case study
Key Objectives Benefits
• I mproved infrastructure resilience • Reduced technology duplication, complexity
and cost
• R
educed technology duplication and complexity
• F
acilitation of hot desking, and remote and mobile working
• R
educed travel and internal communication costs
• I ncreased collaboration across the group
• S
upport for a strategic, customer-centric, data led approach to ICT
Solution
ONI recommended that SMG
should move to a resilient
communications infrastructure
with common cloud telephony,
email and contact centre solutions
across the group, by implementing
a cloud communications service
running over a Wide Area Network.
Leveraging its Tier 3+ data
centre facilities and extensive
experience in the museum and
gallery sector, ONI worked closely
with SMG to specify, design,
implement and support a one-stop-
shop solution for SMG’s 1,500 users,
across the group’s seven UK sites.
Key systems were relocated
to ONI’s cloud service, providing
geographic and physical resilience,
and ensuring 100% availability. The
initial solution included a wide area
network, managed, maintained
and supported by ONI, which was
implemented across all SMG sites.
This gave staff access to Microsoft
Exchange, Microsoft Active
Directory, telephone and contact
centre cloud services.
This infrastructure gives SMG a
resilient, secure, scalable system,
able to grow with the group. Inter-
site communication costs have
been removed and the rationalised
system portfolio is now managed
by ONI. By replacing multiple
systems with a single managed
service, ONI has enabled SMG to
focus its ICT team on delivering
other important technologies to
the group.
As well as designing, deploying
and implementing the solution,
ONI managed all aspects of
the project including the third
parties involved. Support and
service reviews help SMG realise
maximum value and continual
service improvements.
ONI also worked closely with
SMG to help them understand and
exploit cloud services, suggesting,
for example, the use of instant
messaging and presence technology
to facilitate remote and home-
working. This has been key in helping
SMG shape its cloud strategy, itself
pivotal in the group’s over-all digital
transformation strategy.
SMG continues to work in
partnership with ONI to drive its
transformation to cloud strategy
forward. ONI is refreshing SMG’s
existing local area network and
increasing connectivity capacity
into each site, enabling SMG
to deliver Microsoft Office 365,
• Consistent user experience independent of
location
• Improved collaboration across the group
• IT resources freed up for strategic,
value-add activities
“ONI worked
closely
with SMG to
help them
understand
and exploit
cloud
services.”
Azure and AWS services. This
will facilitate a key strategic aim
for SMG: Making ICT a business
enabler, enabling the workforce to
adopt a truly mobile and flexible
way of working.
“ONI have exceptional
engineering expertise. They’re
knowledgeable, helpful and
wanted to get stuck in and deliver.
As well as being delivered within
budget, the project has been well
received across SMG, elevating
the perception of ICT across the
business,” said Amadeep Rai, ICT
development and project manager.
“ONI are a strategic partner;
they’ve demonstrated themselves
as highly capable and trustworthy.
That’s crucial as it allows SMG’s ICT
team to focus on enabling and leading
innovation and transformation,
and delivering the high quality
technology services essential to
flexible modern working,” said
Jason Oliver, head of ICT.
October 2017 | 29