University of St Andrews chooses brightsolid to provide email to all staff
The hosted mailbox contract was won in a highly-competitive tendering round, and work on installation has begun already.
It involves a highly-secure system which allows users – including all academic staff – to manage calendars, electronic mail and directory services at their desks, remotely or using mobile devices.
“This is a prestigious and important contact for brightsolid, and it was won against intense competition from the industry heavyweights,” commented Richard Higgs, Managing Director of brightsolid Online Technology.
“Staff at St Andrews needed a solution that is suitable for a modern university, which in many respects is similar to a large company. I think the university appreciated our understanding of the various end-user scenarios in which mailboxes will be used.
“Our proven experience of handling migration of technology, such as the work we have completed for clients like the international engineering business ClydeUnion, was an important element of the contract award too.”
The installation is one of the first instances in the UK of using Microsoft Exchange 2010 in a hosted environment, and utilizes the latest virtualization technology.
“As a Scottish institution with a global reach, electronic mail and calendaring are fundamental to the efficient operation of the University’s business and as such a managed solution with 24x7x365 support was very appealing”, commented Steve Watt, Chief Information Officer at the University of St Andrews.
“It is reassuring to know that the system is managed and monitored at all times, and university ICT staff can focus on delivering other business solutions as part of our ambitious e-enablement and ICT enhancement programme. Paying a fixed price for the solution over a five year period is also very attractive for budgetary purposes.
“The solution provided by brightsolid is already delivering significant business benefits and, as a Microsoft Exchange based solution, it easily integrates with our desktop and server environments.”
The deal was welcomed by Microsoft, whose platform technology is at the core of the solution. “St Andrews University is a prestigious educational establishment that needs a robust communication system in order to meet teachers and students needs,” commented Steve Beswick, Senior Director of Education at Microsoft.
“Our partner approach focuses on bringing local expertise to our customers, which means, together with brightsolid, we are able to offer St Andrews an effective solution that matches its specific requirements.”
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