Hors service

Good evening. Tonight, HoloNews turns its attention to a service outage that has quietly rippled through the galactic trade routes: the temporary shutdown of EasyShare, IPS collaborative delivery platform.
EasyShare, it should be recalled, allows independent pilots to monetize their journeys by picking up parcels located along their planned routes. When it was first launched, the service was presented as a logistical revolution, simplifying the connection between clients and transporters while helping to streamline commercial traffic across the galaxy.
But for the past week, no new orders have been accepted. Officially, IPS speaks of a major technical upgrade. Unofficially, rumors are growing: technical outage, internal restructuring, labor tensions, or a strategic realignment ?

Contacted by our newsroom, Vesh Oleander, Chairman and founder of IPS, seeks to reassure.

EasyShare will be reopening soon in a modernized version featuring brand new functionalities: automated pilot payments, real-time delivery coordinates verification, and a massive simplification of administrative procedures to name just a few. Customer satisfaction remains our absolute priority. Vesh Oleander – Chairman & Founder, IPS

But the most striking revelation concerns the platform’s business model. Indeed, EasyShare has been made entirely free for several months now. According to the company, the only way to sustain that decision is automation.
“By eliminating costly and time-consuming administrative tasks, we reduce our structural operating costs. These savings are what make a free EasyShare viable in the long term.”, says Mr Oleander.
Management claims it is making a strong strategic choice to prioritize the service’s attractiveness and customer satisfaction. A move welcomed by many clients… but sharply contested by unions. Union representative Abric Jenkins offers a far less enthusiastic interpretation.

Efficiency? Please. Management talks about “automation” and “efficiency”, but what we actually see are people losing their jobs right at the exact moment IPS starts buying outrageously expensive cruisers. They want us to believe that cutting jobs while management proudly parades its new military toys is just a coincidence? We’re not fooled. This is about slashing payroll to fund vanity projects. Abric Jenkins – Union Representative

IPS executives were quick to reply, particularly regarding the widely discussed acquisition of Rebel Alliance Datacards. Ashura Harma, CEO of IPS, addresses the issue directly.

Yes, yes… I heard that speech. Automation bad, cruisers expensive, management greedy… Listen, you think the galaxy is some kind of Ewok playground? Those new cruisers aren’t just so I can cruise around in my shiny new company capital ship. They’re there so your cargo doesn’t end up as confetti in deep space. Beside, Defense budget is separate. Always was. If some people can’t read a balance sheet, that’s not my problem. Ashura Harma – CEO, IPS

The message is clear : security is not a luxury, and certainly not a management whim.“IPS is part of the North Common Defense Pact. We didn’t joined that to hide behind others. And yes, size matters. Big ships stop small problems from becoming expensive problems.” Mr Harma adds.
However, Despite its confident messaging, IPS concedes that annual results have fallen short of initial objectives. According to company officials, an action plan is currently being developed, with several avenues being explored. Like for example the launch of a mining division, focused on resource extraction and materials resale, or the creation of a facility management service, targeting both commercial and religious establishment.
IPS describes this diversification as “pragmatic and necessary.”

Yes, our results are below expectations, my salary hasn’t gone up in two years. So we adapt : We stop leaving credits on the table and start collecting them where they actually are , by diversifying what we do. Mining. Facilities. Whatever pays. Clients are happy, I get paid. Everyone wins. Ashura Harma — CEO, IPS

To explain how EasyShare can remain free despite mixed financial results, IPS points to its B2B partnerships.

Our contracts with the Czerka Corporation, along with revenues from the exploitation of the Glom Tho system, generously ceded by the Trade Federation, provide sufficiently solid income streams. They allow us to keep EasyShare free without jeopardizing our financial stability. We can also count on the other members of the Avance Coalition and our neighbors to continue developing trade and economic opportunities in the sector. Finally, IPS is proud to be a partner of the Galactic Bank, which provides a secure online payment system used by EasyShare. We fully intend to strengthen this partnership further in the future. Vesh Oleander — Chairman & Founder, IPS

Out on the hyperlanes, those most directly affected are watching the situation with a mix of caution and optimism. EasyShare’s reopening is said to be imminent : Free. More automated. More reliable. And still very much in the IPS spirit.
Whether this modernization will be enough to calm internal tensions and convince the wider galaxy remains to be seen.
This is HoloNews. We will, of course, continue to monitor developments across the hyperspace lanes.