Coversure insures against network downtime with Zen Internet
When multi-user applications specialist DataMatters decided to switch their biggest client's wide area network connection to ADSL, award winning broadband provider, Zen Internet was the company's first choice.
In 1987, DataMatters, a provider of network solutions developed an insurance quotation system for use in the insurance broking industry. The system was developed to be reliable and robust enough to be accessible in real time from a number of sites throughout the country for simultaneous use by hundreds of front-end users.
In 1995, DataMatters began work with Coversure Insurance Services, a group of independent insurance intermediaries, to provide a replacement proprietary system that would be used by its network of franchised offices at locations across the UK. DataMatters' relationship with Coversure proved to be such a success that the companies formed a strategic partnership and DataMatters provided the insurance broker with a wide area network (WAN) based solution to over 300 users, at 80 locations running motor, household, travel and commercial insurance quotation systems. DataMatters hosts the WAN at its headquarters in Heywood, Lancashire and Coversure access it from offices around the country via BTnet, (a form of ISDN).
Making the switch
In an attempt to continue to provide Coversure with the best and most cost-effective level of service, DataMatters decided to make the switch from BTnet to ADSL. The biggest benefit gained by switching the company's connection was that ADSL provides users with a robust, reliable and cost-effective connection. And, in addition it allows DataMatters to manage and resolve any problems directly and, as the network provider, control is an issue of primary importance to the company.
Due to the nature of Coversure's business, excellence in customer service is of utmost importance. It is vital that the company's 300 insurance consultants have quick access to data such as quotes and customer information.
It was therefore business-critical from Coversure's point of view that DataMatters should use a completely reliable ADSL provider with the ability to respond to any problems immediately.
As an existing BT customer, DataMatters at first considered the telecoms provider as the obvious choice to provide ADSL, however they chose Zen Internet because they felt that the company would be able to offer them the level of service and flexibility it needed, especially when problems with the connection arose.
Reliable connection to DataMatters' servers is essential for Coversure, so in order to ensure we could offer Coversure continuous connection, with minimum downtime and excellent response times to any service problems, we needed to find a service provider that could prioritise our requests,
said Bob Pickering, network systems manager, DataMatters.
A flexible solution
DataMatters also chose Internet Service Provider (ISP), Zen Internet because the company came highly recommended from another source and being based in Rochdale meant they were physically close to the DataMatters headquarters in Heywood. If any connection problems occurred, Zen's engineers would be close at hand to resolve them.
In addition to their location, we also decided to work with Zen because the company was small enough to offer us the flexibility we need, but big enough to know exactly what they are doing and do it well,
commented Pickering.
BT was unable to respond to our individual requirements and we needed to work with a company that was able to respond to Coversure's needs. Zen was able to demonstrate this flexibility, and we are now ideally positioned to offer Coversure a reliable connection to their WAN as and when they need it, twenty-four hours per day, seven days per week.
A robust solution
And, Zen's ADSL connection certainly proved how robust and reliable it was following the recent underground fire in a BT tunnel in Manchester city centre. At the time the fire took place, a significant number of Coversure's offices were still connecting to its network via BTnet. The fire caused this connection to fail and it took BT approximately three days to repair their cabling. The only Coversure offices to retain their connections were those branches already connected with ADSL from Zen.
DataMatters is also working with Zen Internet to ensure continuing network availability for Coversure. It is essential that the company has a disaster recovery plan in place for Coversure at a remote location. DataMatters therefore rents space from Zen within TeleCity, Manchester, an off-site disaster recovery facility. TeleCity, Manchester is one of the leading co-location facilities in the UK and Zen Internet has developed a set of enhanced services, augmenting the basic TeleCity hosting and technical infrastructure. Zen has a suite of 20 racks there to provide extra hosting space for customers with first class support and engineer cover.
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