Town of Cochrane Strategic Plan – Final Report October 2014
3.2 Cochrane’s Competitive Advantage
In order to perceive Cochrane’s ICT competitive advantages and disadvantages, a preliminary scan
of necessary components is required. Tables 3 and 4 list typical items fundamental to most forms of
E-business and the common E-business service providers SMEs will have to work with in one form or
another.
Table 3: Common Requirements of a Web-Enabled Business180
Item
Computer Hardware
Computer Software
Technology Maintenance
Internet Service Provider
Website Development
Description
Computer systems, peripherals.
Computer programs; can be proprietary or
open-source.
Technician services.
The cost of accessing Internet services.
The initial cost of creating a web
presence.
Range of Costs (approx.)
$250 to $800 per year
$0 to $800 per year
$0 to $1,700 per year
$200 to $1,200 per year
$0 to $5,000 and up
Table 4: Common E-Business Service Providers181
Service Provider
Internet Service Provider
(ISP)
Website Developers
Application Service
Providers
Cloud Computer Service
Providers
Description
•
ISPs facilitate connection to the Internet, allowing businesses to engage
in online activity, including E-commerce.
•
Developers design and program a website’s architecture; most will
format and organize content, while some will create it.
•
Developers can program unique functionality that may be required for a
given business’ operations.
•
These firms provide access to online software applications for a fee
•
They own and operate these applications.
•
May offer one type of service or a range of services.
•
These providers provide a service where delivery is conducted over the
Internet and shared among users.
•
All data resides offsite in a data centre rather than on local computer
hard drives.
3.2.1 Cochrane’s Competitive Advantage
To relate Tables 3 and 4 back to the SWOT analyses reviewed in Section 5.0, it is evident that
Cochrane benefits greatly by the Cochrane Telecom Service. CTS is an asset in that the community
enjoys a relatively stable, affordable, high-quality standard of Internet service.
CTS’ primary benefit lay in its infrastructure. That is, it offers Cochrane residents SMEs up to 5Mb/s
download speeds, and up to 1Mb/s upload speeds. This is not always the case in some smaller
communities, and stands out as Cochrane’s chief competitive advantage. As noted in the SWOT
analysis, CTS currently has fiber to the home on the horizon, which suggests an eventual dramatic
increase in potential download and upload speeds. Should CTS improve Cochrane’s infrastructure
along these lines, neither Application Service Providers nor the sometimes more resource taxing
Cloud Computer Service Providers would be off limits to local SMEs, thus expanding the scope and
depth of local E-business potentiality.
180
Ministry of Economic Development, Trade, and Employment, (2013). Chapter 3: How You Can Profit From EBusiness. Available at: https://www.ontario.ca/business-and-economy/how-you-can-profit-e-business
181
Ministry of Economic Development, Trade, and Employment, (2013). Chapter 7: How You Can Profit From EBusiness. Available at: https://www.ontario.ca/business-and-economy/how-you-can-profit-e-business
120