Edmonton-based managed service provider and Hardware-as-a-Service (HaaS) company SSI Solutions has changed its name to F12 Networks as part of a rebranding designed to bring it closer to its clients.

So what does an underappreciated key on the average computer keyboard have to do with a new corporate look and feel? Quite a bit, according to Leanne Yeatman, operations manager at F12 Networks.

“The F12 key didn’t really used to do anything – but now, for our customers it will do something,” she said.

What it will do is give the solutions provider’s customers a one-touch way to connect with both their IT infrastructure and F12 Networks itself, through a new piece of software the company is developing called F12 Connect. The premise is simple – users hit the F12 key, and get a dashboard that gives them control to various functions on their local network, as well as the ability to connect with the F12 support teams. HaaS clients can even use the dashboard to add new hardware to their environment.

“It’s very interactive and instant,” Yeatman said. “Customers can’t wait to get a hold of it.”

F12 Connect is currently in development with some of the company’s longtime customers, Yeatman said, and F12 Networks intends to roll the system out to new clients about three months from now.

Beyond the convenience of the unused key, Yeatman said the rebrand is about making the name of the company more closely resemble what it does for a living.

“We wanted to make it something that offers a lot of clarity on what we want to accomplish – simplifying IT for business, she said. “It had to be something easy to understand at a quick glance and we wanted to tie into the ability to connect to our clients instantly.”

Plus, she said, staff members were tired of having to answer questions about what “SSI Solutions” stands for. For the record, it was “System Systems Inc.,” the first name for the company when it was starting out in the mid-1990s.

As part of the rebranding, the company has kept the Service Plus name for its longtime flagship managed infrastructure offering (but adding an F12 to the name), while changing its Managed Plus offering for managing client-owned equipment to the F12 Service brand. The company has also begun labeling its team members as F12 Networkers.

The company has gone live with a new Web site, and will be holding open houses in both its Edmonton and Calgary locations next month to build up awareness in its home markets. F12 is primarily focused on the 10-100-workstation market in Edmonton and Calgary, although Yeatman hinted for future growth, the company has its eyes on expansion, particularly into British Columbia.