The SAS Group upgrades investment
specialist’s IT infrastructure
to comply with FSA regulations
Complete overhaul and ongoing support
helps Montpelier Asset Management streamline
business operations
London,
16 April 2008 - The SAS Group, an international
provider of IP-based network and communication
infrastructure services, has completed
the successful implementation of a new
IT infrastructure for Montpelier Asset
Management, an investment management
firm based in London with accounts totalling
in excess of USD 1 billion. The upgrade
helps ensure the company’s compliance
with Financial Services Authority (FSA)
regulations by providing a resilient,
reliable and secure network with additional
disaster recovery capabilities. Under
FSA rules, Montpelier must have in place
a business continuity strategy to ensure
smooth running of its operations in the
event of a network failure.
Montpelier
appointed the SAS Group to complete a
thorough review of its infrastructure,
and to provide advice and recommendations
for improving the performance, security
and resilience of its network. Having
carried out an initial audit of all on-site
infrastructure components, the SAS Group
found that much of the firm’s hardware
was out of warranty, and that business
operations relied on several unsupported
software programs. On the SAS Group’s
advice, Montpelier undertook a complete
technology refresh, including the installation
of three new servers, new desktops, routers,
switches and firewalls. With limited
IT resources in-house, the SAS Group
managed the project from start to finish
and continues to provide ongoing support.
“An
update of our IT system was vital to
ensure we could adhere to stringent industry
standards, and to avoid any further disruption
to the day-to-day running of our business,” said
Jean Cooke, Company Secretary at Montpelier. “After
undertaking a review of our existing
set up, the SAS Group was able to complete
the implementation over the course of
one weekend, with no interruption to
our normal working practices whatsoever.
With round-the-clock support from the
SAS Group’s team of technology
experts, we can now operate safe in the
knowledge that our infrastructure is
always compliant, available and secure.”
Any
change to the existing infrastructure
needed to support Montpelier’s
international team, who depend on BlackBerry
smartphones for their business communications.
In addition to integrating a BlackBerry
exchange server in to the overall IT
infrastructure, the SAS Group also implemented
remote desktop log-in capabilities, giving
staff direct access to their files on
the server.
“For financial organisations
like Montpelier, which operate in strict
regulatory environments and have significant
interests across the world, it is essential
that their infrastructures are as secure
and reliable as possible,” said
Charles Davis, CEO of the SAS Group. “But
for smaller firms, which typically have
few in-house IT experts, it is relatively
easy to overlook technology in favour
of everyday business operations. These
firms are advised to enlist the help
of an expert third party, which can take
complete control of all IT operations,
from systems design to aftersales support.”
The
SAS Group continues to provide ongoing
support and live monitoring of all systems
across Montpelier’s IT infrastructure,
and responds to any urgent queries with
an on-site response time of less than
four hours. It also conducts weekly maintenance
visits, to further ensure that equipment
is always working optimally. In addition,
the SAS Group helped Montpelier arrange
for the removal of redundant equipment
via hazardous toxic waste disposal contractor
Enviro Green.
About SAS
The SAS Group is a major UK and international provider of IP-based network and
communication infrastructure services. In partnership with leading technology
organisations including BT, T-Mobile, Cisco, Microsoft, HP and Symantec, the
company specialises in the delivery of enterprise and small business solutions
for IP telephony, WAN infrastructure, security, mobility and disaster recovery.
Founded in 1989, SAS is headquartered in Horsham, West Sussex.
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