Taylor Woodrow – Rapid Internet Setup
Background
Taylor Woodrow Construction (TWC), a subsidiary of Taylor Wimpey is a leading contractor in a wide variety of markets including the Public sector where the new Welsh Assembly Building and the Royal Albert Hall redevelopments are examples of two prestigious projects delivered successfully by TWC. TWC needed to link new contract sites to head office systems, particularly where BT ADSL services are not immediately available, or where the cost is prohibitive and were evaluating improved methods for linking the sites and improving communication.
Journey
OptiBond was installed at two projects that required a wireless connectivity solution, due to the non-availability of fixed link services on day 1 of the projects going live. The first was at a Vauxhall Bridge Road project office in London. OptiBond crucially provided access to email, internet and access to central site systems while waiting for a fixed circuit to be provided. Once fixed line services were available the unit was transferred to our new Isle of Grain project office. This site required IT links for the initial project set-up team and OptiBond provided the basic connectivity until fixed services were available. These units are now installed at Hastings and Cheetham Hill sites in Manchester.”
Outcome
In addition to the above projects, TWC continued to deploy OptiBond at new sites. At Tesco Clapham, as with many TWC project offices which need to be set-up within a short time frame, it was not possible to provide the required fixed links on day one but IT connectivity for a small number of staff is vital. Providing access to email and other key IT applications for these users allows the project to progress. Before the availability of OptiBond, sites had to wait for BT circuits to be installed which could weeks, setting back the project. Many sites are in locations which don’t have any existing BT infrastructure, such as the Isle of Grain project office, where the wireless OptiBond units provided vital connectivity from day 1.
Kings Cross Western Booking Office: The purpose built OptiBond appliance was pre-configured with a secure Virtual Private Network into TWC Head Office, providing instant secure data connectivity to TWC remote sites.
“Since introducing OptiBond we have the ability to carry out rapid project setup which was not achievable with traditional communications, it has also provided the ability to plan better for short duration projects and moves and changes within complex projects. In summary OptiBond is a valuable addition to Taylor Woodrow’s communication portfolio.” Rob Ramsay, IT Director for TWC.
EMS specialises in improving productivity by supplying cost effective, instant secure data connectivity at remote and temporary locations.EMS created OptiBond which simultaneously bonds different cellular networks plus ADSL / satellite. OptiBond is a complete internet solution enabling up to six WAN connections and up to five concurrent VPN connections and operates as a local server to enable printing, file share & network connectivity.