Net Focus built on personal customer-oriented vision

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Ed Thornton says there are two reasons why he wanted to go into business as a full-service Internet service provi-der: his interest in the Internet and his love of helping people. |ret||ret||tab|

His company, Net Focus, which began in January 1997, is an ISP, providing Internet, dial-up services, Web site hosting and development, virus removal services, and computer repair, according to Thornton.|ret||ret||tab|

It was a big jump from his diverse employment background, said Thorn-ton, who had been a cabinet builder, truck driver and teacher before starting Net Focus|ret||ret||tab|

"I learned about this business through my own bullheadedness, getting in and learning it myself," said Thornton, who runs Net Focus with the help of a few part-time employees. |ret||ret||tab|

While Thornton took a few basic computer courses as a part of his college studies, he said that the college classroom can't take the place of continuing research and independent learning in a field that changes as rapidly as the computer industry. |ret||ret||tab|

"A degree is a wonderful thing, but where computers are concerned, you're really learning history," he said. |ret||ret||tab|

With large chunks of the ISP market gobbled up by large companies, Thorn-ton said smaller ones like Net Focus compete "by little chunks."|ret||ret||tab|

"I don't want it to get to the point where I'm dealing with tens of thousands of customers," he said.|ret||ret||tab|

While 2001 was a tough year for Net Focus, the company has seen "constant growth since 1997," Thornton said. "We have about 200 dial-up accounts and 200 Web sites that we host," he said. "There's a lot of competition for dial-up business." |ret||ret||tab|

Net Focus is holding its own when it comes to dial-up customer retention, Thornton said. "Larger companies struggle to keep their dial-up customer attrition to 10 to 15 percent per month," he said. "Ours is 2 to 3 percent per year. We've had some customers since the day we opened the doors." |ret||ret||tab|

This year, Net Focus will zero in on marketing integrated Web site services for small businesses, helping business owners streamline their companies with the use of Web sites, Thornton said. |ret||ret||tab|

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Getting the bugs out|ret||ret||tab|

Net Focus, which can be found online at www.netfocus.net, also has been of-fering virus removal services since last fall, Thornton said.|ret||ret||tab|

"No one knows viruses like an ISP," he said. "We're the first one to see them, and we have to deal with them first." |ret||ret||tab|

Most customers who call with a virus on their computer simply pack up the central processing unit and take it to Net Focus, where Thornton works to locate the viruses, remove them, and repair damaged files. Thornton also does on-site work to remove viruses that have infected entire networks. |ret||ret||tab|

"We've cleaned about 200 machines so far, including some networks," Thornton said. "Saving those files and protecting them that's what's important." |ret||ret||tab|

Trogdon-Marshall Insurance Agency is one business that has called on Net Focus to get viruses out of its network, according to Peggy Short, the agency's office manager.|ret||ret||tab|

Short discovered that her computer and that of another employee were infected, and antivirus programs didn't fix the problem, she said.|ret||ret||tab|

"Thornton came on a weekend to get it out of the network," she said. "He's been a lifesaver many times." |ret||ret||tab|

With viruses causing more computer damage than ever and new viruses emer-ging frequently, Short said she thinks virus removal services could be in even greater demand in the future. |ret||ret||tab|

Net Focus also has helped Triple Play Sports get viruses out of the company's computer, according to Laurie White, co-owner of Triple Play Sports.|ret||ret||tab|

A computer virus hitting a small business like Triple Play Sports is a big problem, White said.|ret||ret||tab|

"It's not like working for a big company, where you call one of the computer people and tell them to fix it," she said. "When it's your business, it's your problem." |ret||ret||tab|

White said that Thornton was able to get rid of the virus and suggest future preventative measures. |ret||ret||tab|

Thornton said he also believes in using Net Focus as a community service vehicle. The company's community service includes hosting bikers4kids.org, a Web site for an organization that raises funds to aid in finding missing children, and hosting the Web sites for the Abduction Central Alert System and the Child Alert Foundation.|ret||ret||tab|

"I like to keep things local and put something back into the community so it's a better place to live for me," he said. "The bottom line is important, but there are things that are more important." [[In-content Ad]]