In an economy making a slow and patchy recovery from recession, Cloud computing is sometimes marketed by some vendors as being a low cost computing resource, a simple “subscription” model for corporate users.

By Pete Deacon, Director of technology and strategy at SaintGroup Managed Services

It is undeniable that there is much hype in the IT market about cloud computing which is often over-sold to CIOs looking to streamline IT processes. However, the emergence of cloud computing-based business systems does provide an opportunity to tailor IT provision to better suit individual organisations’ business computing needs.

Adoption of an effective cloud infrastructure is an initial step towards business transformation and will increase an organisation’s speed to market. In the past, companies would update old and legacy business applications - a customer relationship management (CRM) system, for example - by upgrading all of the equipment on the network individually: a wasteful process in terms of both time and IT resources. Through cloud deployment, this type of software upgrade and new service capability for the business can be streamlined and automated.

By Pete Deacon, Director of Technology and Strategy, SaintGroup Group

There is so much hype in Britain’s IT industry over Cloud computing that the model is frequently being “oversold” to UK companies that are looking to streamline their IT systems.  However the emergence of cloud computing is such a ‘breakthrough’ opportunity for firms to transform their competitiveness with more responsive IT that it would be a shame if firms lost out by failing to take some sensible measures to manage the risks around it.  If they can get their Cloud thinking right, UK businesses can tailor their IT provision and its billing to better suit computing needs far more effectively than before.

More than half of Britain’s mid-sized organisations are actively addressing business change but they have yet to achieve the type of IT-driven business transformation that will genuinely power Britain’s economic recovery, says analysis by leading independent managed service provider SaintGroup.

Following our successful ISO 20000 accreditation earlier in the year Hornbill, the vendor of Supportworks our Service Management Tool, and SaintGroup have been working on some joint PR activity. Following an initial media alert, Tim Clegg has been interviewed by several of the Channel Press and this is the first article, with Web Publisher CRN, from that initiative.

Leading independent managed service provider SaintGroup has been awarded a ten-year contract by EDF Energy - the UK’s largest producer of electricity - to provide a managed plant-based computing hardware repair service for its Nuclear generation business unit.

SaintGroup started providing the service in April this year. It comprises off-site repair services for EDF Energy’s legacy computing hardware which is used at the group’s UK nuclear plants. SaintGroup has provided support services for EDF Energy and its predecessors since 1989.

Niall O’Regan, director of managed services, SaintGroup said: “We’re delighted to be continuing our long standing relationship with EDF Energy, which is playing a key role meeting Britain’s electricity needs.”

London 26 September, 2011 - Leading independent managed service provider SaintGroup is providing the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) with IT infrastructure and support that is enabling the organisation to boost customer service for its 200,000 plus membership and 160 support staff while reducing system management costs. 

SaintGroup has provided FSB with a managed service for ICT infrastructure, website, e-mail and office facilities. It is also supporting the federation’s customer relationship management (CRM) system that underpins its contact centre operations. SaintGroup completed the transition to managed service operations in the spring of this year.

London, 23 March, 2011 - With the next financial year just around the corner, mid-sized firms will be further streamlining operations to make efficiency savings and remain competitive. As their core operations come under the microscope again, senior managers are looking again at unified communications (UC) platforms because they can deliver previously ‘unseen’ telephony cost savings while enabling greater productivity from better-mobilised staff.

Companies facing the unenviable task of maintaining market share or driving savings in an uncertain economy may be surprised to find UC offers different long-term cost saving options. The public sector is also looking to make unprecedented savings within the next 12 months – it too is focusing heavily on cutting operational expenditure and drive field staff’s service delivery.