Craig Phillips, WRU IT Manager explains: “We were looking for faster speeds and reliability, as access to our information and services is continually on the increase. We needed it to handle using a lot more video footage of rugby matches for analysis purposes for the teams, and also to be able to upload our own match footage.”
Based at the Millennium Stadium, the previous supply came via a standard broadband connection, the WRU now has a leased line with a 1Gigabit capability with 100Mb Internet service with a back-up microwave solution link of up to 100 Megabytes also. Remote workers have also been provided with faster, more reliable access to the WRU intranet.
“We’re in a position to supply the WRU with about as much bandwidth as they need, both now and in the future, as interest in and use of their services expands” says Giles Phelps, Managing Director, Spectrum Internet. “We know that reliability and support, supplied locally, is extremely important to them also.”
“I was able to visit Spectrum at their premises in Cardiff Bay, meet the engineers, and actually see, first-hand, the sophisticated network they have and how it is operated.” added Craig Phillips. “This is important for an organization like us where we’re continually in the public eye, and also need to communicate and operate on an international scale.”
The Spectrum Internet service supplies a dedicated leased line which means that the WRU can upload and download at a full 100Mb bandwidth as often as they need and has enabled them to analyse match play in real-time giving half-time talks even more meaning.