Macquarie Telecom delivers complex hosting solution to BizEd Services

Clustered SQL Server design provides security, redundancy and availability
 

Sydney, Australia – 30th March 2005 – Macquarie Telecom has designed and implemented a complex managed hosting solution for BizEd Services, a leading Australian provider of outsourced Learning and Development services.

The solution was specifically designed to provide BizEd with a high-availability service through a fully redundant infrastructure with no single point of failure. It also offers the capacity to scale by at least 400 per cent to accommodate future growth – without requiring any additional hardware or architectural changes.

Including 24x7 support and management from Macquarie Telecom, the solution allows BizEd to host and maintain the online training infrastructure for its clients, including; Australian Defence Industries, Aristocrat Technologies, Coles Myer Limited, CUSCAL, John Fairfax Holdings, Victorian Department of Justice and the Victorian Department of Education and Training.

The solution enables BizEd to present simplified services to its customers despite the sophistication and complexity of the underlying infrastructure.

“BizEd can manage its client's expectations secure in the knowledge that Macquarie Telecom will meet our IT requirements,” said Peter Goldrick, Managing Director, BizEd Services.

The Macquarie Telecom design includes: managed dedicated firewalls, clustered dedicated load balancers, Microsoft SQL Server 2000 in a cluster configuration, load balanced server farms for all applications, Web servers, and 24x7 support and management reporting capabilities. The solution is hosted at the Intellicentre, Macquarie Telecom's state of the art hosting facility that is certified to BS 7799 and DSD Gateway security standards.

Macquarie Telecom meets BizEd's security, redundancy and availability needs

The clustered SQL Server design allows BizEd to run multiple, ‘virtual' SQL instances that each hold separate databases to support different versions of the primary web application. “The solution required a multifaceted ‘back-end' architecture to provide BizEd with a robust hosting platform that meets the stringent security and compliance requirements of its customers. We are pleased to be working with Macquarie Telecom to help meet our mutual customer's needs,” said Terry Clancy, Senior Product Manager for SQL Server, Microsoft Australia.

According to BizEd's Goldrick, security, redundancy and availability were the company's top three requirements from an IT services partner.

“Redundancy and availability were easily achieved, but we were looking for a provider that also had security certifications from industry bodies and, specifically, had Department of Defence clearance. The high levels of security are imperative for our defence, and banking/finance customers as we host all their training records for compliance purposes,” said Goldrick.

“Macquarie Telecom was the only organisation that got a tick in the box for all three requirements. The company also demonstrated an in depth knowledge of our requirements and a deep technical understanding, which really made them stand out from the crowd,” added Goldrick.

“From a complex hosting perspective, this is leading edge but proven technology,” said Glen Noble, General Manager Data and Hosting, Macquarie Telecom. “Clustering servers significantly reduces down-time which in turn increases customer revenue. This business benefit coupled with the increased security makes managed hosting a cost-effective solution for a company like BizEd, where mission critical applications and data need to be available 24x7.”

“Everything has been stable since day one – Macquarie Telecom has really helped us take our business to the next level,” said Goldrick.

###

< Back to previous page

For more information:
Mandy Galmes
N2N Communications
02 9213 2302
agalmes@n2n.com.au

About Macquarie Telecom
Macquarie Telecom is a leading supplier of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) solutions – including voice, data, mobile and hosting – specialising in the business and government markets. The world class Intellicentre facility offers state-of-the-art hosting and security solutions. The Intellicentre is certified to BS 7799 and DSD Gateway security standards.

Macquarie Telecom provides services to more than 2,500 of the top companies in Australia and Asia, supporting more than one million business users at work every day. Founded in July 1992, it is one of Australasia's first deregulated telecommunications companies. It expanded its operation into Asia in 2000, and holds carrier licences in Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong.

About BizEd Services
Established in 1998, BizEd Services is recognised as a leader and innovator in the Learning Services market. BizEd's core competency is in managing the ‘back office' and operational aspects of learning and development from the development of infrastructure and learning systems, administrative support to vendor management services. BizEd Services design and deliver outsourced Learning Services with an aim to maximise the impact and value of their investment in learning and development.

BizEd Services, leading the way smart organisations learn. www.bized.com.au