Future-proofing The Wow Company
The Challenges of Growth Peter is convinced that progressive businesses also need to take a progressive approach to IT. That's why he approached Perceptive Online for help with addressing some of the IT challenges arising as a result of Wow's growth. Launched in 2004, the practice had by 2006 grown to the point where storing information on individual laptops had become restrictive. "Each person had their calendar and client documents on their laptop," remembered Peter. "We had the classic information silos problem - no one could access anyone else's information. Setting up a meeting, for example, could be a lengthy, complex and frustrating process involving multiple phone calls and emails. Similarly, documents had to be shared via email, with inevitable version control complications. Peter saw two possible approaches to addressing Wow's IT challenges. One would be a traditional in-house server infrastructure. The other would be to use hosted services. It quickly became apparent that the hosted approach, being far more flexible, was the way to go. There were significant cost benefits, too. Sharing DocumentsPhase one of Perceptive's solution for Wow was Microsoft SharePoint, a powerful document sharing tool to address Wow's need for individuals to be able to access documents from wherever they might be working. SharePoint has proved highly successful and since its implementation, Wow has become a largely paperless business. By scanning documents into the tool Wow can make sure that everyone who needs access to them can get to them, wherever they are. All they need is an internet connection and a web browser. Sharing CalendarsNext, Perceptive implemented Hosted Exchange. The effect on Wow was electric, as Peter recalled. "With Hosted Exchange we can share calendar information. Booking appointments is now a simple matter of opening each attendee's calendar and choosing a mutually convenient time. Before, the only calendar anyone could see was their own." Again, all the user needs is a web browser and an internet connection. Serving Applications With Hosted Exchange and SharePoint successfully established, Peter went straight to Perceptive when Wow needed a managed server on which to run accountancy package MYOB. "I was determined not to take a backwards step and bring in an in-house server for MYOB," Peter noted. "I knew that Perceptive had the skills and attitude to engineer a bespoke hosted MYOB solution for us - and they didn't disappoint." Like its clients, Wow is an ambitious company. Growth has been rapid - over 100 clients in four years, from a standing start - and continues to be a key priority. Perceptive's services have, in Peter's words, future-proofed the company. "Perceptive's hosted and managed services are the last word in terms of flexibility," he observed. "If we need more users on Exchange or SharePoint we call them and it's done, at a fixed monthly fee. If we need fewer users in this area or that, then, again, one call and it's done. We could double in size overnight and they would be able to support the extra users at the drop of a hat." The need for IT support is drastically reduced, too. Backups, upgrades, disaster recovery and hardware and software maintenance are all handled by Perceptive. "Wow is a pretty demanding client, but Perceptive have bent over backwards to help us out," said Peter. "They're extremely responsive and very willing to accommodate our requirements. And the value for money is nothing less than superb. I strongly commend them to any company looking for a flexible, low cost solution to the information sharing challenge." For more information on Perceptive Online's services, visit www.perceptive-online.com or call 01635 234100. For more on Wow, visit www.thewowcompany.com or call 0845 201 1582.June2008