A Web-portal for accessing services by SMMEs in South Africa: A mashup prototype

We rely on advancements made on Web 2.0 to propose a Web portal for accessing services by SMMEs in South Africa. The suggested Web solution exploits the so-called mashup technique that consists of gathering information (i.e. data and services) from various Web sources, and consolidating them within a single integrated platform. The extracted data and services are then aggregated, structured, and organized for presentation and exploitation in a single Web portal by interested users. The Web portal will enable SMMEs to: 1) access services as and when needed; 2) customize tailored interfaces based on their requirements and 3) utilize appropriate links to make use of features offered by the selected service providers. The proposed Web portal solution´s objective is to promote awareness/access of/to a variety of services and information as needed on a regular basis by SMMEs in South Africa. The overall goal of this research work is to improve the economic sustainability of SMMEs within emerging economies by employing technologies such as mashups.