Rose Bowl - it BusinessCare

Client Overview

The Rose Bowl is home to the Hampshire Cricket team and has hosted a number of International matches.

As well as cricket, the Rose Bowl also features a golf course, hotel and high quality conference facilities. Throughout the year the venue also hosts a selection of concerts - these have included performances from high-profile artists such as Oasis, REM and The Who.

Now in the process of a major development, the Rose Bowl is extending its capacity and facilities even further as part of a £45 million redevelopment project.

Challenges Faced

In line with a major growth period experienced at the Rose Bowl, the IT systems had become disparate and stretched beyond their limitations.

The servers and PCs were progressively reaching the end of their useful business lives and were no longer reliable. As a result the support of the hardware was time consuming and counterproductive.

The smooth operation of the IT systems is critical to the Rose Bowl. Any downtime suffered not only affect staff, but seriously restricts visitors, the media and broadcast companies.

Potential Business Impact

As part of the ambitious stadium development there is a desire to host more International level matches which would require IT facilities capable of hosting worldwide media representatives.

Hosting matches of this level demands high quality facilities and a reliable IT infrastructure is key.

Without a reliable and flexible infrastructure in place the Rose Bowl are at risk of lost revenue due to loss of productivity or breach of contract with the Cricket authorities. If critical IT systems fail such as the CCTV, matches must be cancelled under the Cricket authorities guidelines. This can also impact on health and safety regulations, particularly on match days.

Solution

Taylor Made and the Rose Bowl have partnered together for over three years.

Now an official partner to the Hampshire Cricket team, Taylor Made were invited to review and advise on the future development of the IT systems to fit within and complement the expansion plans.

Alongside an initial range of core hardware and Internet service upgrades, Taylor Made recommended it BusinessCare, an enhanced support agreement.

it BusinessCare offered the Rose Bowl a comprehensive remote monitored and managed support facility. Based on a fixed monthly cost, the contract also included a weekly visit from a Taylor Made engineer to carry out general desktop and end user support requests.

Results

The greater level of support has enabled the Rose Bowl to extend the life of much of the existing hardware and make a return on the initial investment made.

Solutions such as public and media Wi-Fi access has enhanced the facilities at the ground and further established the Rose Bowl as one of the most advanced cricket venues in the country.

Taylor Made have also provided professional advice and technical assistance with the implementation of new ticket management and match day access systems.

Future

Taylor Made continue to be an important partner to the Rose Bowl. The development project continues to progress and the stadium is due to be completed during 2010.