Support.com 2006 Annual Report Download - page 8

PART I
ITEM 1. BUSINESS.
Overview
SupportSoft is a leading provider of software and services that automate the resolution of technology problems. Our solutions
reduce technology support costs, improve customer satisfaction and enable new revenue streams for organizations worldwide. We
recently expanded our offerings and now provide technology support directly to consumers.
Our corporate customers are digital service providers (telecommunications and cable companies) and corporate IT departments.
Digital service providers use our products to automate the installation, activation and verification of broadband services, to reduce the
cost and improve the quality of support for customers, to enable the remote management of devices located at customer premises, and
to provide value−added services to consumers. Corporate IT departments and managed service providers (IT outsourcing firms) use
our software to improve the cost−effectiveness and efficiency of their support through an integrated portfolio of proactive service, self
service and assisted service capabilities.
In the second half of 2006, we announced a new offering to address the consumer technology support market. This offering is an
extension of our traditional business and relies upon our products, technology and expertise in technology problem resolution. The
new offering provides computer problem resolution for consumers over the phone and the Internet. We offer our consumer
technology support services through www.support.com and through consumer−facing companies such as PC manufacturers and
digital service providers.
Industry Background
Technology has become a fundamental part of everyday life. Devices such as personal computers, cellular phones, personal
digital assistants, digital cameras and home networks, and digital services such as high speed data, video over DSL (IPTV) and voice
over Internet Protocol (VoIP), are increasingly common. As technology has become more prevalent, technology problems, whether
with individual devices or systems incorporating multiple devices, have proliferated. As a result, we believe the need for efficient and
effective technology support, both inside and outside the workplace, has become pressing.
For digital service providers, the availability of high speed data, IPTV and VoIP services, often refered to as “triple play,” has
changed the competitive dynamics worldwide. We expect these dynamics to change further and grow in complexity as wireless
services grow in popularity and “triple play” evolves to “multi−play.” The change in the competitive landscape that triple play has
wrought causes digital service providers to offer a broader and more complex range of services. With these services has come a
growing number of technology problems for subscribers, which we believe digital service providers must address efficiently and
effectively to succeed in the marketplace.
Inside the enterprise, corporate IT departments are tasked with managing, supporting and servicing an expanding array of
technologies used by employees. This challenge, combined with a redefinition of the workplace to include the office, the home and
any point between, has made keeping the enterprise secure from virus attacks, maintaining business critical applications and
responding to end−user requests for assistance an increasingly difficult and expensive task.
The traditional approach that organizations have embraced to address these challenges relies upon call centers and help desks
resolving problems in a largely manual fashion. This approach to meeting technology support needs has been ineffective for many
organizations, given its costly and time−intensive nature. This approach has also been inadequate for consumers, who require an
increasing amount of assistance to manage the technology that now pervades their lives.
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Source: SUPPORTSOFT INC, 10−K, March 16, 2007