Many Sri Lankan businesses don't really understand how to make the Internet work for them, according to Suren Kannangara, CEO of Affno, Sri Lanka 's leading web development company which has developed www.lankaorix.com, a web site for the LOLC Group.

"This job was different-a lot more rewarding because the client really understood what he wanted," he said.

The new site raises the online standard for Sri Lanka companies, is innovative, has a user-friendly design which instantly makes visitors feel welcome and is just like walking into the LOLC Group offices in person, according to a statement issued by Affno.

From a home page designed to function like the reception area of a well-run office, a mouse click or two takes you to the specific information or transaction you're looking for. There are no complex menus, no multi-page click-throughs or no time-wasting flash animations. It's all clear, simple, direct and businesslike.

Ishara Nanayakkara , LOLC Group's deputy chairman agrees that lankaorix.com raises the standard for Sri Lankan companies online.

'It's exactly what we were looking for,' he said in the statement. 'This is an excellent site. In the end, we won't have just one site but a complex of them, one for every company in the Group,' he explains.

"A new era is opening up," says Affno's Kannangara. 'Now that Sri Lankans are starting to spend more time on the Internet, seeking information and doing business, the quality of local company web sites is being forced to improve. Affno has always believed in setting the standard and raising its game'.