Melbourne Cricket Club scores with support contract from Data^#3

November 28, 2018; Melbourne, Australia: Leading Australian technology services and solutions provider, Data^#3, today announced that it has worked with the Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC), to implement an innovative technology support solution for the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

Supporting everything from access control and security to stadium wide Wi-Fi, the highly available network built by the MCC’s IT team needed ongoing support to ensure its systems performed with utmost reliability. When tens of thousands of sports fans arrive to cheer their team, the MCG must be ready to greet them. Without its systems working, the show, quite simply, could not go on.

With just weeks until the next match, MCC General Manager of IT and Innovation, Rey Sumaru, said, “It is critical to have right business partner – we don’t get a second chance to get it right. The consequence would be that broadcast partners could not televise matches, the media couldn’t file stories, and we couldn’t get 70-80,000 people inside. Our access controls all depend on the network. Without them we couldn’t scan tickets or use the scoreboards – the critical infrastructure is what allows you to open the venue.”

Ensuring the right support is a vital part of maintaining the MCC’s systems, but time was running out to negotiate an agreement. When Data^#3 extended an offer to provide support before contracts were signed, the MCC team recognised the ‘customer-first’ attitude. Within two weeks, the MCC team received an extraordinary level of intelligence from Data^#3 about its own environment. Information gathering identified which equipment was due for renewal or approaching end-of-life. This allowed the MCC to plan and budget more effectively for future needs.

Ensuring ongoing availability of an outstanding network is something that cannot be left to chance for the MCC team, and Sumaru is happy that with Data^#3, it is in safe hands. “They took time to understand our business, and often vendors don’t take that time,” said Sumaru.

With support in place, and exceptional redundancy built in, the MCC can continue to offer the thrilling visitor experience for which it is famous. “For a typical match, we cater for 70,000 visitors to log on, and we get consistently good feedback on our Wi-Fi. These days, technology is all part of the show that the fans love at the MCG,” concluded Sumaru.

Data^#3 Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Laurence Baynham, commented, “Today, the expectation of a seamless, digital experience is universal. It is fantastic to see the MCC harnessing the power of people and technology to deliver the first-class services that sports fans have come to expect. We look forward to continuing our work with the MCC and to helping them create great sporting experiences.”

The maintenance agreement includes support for the entire network, back-office and stadium. Data^#3 also provides tailored customer success activities, using its Hub platform to manage assets, lifecycle management, support arrangements, case-logging and incident management. The transparency and ease of access afforded by Data^#3’s Hub platform allows the MCC team complete visibility of its environment and status.

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