Omega Group boosts connectivity speeds
The Omega Group, consisting of Omega Gaming and Omega Media-Wave, are local importers and distributors of a variety of electronic casino gaming equipment, as well as digital display devices. As a business that deals with companies across the globe, Omega needs to be connected 24/7, which requires a reliable network, stable connectivity and always-on IT services. However, as a Small to Medium Enterprise (SME), Omega also requires personalised service and support. When their previous service provider outgrew their business, they turned to SME IT specialists Green Apple IT to handle their IT support and make recommendations on how Omega could optimise their IT infrastructure.
“Our previous network support partner had outgrown the SME market, and was better positioned to serve larger enterprises. As a result, we felt we were not receiving the personalised service we needed, as each aspect of our support had a different department to deal with and various personnel on every issue. A lot of support was conducted remotely, the pricing was also starting to become prohibitive for our business, and we felt we were no longer receiving value from the service,” says Conal Mullan, Financial Director at Omega Group.
“Our server had also reached end of life, becoming out-dated and ineffectual both in terms of size and speed. The quotes from our existing provider were beyond our financial reach, so we called for additional quotes from alternate providers, and Green Apple IT stood out from the rest. Aside from their pricing and ability to deliver all of the services we needed, we received a personal recommendation for their services from an ex-employee, and testimonial helped to sway us in their favour. Green Apple IT replaced our server and then took over our network and IT support services,” he adds.
For the past two years Green Apple IT has provided Omega with desktop support both online and a weekly site visit, online server management support, daily health checks and controls, and the management of Internet and email services. These services are run on a month-to-month basis, with no contractual obligation or lock-in, helping to ensure the highest levels of service delivery.
“Their service offering is tailored to meet our individual needs and the Green Apple IT team is personally involved through a hands-on approach in the day-to-day running of our services. We appreciate this personal touch, and the ability to obtain a response quickly to any queries we might have. In terms of affordability, we are now receiving the same services as previously for lower price, with that important personal touch. They took the time to build relationships with us, and have an in-depth understanding of our business, which enables them to offer solutions which meet our needs and requirements,” says Mullan.
In addition to IT and network support, Green Apple IT also offers advisory services to help Omega optimise their IT infrastructure when necessary. One of the recommendations made by Green Apple IT was to install a multi-WAN Internet link load balancing router, which aggregates multiple ADSL lines to deliver fast, reliable and resilient Internet connectivity.
“Omega receives large volumes of emails, and has a bandwidth intense environment which requires a significant amount of data upload and download. Amongst other things software updates for all of their equipment need to be downloaded and propagated to the various sites. This means that they require a highly stable Internet connection, which is why we recommended the link load balancer,” says Dawie Bloomberg, Managing Director of Green Apple IT.
“This specialised router bonds three separate ADSL lines into a single ‘pipe’, to deliver higher speeds and greater connection stability. If one connection fails, there is redundancy with the two other lines, ensuring the network remains up and running. Each line is also administered by a different Internet service provider, creating additional failover capabilities,” he adds.
Improved Internet connectivity speeds and ensuring that their network remains up and running at all times have had a definite positive impact on Omega’s business, enabling them to conduct uploads and downloads in shorter times. Updated server capacity and speed enables Omega to run their everyday operations more efficiently, and crucial IT support services ensure that the company is able to run a productive globalised business at all hours.
“While a Return on Investment (ROI) is difficult to quantify in such a scenario, we believe we have definitely achieved ROI. Response times are 50% better when we require services, the speed of our connectivity is dramatically improved, and our information retrieval capabilities are smoother and faster. We are very happy with the levels of service that Green Apple IT provides, which is why we keep going back to their services month after month,” Mullan concludes.
