Client: Spixworth Asset Management
Industry: Managing investment portfolios for professional investors.
Employees: 6
Established: 2007, authorised by Financial Services Authority in 2009
Clients: £85 million under management
Challenge:
Benefits:
With employees based in dispersed locations – including a member of staff overseas for nine months of the year – remote access to data and files was the key driver behind Spixworth Asset Management’s recent IT decisions. Their office-based server’s days were numbered.
Director Jeff Winter was already convinced of the benefits of Cloud computing. “We knew that only a Cloud-based solution would allow staff to access our files from anywhere, from any Internet-enabled computer. We gave our IT consultant a list of requirements and he recommended ThinHost®. We moved over at the end of 2011.”
Surprisingly painless
ThinHost® completed migration in a weekend; by Monday morning, Spixworth Asset Management’s field and office-based staff alike were set up to log in and start work. Jeff Winter’s confidence in Cloud computing had already begun to pay off and there were additional benefits even he had not anticipated. “Working out of hours often long and late is a fact of life when you’re running a business, but with ThinHost®, working from home and even while away on holiday became much more efficient, not to mention secure”.
Security
It was the unparalleled level of security offered by ThinHost® that clinched the buying decision for Spixworth. “We hold a lot of client data”, says Winter. “The information we have on clients’ financial situations is particularly sensitive. We also store a large amount of research that justifies the work we do; we’re required by law to keep that research for six years. If any of our data was lost it would have enormous consequences for our business and for our clients. When we first looked at ThinHost®‘s virtual desktop solution we realized their security was much higher and their back up facility much stronger than our existing provisions”. Indeed most small businesses can’t achieve the enterprise-level security that comes as standard with ThinHost®.
Speed
If Jeff Winter had one reservation about Cloud computing, it was speed. “Although ThinHost® promised instant login, file recall and software opening, I was worried that it might be slower, because everything is so far away. However it turns out speeds with ThinHost are easily three or four times faster than with our old set-up. Although our IT contractor did explain it to me, I don’t quite know how things can run so much faster on ThinHost®. I’m just glad they do.”
Reduce IT costs
“We didn’t do an explicit cost-benefit analysis before choosing ThinHost® because we viewed remote access as an important investment for taking the business forward. But compared to the capital we would have otherwise had to invest, our IT costs are much lower. Factor in the additional benefits of speed and security and we’re pretty sure we’re saving money.” Though Spixworth have retained their IT contractor for now, Winter says spend on that contract has gone down because the new IT set up is much simpler and less time-consuming. ThinHost® take care of all installations and maintenance, including software updates and licences. Everything is included in a single monthly subscription fee so clients need only maintain their PCs and their broadband connection.
More options, fewer worries
“You’re not running your own IT system,” says Ricky Reemer, ThinHost® Founder and MD. “In fact you don’t even own an IT system. You’re subscribing to a fully managed, fully supported, fully secure IT service, all you really have to think about is your PCs, laptops or smartphones – however you want to access the Internet.” On screen, end users see the familiar Windows desktop and can still access all the usual MS Office software by simply opening a web browser and logging in.
Enabling growth
Spixworth Asset Management will be expanding headcount this year and Jeff Winter is well aware of how the business’ choice of IT has enabled that growth. “We plan to take on one or two new staff in the next few months; they’ll be based in external locations. If we didn’t have a reliable, fast and secure Cloud-based IT solution we wouldn’t even be able to even consider recruiting off-site staff. The Cloud is the key for the future of our business and ThinHost is bringing us the best of Cloud computing.”
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