THE REQUIREMENT

Reliable IT support for a fast-growing company which cannot justify the cost of a full time IT Manager and whose IT requirements were becoming more complicated.

THE SOLUTION

Equanet's Managed Service remotely supports nDreams' infrastructure of server, PCs, macs and playstations, and proactively monitors the network in real-time to identify and resolve problems before they occur. This enables the staff at nDreams to focus on their business, secure in the knowledge that the IT infrastructure is fully supported.

THE FEEDBACK

"The support people are fantastic. They really seem to care. They know us and our business and always sort out our issues, answering our calls really quickly"

Patrick O’Luanaigh, CEO, nDreams

nDreams Case Study: Equanet Managed Service for a growing Video Games Company

ABOUT nDREAMS

nDreams is a fast-growing video game developer and publisher based in Farnborough. The company was set up in 2007 by Patrick O'Luanaigh, the former Creative Director of Eidos. Gaming has grown and changed hugely over the last five years, and the company was founded with the aim of being pioneers in this new world, focusing purely online. nDreams is a specialist in Alternate Reality Games (ARGs), virtual worlds and bespoke games for brands on Facebook and AppStore - they are best known for their PlayStation Home game, Xi and their global ARG, Lewis Hamilton: Secret Life.

SETTING UP THE RIGHT IT INFRASTRUCTURE

IT is critical to the successful running of the business, as confirmed by the company’s CEO, Patrick O’Luanaigh: "IT is important to us because we’re always uploading and downloading files for clients". The company has twenty five PCs, five macs plus eight playstation kits, and a server which backs up data and connects to the web. The company has no in-house IT support. Although some of its employees are technically minded, there was still a need for more robust and reliable support for the IT system, yet hiring a full-time IT Manager was not a cost-effective option. "That’s why we use Equanet”, Patrick explains; "The service is almost as good as having a full-time IT person, but cheaper. It works really well for us".

Patrick is particularly impressed with the customer service Equanet provides. "The support people are fantastic. They really seem to care. They know us and our business and always sort out our issues, answering our calls really quickly".

ONGOING SUPPORT

nDreams has been using Equanet’s Managed Service for eighteen months now. “The business is growing fast and our IT requirements were beginning to get more complicated. We needed network support and reliable back-ups".

One of Equanet’s solutions specialists came on-site to discuss the company’s requirements and to recommend the best solution. Together with nDreams, Equanet put together a brief for the required equipment, ordered the set-up and agreed the right phone and online support service. Patrick describes the service as "absolutely brilliant". He is able to focus on his business, secure in the knowledge that his IT infrastructure is fully supported. “I need to spend my time managing my business, not my IT. Equanet offers a good solution and I’m really pleased. I didn’t consider using anyone else”.

HOW EQUANET SUPPORTS nDREAMS

MANAGEMENT OF SERVERS, DESKTOPS & APPLE MACS

Equanet, as network administrator, uses remote tools to monitor the network in real-time, to identify and resolve problems before they occur, often before they impact nDreams’ users. A managed, standardised anti-virus platform is deployed across the entire estate along with anti-spam.

SERVICE DESK

nDreams does not have any dedicated IT support staff. Consequently, all user issues are raised directly into the Equanet Service Desk where they can be quickly resolved remotely. Issues can be raised by telephone or via email. Monthly reports are issued to nDreams detailing all problems & resolutions which allow them to understand the positive impact of the service.

DISASTER RECOVERY

Equanet manages the daily backups to ensure that the Disaster Recovery Plan is maintained robustly. As well as a local archive, this also includes a secure and encrypted off-site backup.

SUPPORT SERVICES

In conjunction with the service desk support, hardware support is provided by Equanet engineers operating to guaranteed service levels.

SYSTEMS INTEGRATION

A number of applications such as Exchange Mail, Microsoft Office and specific applications bespoke to the organisation have been integrated onto the network. This has included a managed email filtering solution which reduces spam, improves security and scans for viruses. A further anti-virus solution is deployed and updated weekly across the network.

MAINTENANCE AND SUPPORT

In conjunction with the Service Desk support, hardware support is provided by Equanet engineers operating to guaranteed service levels.

REMOTE ACCESS

Equanet manages all aspects of the network; creating new users, configuring access rights and other network administration tasks. Installation of all patches and fixes are carried out either remotely or on-site as required. Other remote tools are used to monitor server status and performance. Equanet also provides secure access services for staff working remotely.