Delivering Title-Winning Support to Manchester City FC

How Synergy Technology uses Autotask to deliver premier league IT support

RICHMOND, ENGLAND - June 27, 2012

 

Autotask Corporation, the world’s leading provider of hosted IT business management software, today announced how its software has been used to support the continued success of Manchester City Football Club.  In addition to winning the Premier League, Manchester City Football Club is an ambitious organisation with a state-of-the-art football academy and a programme of high profile concerts from the likes of Coldplay, U2 and Take That.

Synergy Technology, a leading IT outsourcing and business solutions provider, has been working with Manchester City Football Club for over ten years. However, the plans and investment of the club’s Abu Dhabi-based ownership – have increased their demands on IT and infrastructure into the premier league.Manchester City is a football club looking to compete at the highest level, anoperation that employs 350 staff worldwide and welcomes nearly 50,000 fans every matchday.

Synergy Technology supports Manchester City Football Club’s IT from back-office to front-of-house on a 24/7/365 basis. In addition to call-centre support, the company has 5 staff on-site to support the club’s Directors, players and operational support. Synergy Technology partners with the club to ensure current needs are met and adequate preparations are made to support future growth.

Sanjeev Katwa, Head of IT at Manchester City Football Club has increased focus on monitoring performance against a service level agreement covering data reporting and analysis. The focus on data extends to capacity planning and prioritising investment. The club demands data and insight to ensure they make targeted strategic business decisions.

Tony Poole, Managing Director of Synergy Technology; “In order to support Manchester City Football Club and Sanjeev Katwa’s ambitions to monitor current performance and predicting future needs, we wanted a solution that could evolve and flex to different scenarios. We knew our needs and the needs of our customer were going to change significantly over time.”

The role of a managed service provider (MSP) software platform in service delivery
To meet the needs of customers, a high-performance business like Synergy Technology needs be able to collect and analyse a range of data about its service delivery and its customers’ IT. In order to guarantee service delivery and make informed decisions, this data needs to be accurate, timely and visible.
Synergy Technology needed a system that would collect data giving a holistic view of service provision and effectiveness. This visibility would enable Synergy Technology to provide information to Manchester City Football Club to enable the client to make well-informed business decisions when focusing their investment to support future operations.

An effective MSP software platform was required to help improve the user experience of the company’s service, streamline issue reporting and management, maximise uptime, resolve issues quickly and report with greater clarity.

During its procurement process, Synergy Technology reviewed 10 systems before selecting Autotask. The key decision factor was Autotask’s ability to develop and adapt to real-world situations.

“We were impressed with the vision behind Autotask, their approach and understanding of our type of business – managed service provision," confirmed Tony Poole. “We were impressed with the ‘Autotask Ecosystem' and felt that it was a platform that would allow us to grow business success. As our customer requirements evolve, our use of Autotask can evolve.”

Autotask’s customisable workflow means that it can be adapted to suit each customer, reflecting their business, their processes, their helpdesk set-up and their customers. “Autotask is a purpose-built platform specifically designed for managed services providers,” commented Mark Banfield, Managing Director International at Autotask. “We’ve built a dynamic solution that grows with our customers and is strongly positioned worldwide. With over twenty-five staff in Richmond supporting accounts, implementation and support, our clients receive an outstanding level of service from initial implementation to ongoing training so that they can grow their business profitably.”

The model has certainly worked well for Synergy Technology and MCFC - both have provided excellent feedback on the service.

About Autotask Corporation
Autotask Corporation provides the world's leading hosted IT business management software to streamline and optimize business processes for technology solution providers. The software integrates a broad range of critical business systems, including customer relationship management (CRM), service desk, tech scheduling, project management, billing and reporting, and provides real-time service delivery intelligence to help users understand the factors that drive their business and their profitability.

Autotask is accessible from virtually any computing or mobile device connected to the Internet and features a world-class API that seamlessly integrates with the other systems and tools that providers rely on to run their businesses.

For more information about Autotask Corporation and products, please visit http://www.autotask.com or call 518-720-3500 Ext. 1

Autotask Announces Release of German-Language Version at CeBIT

First Fully-Translated and Localized Business Management Solution Designed Specifically For Technology Services Providers and Software Developers

HANNOVER, GERMANY - March 8, 2012 -Autotask Corporation today announced the availability of the first fully translated and localized version of its award-winning IT business management software for the German-speaking market, and is demonstrating it at CeBIT 2012 in Hannover, Germany. Autotask software, which is designed to automate, optimize and streamline business and service processes for IT service providers, value-added resellers (VARs), managed services providers (MSPs) and independent software vendors, has tens of thousands of active users in 54 countries around the world, including Germany, Austria and Switzerland, who will benefit from the translated version.

 

“We have made a strong commitment to better serving our customers here, and to supporting the entire IT channel in Germany,” said Mark Banfield, Autotask Managing Director, International. “Translating Autotask for the German market is just the first step. We will shortly have an office in Frankfurt, and we have full sales and support resources available through our own staff and through our distribution partners.”

Speaking at CeBIT, the digital industry’s largest international event, Thomas Homrighausen, Autotask Managing Director, Germany, cited a recent report from Forrester Research, Inc., projecting Germany to be the largest market in Europe for IT consulting services at an estimated €16B in 2011, and the second largest for IT outsourcing services valued at an additional €12B.1.

Autotask software is specifically designed to automate and optimize business processes for IT service providers by integrating critical business systems in a single, cloud-based application and providing real-time reporting and service delivery intelligence. Users typically experience significant, measurable improvements in resource utilization, profitability and ROI within the first month after implementation.

“We are very happy that we have discovered Autotask. It is the perfect solution for optimising and expanding our business, and for keeping track of the time spent solving customers’ issues. In just one month we increased our billable time by more than 20%, and that was all with the English version.” said Maximilian Pfister, General Manager of niteflite networxx, GmbH, in Feldafing, Germany. “Having Autotask available in German just opens up the market and makes it much easier for solution providers to manage their businesses and improve their services and transparency for their clients.”

During CeBIT, Autotask may be found in Hall 16, stand F62, along with distributor acmeo cloud-distribution GmbH & Co. KG, a leading distributor of software-as-a-service (SaaS), cloud-based solutions for IT service providers, and GFI MAX, an award-winning remote-monitoring and management solution for IT service providers and MSPs, and a long-time Autotask integration partner.

Autotask Corporation Signs 500th UK IT Channel Customer

SaaS-based Professional Services Automation and Service Intelligence Software Helps IT Channel Increase Profitability in the Rush to Managed Services and Cloud

RICHMOND, UK - February 8, 2012 -Since opening its first UK office in May of 2011, Autotask Corporation, the world’s leading provider of hosted IT business management software, today announced that it has signed its 500th IT channel partner customer in the UK.

 

Autotask software is currently used by thousands of IT service providers, value-added resellers (VARs) and managed services providers (MSPs) in 54 countries. “As demand for new and innovative technologies has grown and evolved among small and medium sized businesses (SMBs), so has the demand for software that enables IT service providers to deliver those products and services more efficiently and more profitably,” explains Mark Banfield, Managing Director for International at Autotask Corporation. “As a result, we have grown from the UK launch team of 3 people to more than 15 in just over 6 months.”

Banfield attributes much of the growth to an increased focus on cloud and managed services by VARs and believes that Autotask's low cost £50 per-seat-per-month pricing model allows its customers to try the software without risk before rolling it out across an organisation.

“IT solution providers need to understand the forces and trends that affect their clients’ businesses and their own, and to be able to answer questions like, “who are my most profitable clients?”, “how do I correctly price my services to ensure proper margins?”, and “do I have technicians and engineers who are under-utilized?” Banfield said. “Without an integrated system that gives them a 360-degree view into their business, those questions are very hard to answer.” Autotask, Banfield says, estimates that less than 1 in 5 VARs, MSPs or IT services providers in the UK currently has an accurate picture of their business and the true profitability of their services.

Autotask is a true multi-tenant SaaS that is accessible anywhere, any time with nothing to maintain, install or update. The software integrates a broad range of critical business systems, including customer relationship management (CRM), service desk, human resource scheduling, project management, billing and reporting, and provides real-time service delivery intelligence to help users understand the factors that drive their business and their profitability.

Autotask also integrates with financial software from 20 leading vendors including Sage, Microsoft Dynamics and QuickBooks to help provide a complete picture of the business. The software is also available in six languages; German, Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, French, Italian and Japanese.

For Tony Poole, Managing Director of Synergy Technology, Autotask has been instrumental in helping his business increase profitability from services, “One of the key benefits for us was working out how we spend resources in terms of delivering against our service level agreements. Some of our clients were clearly over serviced while others offered potential to take more products. Autotask gives us much better visibility across our business and has allowed us to increase our overall profitability.”

Banfield believes that demand for IT business management software will continue to grow in the UK in step with the adoption of more cloud based services, “We are the only comprehensive SaaS offering for the channel with a dedicated UK office and localised focus,” he explains, “This allows us to work closely with our customers and support them as they integrate the platform into their wider business processes.”

IT and other technology solution providers in the UK and Europe interested in learning more about Autotask software may visit www.autotask.co.uk or call +44 0203 006 3147.

Autotask to Launch First German-Language IT Business Management Platform

Signs Distribution Agreement with ACMEO Cloud Distribution GmbH to Meet Strong Demand

EAST GREENBUSH, NY - September 12, 2011 - In response to strong local market demand, Autotask Corporation, the world’s leading provider of hosted IT business management software, today announced that it will launch the first, fully-translated version of its software in German later this year. The company also announced that it has entered a distribution agreement with acmeo cloud-distribution GmbH & Co. KG, a leading distributor of software-as-a-service (SaaS), cloud-based solutions for IT service providers, to sell, service and support Autotask software in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

 

“Germany is the fourth largest economy in the world and one of the strongest markets for technology products and services in Europe. We are delighted to be able to localize Autotask to better serve our existing customers here and to partner with acmeo to grow and support the IT channel in Germany,” said Mark Cattini, Autotask president and CEO.

Autotask, which has active users in 53 countries around the world, cited a Forrester Research, Inc., report projecting Germany as the largest market in Europe for IT consulting services at an estimated €16B in 2011, and the second largest for IT outsourcing services valued at an additional €12B.¹
Autotask software is specifically designed to automate and optimize business processes for IT service providers by integrating critical business systems in a single, cloud-based application and providing real-time reporting and service delivery intelligence. Users typically experience significant, measurable improvements in resource utilization, profitability and ROI within the first month after implementation.

“We are very happy that we have discovered Autotask. It is the perfect solution for optimising and expanding our business,” said Maximilian Pfister, General Manager of niteflite networxx, GmbH, in Feldafing, Germany. “It helped us a lot, keeping track of the time spent solving customers issues. In just one month we raised the amount of billable time by more than 20%. Autotask also brings more transparency for our clients because they can see in real-time what is happening with their service requests.”

acmeo cloud-distribution specializes in helping IT solutions providers create and deploy cloud-based managed services to support their end clients’ businesses, including remote monitoring and management of servers and desktops, online backup and disaster recovery, antivirus protection, email programs and other services. Unlike traditional services which are billed as delivered on an hourly basis, or by project type or size, managed services are typically billed at a flat monthly rate. This provides a predictable, recurring revenue stream for service providers, and a lower overall cost for end clients and their businesses.

“Autotask is a perfect complement to acmeo’s current product offerings because it provides a central business management platform for our customers and integrates easily with the cloud-based systems and tools they use to service their clients,” said Henning Meyer, managing director and CEO of acmeo. “Registrations for our first educational webinar in Germany with Autotask attracted more than 100 IT service providers, and there is a tremendous need for a German language version of Autotask available with local support.”

In Hanover for acmeo’s Autotask user meeting, Mark Banfield, Autotask Managing Director – International, said, “Working with acmeo to ramp up and support their operations has been very rewarding. Everyone in the acmeo organization is committed to ensuring our customers success, and the success of the IT channel in Germany, and we confident that our relationship will help them do just that.”

Those interested in learning more about acmeo and Autotask will find a list of upcoming webinars and seminars here: http://www.acmeo.eu/veranstaltungen.html

1. Forrester Research, Inc.; European Information and Communications Technology Market 2011-2012; June 8, 2011

About acmeo cloud-distribution GmbH & Co. KG
acmeo cloud distribution GmbH & Co. KG is a 2007 started cloud-distribution team who specialises in enabling IT resellers to sell cloud-solutions and optimize their VAR business. We are the biggest GFI MAX distributor in Germany and the only distributor for Autotask in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. We have profound knowledge in the introduction of service contracts and managed services offerings for IT resellers. We sell cloud based solutions for IT-Monitoring & -Management, Anti-Spam, Online-Backup, Anti-Virus, CRM, URL-Filtering and VoIP.

For more information visit http://www.acmeo.eu

About Autotask Corporation
Autotask Corporation provides the world's leading hosted IT business management software to streamline and optimize business processes for technology solution providers. The software integrates a broad range of critical business systems, including customer relationship management (CRM), service desk, tech scheduling, project management, billing and reporting, and provides real-time service delivery intelligence to help users understand the factors that drive their business and their profitability.

Autotask is accessible from virtually any computing or mobile device connected to the Internet and features a world-class API that seamlessly integrates with the other systems and tools that providers rely on to run their businesses.

For more information about Autotask Corporation and products, please visit http://www.autotask.com or call 518-720-3500 Ext. 1

Autotask® and VARStreet® are registered trademarks of Autotask Corporation. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners.

Autotask Corporation Establishes UK Operations

London-based Operations to Service Increased Demand in UK and Europe

EAST GREENBUSH, NY - September 8, 2011 - Autotask Corporation, the world’s leading provider of hosted IT business management software, today announced the opening of its first European office in London, England. The UK office will act as the central point for Autotask’s European operations and meet strongly increasing demand for its products and services from IT service providers, value added resellers (VARs) and managed services providers (MSPs) across Europe.

 

The UK office is led by Mark Banfield, Autotask Managing Director – International, and staffed with engineering, support, implementation and sales personnel. Banfield has more than 10 years in the software industry, having started his career with MapInfo Corporation and holding a variety of management roles at Innopath Software, SmartTrust and Autodesk. Banfield, who has built and developed successful European and international businesses previously, spent several months planning and developing Autotask’s international operation to ensure the correct resources are in place to support the many thousands of Autotask users in UK, Europe and around the globe.

“The response to Autotask having a full-service team on the ground in the UK has been extremely positive,” said Banfield. “Not only does it allow us to better support current customers, it allows us to respond to market enquiries, engage interested prospects and have them up and much running more quickly.”

“Establishing Mark and his team in London is proving tremendously valuable for our customers and is a tremendous asset to our business,” said Mark Cattini, Autotask President and CEO. “More than 25% of Autotask users are located outside of North America, and that number continues to increase rapidly. Ensuring we have the proper resources in place to support the IT channel community in Europe is a logical step in the evolution of our business.”

Autotask software automates and optimizes the business processes of information technology solution providers. It integrates a broad range of critical business systems, including customer relationship management (CRM), service desk, tech scheduling, project management, billing and reporting, and provides real-time service delivery intelligence to help users understand the factors that affect their business and their profitability. Earlier this year, Autotask located its first datacenter outside of the US in London to better support its growing user base in the UK and Europe.

“We’ve been using Autotask since 2008,” said Lee Evans, Managing Director of Vital Network Solutions, a Harrogate, North Yorkshire-based IT consultancy and solutions provider. “Autotask locating offices in London signifies a deep commitment to the channel in UK and Europe, and it’s great to have local support who understands how business is done in the UK.”

Cattini and Banfield spoke from Synaxon UK’s [www.synaxon.co.uk] member conference this week in Crewe, Cheshire, England, where Cattini delivered the keynote address. In August, Autotask Corporation and Synaxon UK announced a strategic partnership to help IT service providers and resellers streamline and automate their businesses and drive higher levels of profitability.

“The whole ethos of Synaxon is about helping resellers to do business better, and the great value of Autotask is that it is designed to be open and adaptable to the way our members do business,” said Derek Jones, Managing Director of Synaxon UK. “We look forward to working with Mark and his team, and to helping resellers gain a higher level of efficiency, predictability and profitability from their businesses using Autotask.”

Autotask’s UK offices are located in London at The Brewery, 18 Petersham Rd, Richmond TW10 6UW, telephone +44 208 439 8450.

About Autotask Corporation
Autotask Corporation provides the world's leading hosted IT business management software to streamline and optimize business processes for technology solution providers. The software integrates a broad range of critical business systems, including customer relationship management (CRM), service desk, tech scheduling, project management, billing and reporting, and provides real-time service delivery intelligence to help users understand the factors that drive their business and their profitability.

Autotask is accessible from virtually any computing or mobile device connected to the Internet and features a world-class API that seamlessly integrates with the other systems and tools that providers rely on to run their businesses.

For more information about Autotask Corporation and products, please visit http://www.autotask.com or call 518-720-3500 Ext. 1

Autotask® and VARStreet® are registered trademarks of Autotask Corporation. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners.