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Woodbine Entertainment Group Selects Q9 Networks To Host First Licensed Internet Wagering Site in Canada
Calgary, AB and Toronto, ON - January 13, 2004 - Q9 Networks Inc., the leading Canadian provider of outsourced Internet infrastructure and related managed IT services, is pleased to announce it has been awarded a comprehensive managed services contract by Woodbine Entertainment Group to host its new online horse racing wagering site (www.hpibet.com).
Under the agreement, Q9 is providing a fully managed hosting solution consisting of servers, firewalls, load balancing, back-up and storage.
The licensed site, a first in Canada, allows horse racing enthusiasts to wager on thoroughbred and standardbred races hosted by Woodbine Entertainment Group from North America, Australia and Hong Kong. Woodbine expects the site to attract more than Cdn. $15 million in wagers in its first year of operation.
The site was designed and built by Whitecap Canada (www.whitecapcanada.com), a leading developer of customized e-Business solutions and Internet-based applications, using Microsoft .NET technology.
"In addition to developing the site for Woodbine, Whitecap was retained as a consultant to recommend a hosting environment and provider," says Robb Carmichael, president and CEO, Whitecap Canada. "Q9 handily exceeded all our criteria for security and reliability. We had a strong comfort level in recommending them to Woodbine."
"In an online wagering business, you can lose customer confidence very quickly if there are any reliability issues," says Andrew Macdonald, Director of Business Development, Woodbine Entertainment Group. "We require the best available hosting services for this application as it will also serve as the platform for future developments such as wireless wagering. Q9's facilities, professionalism and references were key in demonstrating that they are the best choice for Woodbine's hosting needs."
Q9 delivers unparalleled 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.
"We're very pleased to have been selected by Woodbine, one of the foremost entertainment companies in the country," says Osama Arafat, CEO, Q9 Networks. "They are an excellent example of a how Q9 services and expertise can be used to offer new and convenient services. We look forward to providing Woodbine customers with a highly reliable online experience."
Q9's focus on Internet and related IT infrastructure allows it to hire, train and retain highly qualified experts in network-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.
About Woodbine Entertainment
Woodbine Entertainment Group (formerly known as The Ontario Jockey Club) is one of North America's oldest and largest sports associations. The company has been a world leader in the development of interactive wagering systems and product distribution. It owns and operates The Racing Network Canada (TRN), a digital channel and pay-per-view service, and HorsePlayer Interactive, a national and international account betting system with over 30,000 account holders. HorsePlayer Interactive offers free account wagering with no surcharges and no minimum balance requirements. Further information
can be found at www.woodbinemohawk.com.
About Whitecap Canada
Whitecap is a leading developer of customized e-Business solutions and Internet-based applications with a reputation for technical excellence and project success. Whitecap offers clients a full suite of services including solutions consulting, systems integration, and application support and hosting. Headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, the company employs approximately twenty professionals and serves clients across a variety of vertical markets. Further information
can be found at www.whitecapcanada.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.
For further information, please contact:
Q9 Networks
Kevin Spikes
Manager, Marketing Communications
Toll-Free: 1-888-696-2266 x7211
media.relations@Q9.com
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