Companies are dividing IS staffs to better compete in the Internet race. Their Web teams may be cool, but they better stay connected to their legacy pals.
Climb to the second floor of Staples Inc.'s spacious headquarters in Framingham, Mass., and you encounter two identical doors. Choose the one on the right, and you enter a traditional IS department with symmetrical gray cubicles, programmers and systems analysts working quietly at their desks or strolling intently down hallways. The tapping of keyboards interrupts a hum from the fluorescent lighting.
She's impeccably dressed in a blazer and pumps. With a smile frozen on her face, she guides you through yet another charming home, shrugging slightly as you point out the cracked foundation. If you don't like this one, she'll jot down your phone number and haunt you until you buckle under the pressure.
COMPANY: PNV Inc. LOCATION: Coral Springs, Florida. PRODUCT/SERVICE: PNV.com provides news, tools, community and e-commerce to the trucking industry LAUNCH: October 1999 REVENUES: FY 2000, 3Q: $4.7 million funding: Public greatest challenge: "Convincing Web designers that trucking is sexy. It was difficult to lure talent." -Steve Yevoli, President, PNV.com JUDGE'S comment: "Everything a truck driver needs to do the job and stay connected: e-mail, calendar, classified listing for equipment and career columns. Overall, a comprehensive and sophisticated resource."
