B.net

B.net is a leading provider of cable Internet access and distribution in Croatia. Having been created through a merger of the two biggest cable operators, B.net provides a full spectrum of communications services: cable TV, Internet and telephony for both companies and individuals.

B.net is present in 250 000 households and more than 500 companies in Croatia, covering the biggest national economic and geographic centres.

B.net's mission - powered by constant expansion and modernization - is to be the leading cable television network in Croatia capable of offering it's users advanced broadband services.

Situation

The existing B.net corporate web site was not meeting the company's communication needs. Presentation of the innovative B.net offerings, as well as organization and content quality, did not support the companies efforts of presenting itself as a leading provider of cable and telecommunication solutions in the country. Furthermore, not having a high quality CMS in place prevented autonomous content entry and maintenance.

The goals for the new web site were:

To improve the quality of the visual presentation of TV, Internet and telephony offerings
Improve the usability of the web site and the search functionality
Make it possible to present the TV channel offerings in a simple and clear way, with the possibility to define detail information about all available channels, as well as use multimedia for promotion purposes
Optimize the site for search engines (SEO)
Facilitate a high quality multimedia presentation of selected tv channels
Integrate existing on-line applications (e-mail, availability monitor, phone book) into the new web site

Solution

The new B.net web site was built on the eZ Publish CMS platform. A recognizable design solution based on the company's existing visual identity was created. The visually upgraded site communicates the company profile very well.

Leveraging the extendible eZ Publish data model, we defined specific content types (TV program, program package, service) to facilitate a high quality, precise presentation of B.net's offerings, the way the client requested it.

This made it possible to create an interface to display and find TV channels, allowing users to find relevant information with ease.

A shallow content structure coupled with simple navigation elements helps users to find their way around content quickly. Additionally, current and interesting content is highlighted on the home page using an interactive flash multimedia interface developed specifically for the client. The flash application is integrated into the CMS, so that publication of all content, including video clips, can still be performed through a single eZ Publish administration interface.

XHTML and eZ Publish-supported SEO optimization make the site highly visible in search engine result lists. Semantically correct tag use, clear and valid HTML code contribute to page rank as well.

The existing user applications are integrated into the CMS either using the eZ Publish extension system or by visual equalization with the new corporative design.

Highlights:

Client-specific contant class development
Multimedia flash elements integrated with the CMS
Integration of eZ Publish with existing B.net applications
Search engine optimization (SEO)

Technologies

The entire web site is implemented on the eZ Publish CMS. Flash and JavaScript (the jQuery framework) were used to implement interactive elements. Existing services were integrated as eZ Publish extensions in the PHP.

eZ publish CMS
PHP, MySQL
Flash
JavaScript / jQuery framework
XHTML, CSS

Results

The new web site presents B.net as a leader in telecommunication services in Croatia. Thanks to out-of-the-box eZ Publish CMS features like content versioning, flexible access privilege definition and extreme adaptation capabilities based on an extensible content model, simple administration and maintenance of different types of content has been made possible.

Future site redesign and extension is possible without compromising existing investments, thanks to clear separation of presentation and content. This makes eZ Publish a solid platform for future development of B.net's on-line strategy.

B.net website redesign and upgrade

When we announced the bidding for the B.net web site's redesign and upgrade, just a year since it's debut, we were not very satisfied with any aspect of it: appearance, functionality and the CMS which led us to this somewhat radical move.

We therefore set out to find an adequate partner capable of delivering a solution to edit and upload existing content (which there was quite a lot of) which would be "future proof" with regard to all our changes, especially in the services portfolio which we were expecting
shortly.

Naturally, a CMS was a precondition as we wanted to retain content management capabilities without having to depend on a programmer or other experts. Finally, the web site had to be absolutely in line with the company's visual identity.

Netgen was the partner which initially demonstrated the strongest interest for our domain (a telecommunications web site of a cable
operator). Their solutions contributed to the web sites functionality and clarity, most prominently with respect to presenting specific categories.

Furthermore, the web site architecture itself is such that it supports possible changes and upgrades, leaving us (in spite of the need for
strong pragmatism) enough room to meet our goals and corporate standards, as well as leaving the door open to possibly present the
companies whose content we deliver.

Finally, Netgen is a partner which respects clients' wishes, but also includes clients in the production process, allowing them to contribute their perspectives and solutions to better present content. Netgen professionals aren't reluctant to communicate their opinions
about a request when they believe it will result in better functionality and make the web site or one of it's parts future proof.

Nataša Krezić,
marketing director and product development