Cobweb switch on SaaS communications for All3Media
ALL3MEDIA,
one of the UK's largest independent TV production groups and the
power behind some of the UK’s most popular TV programmes, has
turned to Cobweb Solutions for an outsourced IT solution to manage
its communication and messaging requirements.
Following the deployment of Cobweb’s Microsoft Hosted Exchange
service, production teams within the ALL3MEDIA group can now access
email, diary and address books whether they are in the
office or on location anywhere around the globe. AL3MEDIA
is headquartered in London and currently has over 1500 employees
throughout the group.
The Challenge 
As a fast growing international company, ALL3MEDIA relies
heavily on electronic communications to stay in synch across its
operations.
With much of the company growth coming through acquisition
ALL3MEDIA needed a messaging and communication system that was able
to be quickly delivered to new companies as they were
purchased.
The solution had to ensure efficient communication and
collaboration between the head office, international
operations and regional group companies, and be robust and flexible
enough to support their expansion plans.
ALL3MEDIA quickly ruled out implementing its own internal
Microsoft Exchange system and employing an in-house IT
specialist, due to the significant
expenditure this would incur.
What ALL3MEDIA most wanted was a single scalable, flexible and
secure company-wide communication system. It also wanted to avoid
the IT headache of integrating different disparate systems each
time it acquired a new production company.
IT director of ALL3MEDIA, Damien Frost commented, “Email is a
business critical application for ALL3MEDIA but I knew from the
start that I would not have the time to deal with the daily hassles
and threats from spam, viruses, system failures and backups.
Security of our systems is a top priority and I wanted to ensure
that the solution we put in place would provide comprehensive
protection.
As our company grows, so do the number of email accounts
required and with that comes the problem of spam, Cobweb’s
Microsoft Hosted Exchange service which includes MessageLabs
Anti-Spam service provided us with the level of protection we
wanted. In my view, email management and all that comes with it is
something best outsourced and dealt with by a dedicated and
experienced IT partner.”
A key requirement for ALL3MEDIA was a mobile working solution
that would provide its production teams, who are frequently on
remote locations, the ability to keep in regular contact and share
information with colleagues back in the office.
The Solution
Damien Frost comments, “ALL3MEDIA has grown rapidly over the
last two years. With Cobweb’s SaaS service in place, we can
deliver a cost-effective solution to the newly
acquired companies and production teams as and when needed.”
Cobweb’s predictable monthly pay per user model allows ALL3MEDIA
to set up temporary offices for any number of staff, irrespective
of location, and when the programme has been completed the
additional users can be removed.
Damien Frost adds, “This has created massive cost savings, as it
is far cheaper to send emails than it is to make international
phone calls from mobiles back to the UK.
With day-to-day email management and mobile working taken care
of, Damien Frost is now able to aid in the development of business
strategies for future acquisitions and concentrate on
looking after the more strategic aspects of ALL3MEDIA’s IT
network and infrastructure.
Contact Us
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