About Display Manager
Based in Basingstoke and founded in 1996, Display Manager is the leading provider of Audio-Visual systems and integration in South East England, but their scalability and agility mean they have an enviable reputation across the whole of the UK and mainland Europe.
From system design and equipment supply to build, production, integration and maintenance, Display Manager are experts in delivering simple solutions that enhance their client’s ability to communicate, work effectively and wow their own customers.
Whether it’s a single conferencing suite or auditorium, or an entire building requiring a range of meeting rooms setup, interior and exterior digital signage systems, interactive video wall technology and control system programming, Display Manager’s in-house engineers have the experience, certifications and innovative nature to deliver the perfect solution.
The Challenges
Being a relatively tech-savvy organisation, IT was handled in-house until around five years ago when the team wanted to focus on growth. This meant ensuring their engineers were out on client sites rather than in the office dealing with IT issues. They soon developed an outsourced model, maintaining an employed workforce of just AV specialists and engineers. This involved finding an IT supplier they could trust, who could support them with an office move while simultaneously reducing risk and improving productivity remotely for a growing team. They also needed to ensure that any IT partner they worked with could fully integrate their business-critical software, D-tools, with solutions that facilitated remote working and data storage.
The Solutions
After being referred to us here at Zinq IT by an existing client, we went along to a meeting with the Managing Director to understand the business and their IT requirements. We were very quickly able to recommend the Citrix solution, delivered via a co-located datacentre solution.
We also took over the management of their core software provider, US-based D-tools, whom we worked closely with to ensure a smooth migration to Citrix in the first place.
As Display Manager grew and it became clear that Citrix was an expensive option that offered far more capabilities than the company needed, we recommended a switch to Microsoft 365 which had since matured, encompassing Office 365, InTune and Azure AD for extended user and device management. Going completely cloud-based would also further benefit their business and provide more flexibility for the future while reducing costs.
We handled all of the preparation work remotely, including building out the document management and storage system, SharePoint, and setting access permissions and folder structure. Then two days were spent on site to complete the migration and move hardware around where necessary. From sign off to agreement, it took just six weeks with less than a day of downtime.
The Impact
Being on Office 365 has removed the need for physical hardware and enables a continuously growing number of engineers to be able to access the system remotely and securely. The level of control Display Manager has over their documents and processes has significantly increased and is simple to manage. We are now working together with a third party to incorporate SharePoint extended services and integrate a CRM system.
It’s an enterprise level IT solution without a complex licensing model or high costs in comparison to their previous solution, and Display Manager can now simply bring new users on board at a minimal cost.
Client Quote
“We saw some of ourselves in Zinq IT as soon as we were introduced to them. We liked that they worked like us and seemed to have the same philosophy and values. Since working with Zinq IT, nothing has ever been too much trouble. They deliver a personal and responsive service and always make us feel like a valued and important client. ”
“We now have an enterprise-level IT solution that makes us ever upgradable and allows us to grow our team with no issues. The licensing model is simple and easy to understand, and our understanding of Office 365 capabilities has significantly improved with the help of Zinq IT. This has led to us developing more modern best practices and processes and utilising all the tools available to us to enhance communication and project management.”
