployment of Business Intelligence reports and Geographical Information

Systems (GIS) into workable business activities

We create

Workable strategies with robust, clearly defined implementation plans;

Human Capital Management Strategies that leverage the value of technology and web 2.0 based

Intranets;

Marketing Strategies that lead to Extranets and useful functional Websites;

User Requirement Specifications which define the business needs from IT, platforms and

applications;

Content strategies which optimise the organisation’s consumption of information and news;

Functional Specifications which model the user’s processes during their interaction with the

software, platforms and applications; and

Use case and test data.


Our Solutions

Our solutions deliver value internally into the organisation, or externally to the organisation’s customers

and clients.

Solutions internal to the organisation

Our solutions are integral to successful HR programmes designed to win the war for talent through

managing employee relationships, collaboration, communication, engagement, learning and

performance using technology.

They can be deployed through Intranets which results in the Intranet becoming a strategic asset in the

organisation because there is a high level of adoption by employees who see the value and experience

it as easy to use. Internal solutions include communication portals, eLearning, environmental scanning,

performance management, project optimisation and knowledge management.

They can also be integrated with, or optimised for mobile applications for employees who don’t work in

a centralised location.

We also develop project management and other collaboration tools on the Intranet

Externally facing solutions

Externally, our solutions add value to brands and communication programmes. They can form the

backbone of the organisation’s product or service delivery, or they can be integrated into client service

and CRM tools.

We also develop integrated Social Media Strategies which leverage the existing Enterprise technologies.



Extranet

Intranet

Website

Mobile

Mobile

eMarketing

Brand Building

PR Brand Enrichment Customer Acquisition Communication CRM

Stakeholders

Alliance Partners

Service ProvidersSuppliers Investors

CommunityMedia

People Innovation Relationships Communication Performance Management Succession planning eLearnng Internal Projects Behavioural Alignment Knowledge ManagementContent and Environmental Scanning

ClientsRelationships

Share DocumentsProject Management

Knowledge Management

2 Way Communication

2 Way Communication

Our Business Oriented Solutions

Technology

Content Management

Great web based applications require dedicated content management to keep the applications

meaningful, useful and strategically in line with the core objectives.

We also assist our clients in search engine optimisation and creating semantic search.

Our clients can outsource their content management to our dedicated team of web content and

specialised competency experts.

We can assist you with the customisation of your information, trends, knowledge and news feeds and

reports as part of your environmental scanning strategy, using content delivered through the Dow

Jones.

Digital Public Relations

Digital Bridges also provides end to end public relations services:Translates Organisational

Strategy into a Robust PR Strategy

o Business Objectives,

o Monitoring;

o Analysis and Research; and

o Creates Messaging matrixes and positioning framework which forms the

backbone of all external communication throughout the organisation;

Develop a Crisis Communication Strategy;

Provide Reports

Develop digital PR Policies;

eMarketing


Digital Bridges provides sophisticated Social Media Strategies for customer and client engagement

including:

Avatar development and Management

Community Management

Integrated Social Media (Twitter, Facebook Flikr etc)

Our Philosophy

At Digital Bridges we believe that technology should enable organisations to use resources more

efficiently and effectively and create distinctive competencies by the unique way that they enable

innovation, efficiency, communication, quality and responsiveness.

People optimisation

Skills shortages have reached a critical level in South Africa. Competing for talent doesn’t just mean

attracting and retaining the best people, it means ensuring that employees are actively engaged with

the organisation. This implies that they are motivated to bring their passion to bear on acting in the

best interests of the organisation, whether it is innovation, agility and responsiveness to changing

environments, relationships or operational efficiencies.

Modern technology’s collaborative nature enables organisations to create a meaningful dialogue

when managing performance, mentoring and developing employees and in the way that strategy is

contextualised in order to realise the best return on human capital.

Process Optimisation

Processes, in the past, were designed to standardise and aggregate human skills. This was

necessary in the industrial era when labour was primarily engaged in manufacturing things. The world

has changed and the knowledge worker has emerged as the primary resource for wealth creation.

Processes are required for value creation, rather than standardisation in the 21st century.

Modern web based applications enable knowledge workers to explore their work environments

interactively and enhance the network effect of teams. This is essential for creating mutually profitable

working relationships. As knowledge workers engage with the organisation and understand the

strategic context of their work; processes equip people to act in the best interests of the organisation

and exceed expectations.


Technology Optimisation

Many technology projects fail to deliver the expected return because employees resist change and

the systems do not realise their full potential. With proper strategic planning, Digital Bridges makes

change attractive and IT intuitive to use because it harnesses the power of the web and creates

customised people friendly interfaces and workable processes that employees are motivated to use.

Partnering for end to end delivery

Digital Bridges partners with technology vendors and companies who deploy technology solutions

into corporates, in order to enhance the business value of the technology platform. We work closely

with the software vendor in order to ensure that together we deliver on the client’s expectations.

We also have a working relationship with the DOW Jones and can customise your environmental

scanning requirements.

Why Digital Bridges?

There are many reasons why businesses choose Business 2.0 solutions developed by Digital

Bridges:

Our Solutions have strategic relevance

o They are designed within the macro strategic context of the organisation

in order to ensure that they deliver on the mandate

o Best practise business solutions are employed in their design

o Our clients realise an increased return on their technology investments

Customisation

o We customise our solutions in creative and innovative ways

o Business processes is an integral part of the solutions we develop

Working Relationships

o GOOGLE’s Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) tools and Enterprise

Applications are built into our solutions.

o Microsoft supports us in the translation of business ideas into specs for

SharePoint


o The Dow Jones is the world’s best provider of content and business

information services.

Many of our clients say that they enjoy working with Digital Bridges because we become intimately

involved with the organisation, working with the same passion at every level from the coal face

through middle management to the C suite.


Leadership

Digital Bridges is headed up by Kate Elphick. Kate has spent twelve years in the IT Sector, working

on both the business and the technical side of organisations such as Datatec, Didata, Business

Connexion and Primedia. She has an MBA from GIBS. Her business interests include Innovation and

Growth Strategies and their successful technology deployment for material returns on invested capital

Our Home

Digital Bridges is based at the Innovation Hub which houses a community of pioneers, inventors,

entrepreneurs and free thinkers - challenged and inspired, breaking new ground, collaborating and

inventing new technologies. Our web address is www.digitalbridges.co.za and you can contact Kate

Elphick on [email protected].

Our History

Digital Bridges was started three years ago at the beginning of 2007 and has some very prestigious

clients including Naspers, The Jo’burg Roads Agency, iPlace, Goal Technology Solutions,

Worldsview Consulting, Pfizer, FinWorx, The Legal Provident Fund, Old Mutual, Sun International,

Comair, Airports Company South Africa (ACSA), Knowledge Factory and the South African Institute

of Professional Accountants (SAIPA) amongst others.

BEE Accreditation

Digital Bridges is an independently rated Broad Base Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) level 3

contributor in terms of Empowerment Act No. 53, 2003.

Mentorship

Kate Elphick mentors three MBA students from historically disadvantaged backgrounds at GIBS.

Enterprise Development

Digital Bridges provides support to young start up BEE IT Companies. We are currently working with

BI Technology Solutions and their product V-Planes in order to assist them to fulfil their dreams of

becoming a great South African company.


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http://www.digitalbridges.co.za/

Part of the South African Community

Corporate Social Investment

In order to participate in the creation of a sustainable future for South Africa, Digital Bridges has

embarked on a programme designed to assist our country bridge the Digital Divide.

Research has shown that in developing countries, when the Internet reaches the masses, it results in

significant growth in the economy of that country, because entrepreneurs start up Internet businesses

without being hampered by faulty infrastructure and governments can deliver services online to citizens.

The biggest barriers to Internet uptake are a fear of the unknown and a lack of understanding of the

value that the Internet can bring. Digital Bridges provides value generating solutions for communities

who have traditionally not used the Internet, in order to encourage participation in the Digital Age.

Using a combination of Web and mobile phone technologies we deliver the virtual world of the Internet

to people in the real world through their cellphones. The “Memorial Wall” is the first such project

The Memorial Website, www.memorialwall.co.za is a service which enables people to create memorials

to their loved ones, with a photograph and an obituary. Friends and relatives can SMS their

condolences, memories and thoughts directly onto this site, which can be visited online at any time in

the future.

The website provides a cost effective way to create a collection of family memories. Parents will be able

to show their children what their ancestors looked like and how they were remembered. The Memorial

can also be printed out as a beautiful document which can be used as handouts at funerals, posted or

eMailed to people living far away.

In time, additional services will be provided such as advice on what to do in the case of a death; who to

notify and how a deceased estate is administered. The idea is to take away the unnecessary pain that

comes with not knowing what to do next.

Pro Bono Work to help the under privileged

Digital Bridges is also doing pro bono work for iPlace, an application designed to assist NGO’s to meet

their mandate by providing them with the skills and applications to manage their day to day activities.


http://www.memorialwall.co.za/