Customer requirements
- IT infrastructure that meets the Group's business needs
- Increased data storage capacity
- Powerful database to allow multiple-user access
- Improved email service and increased protection
The MIS solution
- Implement Apple OS X Xserve to provide high performance network services, increased storage and robust email application
- Develop fully relational, scaleable and robust database application in FileMaker Pro Version 7, capable of supporting over 250 users and managing very large data files (up to 2.4TB)
- Replace Windows PCs with Apple Mac G5s in the studio, achieving significant performance increases
Technical benefits
- Greatly improved network performance
- Increased hard-disk file storage space
- Greater integration of Macs and Windows PCs
- Email services operating in a secure, robust environment supporting comprehensive virus and spam filtering
- Faster hardware running UNIX OS
- Greater stability of IT systems
Business benefits
- Improved printing and workflow speeds
- Efficiencies realised through reduced downtime and designer frustrations
- Decrease in production and colour-proofing costs
- Greater inter-operability with external bureaux and service-providers
- Greater functionality from a more stable email system at no additional capital expenditure
- Support for as many database users as the business requires without any denial of service
Partners and technologies
- Adobe: Creative Suite software
- Apple Computer: network and email services
- D-Link: high speed gigabit network switch
- FastNet International: ISP services
- GretagMacbeth: colour calibration
Customer information
For more information about our customer
please visit: www.networklifestyle.co.uk
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Founded in 1989, Network Group comprises four companies: Network Lifestyle, Network
Jewellery, Network Artwork & Design and Network Photography. Network Lifestyle produces
high-profile, glossy magazines for hotels and restaurants in the UK and the rest of the
world, including members of the prestigious Relais & Châteaux group. Network Jewellery
produces high quality lifestyle magazines for leading independent jewellers in the UK
and Ireland. The inclusion of Network Artwork & Design and Network Photography within
the Group means it can run the publishing operation even more smoothly and efficiently.
Together, as one team, the Network Group work to provide their clients with the highest
quality lifestyle magazines for their guests, customers, colleagues and industry friends.
The situation
The Network Group had several business issues that were hampering its development.
Firstly, the studio, responsible for the design and layout of the titles published
by Network Lifestyle and Network Jewellery, was operating with legacy systems that
needed replacing. As the engine behind the publishing group's business, the priority
was to ensure that the studio was equipped with the correct systems to enable Network
Lifestyle and Network Jewellery to maintain the quality of their published titles.
The growing technical demands however of high resolution digital photography, provided
by the Network Photography team, meant that it was becoming increasingly difficult for
the Group's IT systems to successfully meet the needs of the business.
An unbranded server running Windows 2000 Server was struggling to cope with the data
transfer of large graphical images and the modest hard-disk-space availability in the
ageing server was continually running dangerously low. Not only did this undermine the
security of business data, and therefore business continuity, but it also took a great
deal of day-to-day management to regulate the data storage, ensuring that disk-space
limits were not exceeded. This problem was compounded by the Windows Server running a
VPOP email server application and providing file and print services for the entire
group of 20 users. With the exception of a single Apple Power Macintosh G4 connected
to a high resolution drum scanner in the studio, all desktop-systems were a mix of
branded and unbranded laptops and PCs, and all network devices were connected over
an unswitched structured Ethernet cable network.
In addition to the server limitations, the database managing the workflow of the
Group's commercial processes was failing. This database, dating from the early days
of the company, was written in Microsoft Access 97, a database tool that was never
designed to support multiple users simultaneously accessing a large database file.
The database was responsible for tracking all elements of the publications: advertising
opportunities and revenues, editorial content and studio design work. Consequently,
the database had to record significant amounts of data, ranging from client and
supplier contacts to sales and production-job-bag information.
The final major impediment to the Network Group's development was their email services
which were inadequate and insufficiently developed to meet the needs of the Group. A
VPOP email application running on the Windows 2000 Server provided basic email services
via an ADSL account with BT Openworld.
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“The joined-up approach adopted by MIS demonstrated how one piece of kit - a server solution - resolved multiple business and technology issues with no additional capital expenditure”
Peter Marshall
Publisher and managing director
Network Publishing Group
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