AccessKenya Group
AccessKenya is Kenya's leading Internet Service Provider( (ISP). It was founded in 1995 by brothers David and Jonathan Somen to become an ICT one stop shop for corporate clients within Kenya under the name Communications Solutions Ltd . In 2000, the name AccessKenya was adopted after the brothers realized the imperative need for an ISP that specialized in providing Corporate Internet Services.
AccessKenya's initial public offering of STOCK on the Nairobi Stock Exchange closed end of April 2007. AccessKenya became the Kenya’s first publicly listed ICT company in the Nairobi Stock Exchange(NSE). The IPO offered 80 million shares at a price of 10 shillings per share.
AccessKenya employs over 270 people mainly stationed in Nairobi and other big cities like Mombasa,Kisumu,Nakuruand Eldoret.
Currently, it has nationwide dealerships to ensure customers across the country have access to its products and services. As of February 2008, AccessKenya boasts of a corporate client base of 3000; residential base of 1500 and small medium enterprises base of 125 most of whom are in the major cities - Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu and Nakuru.
Its headquarters is located at Museum Hill Centre, opposite the Nairobi National Museum on Museum Road.
In 2007, AccessKenya Group acquired OpenView Business Systems with the purpose of integrating its products into the group’s product portfolio.
In February 2009, AccessKenya went ahead and acquired Satori Solutions, a mid sized “Virtual ISP” to help promote the sale of the Group’s new “SoHo” service which is focused on the small office, home office market.These strategic transactions have afforded AccessKenya Group significant annual revenues and transformed it into Kenya’s leading Internet Access and Communications Company.
Awards & Accreditations
• 2001 Best Digital Lease Line Provider - Computer Society of Kenya Awards (CSK) • 2002 Best Digital Lease Line Provider - Computer Society of Kenya Awards (CSK) • 2003 Best Corporate ISP - Computer Society of Kenya Awards (CSK) • 2004 Best Corporate ISP - Computer Society of Kenya Awards (CSK) • 2005 Best Corporate ISP - Computer Society of Kenya Awards (CSK) • 2005 IT solution provider of the year - Computer Society of Kenya Awards (CSK) • 2006 1st Runner up - Manager of the Year- Company of the Year Awards (COYA) • 2006 Human Resource Management SME of the Year- Company of the Year Awards (COYA) • 2006 IT solution provider of the year - Computer Society of Kenya Awards (CSK) • 2006 Marketing Management Award, Service Sector - Company of the Year Awards (COYA) • 2006 Runner Up Company of the Year SME Sector – Company of the Year Awards (COYA) • 2007 Best ISP of the Year - Computer Society of Kenya (CSK) • 2007 Broadband Winner - Best Public Data Network Operator 2007 - Computer Society of Kenya (CSK) • 2007 High End IT Solutions Provider 2007 (Openview Business Systems) - Computer Society of Kenya Awards (CSK) • 2007 Human Resource Management SME of the Year - Company of the Year Awards (COYA) • 2007 Information Management SME of the Year- Company of the Year Awards (COYA) • 2008 Best ISP of the Year - Computer Society of Kenya (CSK) • 2008 1st Runner up - IT solution provider of the year - Computer Society of Kenya Awards (CSK)
Milestones
• 2000 AccessKenya launched • 2007 First ICT company to be listed in the Nairobi Stock Exchange • 2008 AccessKenya launches Access@Home, residential broadband • 2009 AccessKenya unveils lifestyle portal
Points to Note
The Group comprises AccessKenya, Kenya’s leading Corporate ISP, Broadband Access (BLUE), one of Kenya’s largest Data Carrier Network Operators (DCNO), and now Openview Business Systems, one of Kenya’s leading IT services providers. The Group currently has over 2400 corporate leased lines across Kenya, employs in excess of 275 people and has offices in Nairobi and Mombasa with representation in Kisumu, Eldoret, Nakuruand Nyeri.
The Group has also grown on average by 75% per year, for the last four years. AccessKenya has numerous partnerships including Cisco (Premier Partner), Motorola, Oracle, Net App Gold Partner and IBM (Premier Business Partner).
In 2008, Openview Business Systems, AccessKenya was voted the Best ISP in Kenya while Openview was awarded the 1st runner up solutions provider of the year by Computer Society of Kenya(CSK). Other awards for AccessKenya include three awards at the COYA awards including Runner Up Company of the Year SME Sector, and two further COYA awards in 2007. Openview is ISO certified and has won the CSK IT solution provider of the year in 2005, 2006 and 2007.
The Group’s key products include Access@Home, Yello, GO, Broadband Max 2 and Bundu as well as numerous value added services including web hosting, collocation, disaster recovery, antivirus, Antispam, managed services, networking, software and IT services solutions.
Companies within the AccessKenya Group currently hold four licenses from Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) including DCNO, ISP, PDNO, and Local Loop Operator licenses.