CASE STUDY
blueAPACHE have been working with the Dendy / Icon group since its inception over 15 years ago. According to Sharon Strickland, the group’s Chief Operating Officer, blueAPACHE has always been their number one choice for all things IT.
Challenges
Founded in 2002, Icon Film Distribution (IFD) is part of the group which includes Dendy Cinemas and video on demand service Dendy Direct. In 2008, when IFD entered the exhibition business by purchasing Dendy, one of Australia’s largest independent film distributors and quality cinema chains, it expanded almost overnight from 1 to 5 sites and from 8 to 200 staff.
The rapid growth meant that the group had to co-ordinate cinemas in Sydney, Canberra, Byron Bay and Hamilton (QLD), provide full network and communications support for its 200 personnel centrally and replace legacy software with robust, scalable enterprise systems. The cinema chain is also continuously looking to improve the on-seat experience across their locations.
Services
Over the years, blueAPACHE have been instrumental in ensuring that the group has enjoyed a resilient environment with little downtime, one that is elastic and cloud ready with room to grow in the years to come.
blueAPACHE provide helpdesk and onsite support via its emPOWER Managed Services offering, including monitoring to manage the network and proactive support for users and their legacy systems. blueAPACHE function as the IT arm of the group, acting as trusted advisors and supporting everything from core infrastructure upgrades with Hewlett Packard Enterprise 3Par storage, to seamlessly integrating a HPE cloud platform for when the business is ready to transition.
Outcome
“Despite our business requirement for a regular tender process, we chose to remain with blueAPACHE”, said Strickland. “They were also the most cost effective.”
While a lot has been achieved in the past, it’s the future that is truly exciting. As technology evolves and networking services become more sophisticated, customers expect more from retail environments like cinemas.
“blueAPACHE are proactive in looking forward to upcoming changes and what we need to do”, she continued.
In the future, the organisation is looking to implement Wi-Fi technology at their venues to offer customers a complete experience that makes going to the movies easier than ever before.
With the help of blueAPACHE, they are looking to leverage technology such as context aware mobile marketing to welcome a user back if they have visited before, sending important information about deals or updates (such as ticket discounts), showing them where they are and where to go (such as which movie theatre their movie is in) and getting tickets via mobile. Customers can use the venue’s Wi-Fi to check everything from their movie times to their favourite social channels, adding to the customer experience.
Even as the two organisations look to the future, Strickland says:
“What differentiates blueAPACHE is our history. We have been working with the same people since inception and they know and understand our needs. The relationship is strong.”
About Icon Film Distribution
The Dendy/Icon group is one of Australia’s leading independent cinema and film distributors and comprises Icon Film Distribution, Dendy Cinemas and video on demand service Dendy Direct. The group focuses on quality feature films, TV and alternative content within the Australian and New Zealand markets. The group is owned by Mel Gibson and long-time producing partner Bruce Davey, who are the key principals behind the independent film company Icon Productions.
To learn more, visit www.iconmovies.com.au
About blueAPACHE
Built upon a foundation of engineering excellence, blueAPACHE are trusted to deliver business-critical IT (on-premises and IT as a service) that help our clients improve business efficiency, increase agility and drive innovation. We specialise in delivering comprehensive IT Management, Cloud, Network, Voice, Software and Consulting as a converged service that clients can leverage when they need, as they need it. Each of our service pillar is underpinned by our dedicated security practise that enables organisations to align their security investments to meet core strategic and operational objectives.
To learn more, visit www.blueapache.com
View the full Icon Film Distribution case study.