i3 Media: Smooth, streamlined client communication thanks to gigabit connection

Background

i3MEDIA is a full service media agency working with major brands including the BBC, Autoglass, Ralph Lauren and Mencap, as well as SMEs and start-ups. It has 27 staff based at Flag Business Exchange in Vicarage Farm Road, Fengate, Peterborough Since the owner, Azeem Yaqoob, created the business more than 10 years ago, it has grown dramatically and now operates offices in the UK and overseas. When i3MEDIA moved to Flag Business Exchange in Fengate from Lynch Wood three years ago, the benefits of a large, open-plan single floor office – key to the business’s creativity – was offset by the slow internet connection. Mr Yaqoob was forced to have a costly leased line installed in order to get the connectivity required. When CityFibre announced it was creating the Peterborough CORE, i3MEDIA was a staunch supporter and was at the forefront of the “Gig up Fengate” campaign to bring gigabit speed internet connectivity to Fengate.

Challenge

Working in the digital field, Mr Yaqoob knew the success of i3MEDIA was reliant on the firm’s digital capabilities and ease with which it communicates with clients, locally, nationally and internationally. He has a growing workforce including programmers, developers, web designers, account managers and marketers who are required to be online constantly servicing their extensive customer base. Huge amounts of data are uploaded and downloaded daily. Teams are constantly checking and updating websites as and when they are live to ensure clients receive the finest experience from i3MEDIA. From working on the backend of the Peterborough City Council website, to Skype meetings with clients, the team needs to be able to have effective and proficient internet speed. Their systems all rely on capable and reliable internet connections, so this was a fundamental requirement. Staff use a variety of communication methods to manage customers around the UK and abroad, and internet speed and reliability is vital to providing excellent customer service. Mr Yaqoob said: “We previously invested in a leased line internet service to help us meet the digital requirements of our clients, but despite costly monthly overheads, we were still seeing variations in speed at peak times of use. “We were looking for an alternative solution where we could see better value for money and higher quality service to enable us to assist our clients quickly and efficiently.”

Solution

i3MEDIA was one of the first businesses in Fengate to connect to the Peterborough CORE via service provider Businesscoms, replacing the leased line and all phone lines with a single pure fibre connection. Mr Yaqoob is delighted at the difference it has made – and the money saved. With symmetrical upload and download speeds of up to 1Gbps (1000Mbps) and a mighty uncapped data allowance, the i3MEDIA staff’s hunger for data and appetite for speed are now satiated. Mr Yaqoob said: “It’s just so much faster. It has allowed us to get dedicated speeds far greater than anywhere in the UK and we are able to now run a VoIP service connecting our UK and international offices. We used to use Skype but now we can pick up the phone to someone who is several thousand miles away and it’s like they’re in the same building. “With more and more clients and the requirements for instant exchange of files we’ve been able to streamline our cloud-based offering making exchanging communication between offices and clients a lot smoother. The clients love it and so do we.” With gigabit speed connectivity to underpin their client communications, i3MEDIA is poised for even greater success. For more information on how ultra-fast connectivity can benefit your business, register your interest today at peterboroughcore.com.