Nottinghamshire Enterprises
Increasing Collaboration and Efficiency
Background
Located in the heart of the legendary Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire Enterprises is a not-for-dividend organisation that provides business-development programs to companies in the East Midlands region. Nottinghamshire Enterprises offers a wealth of services, including training, business incubation, graduate placement, and other assistance. The organization currently has approximately 30 employees.
Nottinghamshire Enterprises�s newest initiative, funded by the East Midlands Development Agency and the European Regional Development Fund, is the Centre for Technology Excellence (CTE). Small businesses that meet certain criteria can receive up to five days of IT support or consulting services worth up to �2000. To run the new initiative effectively and to demonstrate state-of-the-art technologies to CTE clients, Nottinghamshire Enterprises first had to upgrade its own IT infrastructure.
Requirement
Nottinghamshire Enterprises sought to replace its existing technology infrastructure with new, Microsoft based technologies to help the organisation more easily create, store, retrieve, and share information.
At the time, Nottinghamshire Enterprises used a variety of software packages, which enabled them to successfully support small businesses in the local area. However the implementation of the latest Microsoft packages has ensured that Nottinghamshire Enterprises are now in a position to be able to support all Small to Medium Sized Enterprises (SME�s) regardless of their levels of technology usage and understanding.
Nottinghamshire Enterprises sought a complete solution for managing contacts, activities, tasks, internal and external documents, and information received or created by the CTE. Because CTE�s consultants often worked remotely, they and the CTE office staff needed a system for easily sharing information. In addition, Nottinghamshire Enterprises wanted a collaborative interface that would help its consultants work closely and effectively with their clients. Finally, Nottinghamshire Enterprises sought a central point for providing CTE-related information to its clients.
Summary of Solution
- Consultation
- Project Management
- Design and implementation
- Microsoft Office 2003 Professional
- Microsoft Office Outlook 2003
- Microsoft Exchange Server 2003
- Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server 2003
- Microsoft Small Business Server 2000
- Microsoft SQL Server 2000
- Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition
- HP ProLiant ML370 G3
- Intel Dual Xeon SC5200 Server
- INVU Professional Series S250
Solution
Nottinghamshire Enterprises called on ISC Networks Ltd., based in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, U.K., to help design and implement its technology infrastructure. ISC recommended a wealth of Microsoft technologies, including Microsoft Small Business Server 2003, Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server 2003, and Microsoft Office 2003.
With SharePoint Portal Server and Windows SharePoint Services, ISC and Nottinghamshire Enterprises built and deployed a collaborative Web site that allows the organization to share information both internally and with the clients for which it is providing consultingservices. To address Nottinghamshire Enterprises document-management needs, ISC deployed INVU Professional Series S250, an integrated information and document management solution from INVU Services Ltd.
In addition, Nottinghamshire Enterprises is looking into the possibility of Microsoft CRM giving it stronger workflow capabilities, manage activities and contacts, and provide faster, more streamlined reporting. This is important because Nottinghamshire Enterprises must provide the East Midlands Development Agency with a wealth of information about CTE�s activities. In fact, Nottinghamshire Enterprises expects that Microsoft CRM could help it slash the reporting process from currently a day-and-a-half to just a few hours.
Benefits
- Easier information sharing
- Streamlined information management
- Increased efficiency
�The new Microsoft Suite has made a positive impact on the way we are able to engage and support small businesses locally. Rather than simply aspiring to the new technology small businesses are able to view the benefits prior to purchase, and then implement it in a business and cost beneficial way", says Spencer Prewett, CTE Manager, Nottinghamshire Enterprises.
