iTSHOWCASE 2008 Award Winners Academy

Best mobile or site IT: Electronic Media Services and Jackson Civil Engineering

Monday, 17 November 2008

There are approximately 70,000 construction projects started in the UK each year and some 40,000 of these have a duration of 6 months or less. On average it takes between 8-12 weeks to install a telephone line and for the provision of broadband to a new site. This leaves companies without the ability to access data, which could be key to the success of the project.

Other systems such as satellite and single 3G cards have been utilised by some organisations but have been found not to offer the right combination of acceptable cost, performance, security, usability and resilience.

In order to address this market, Hampshire based EMS Ltd developed i-MO - a Wireless Wide Area Network appliance to improve productivity by supplying cost effective, instant, secure data connectivity at temporary locations.

The application

Uniquely the appliance uses multiple bonded channels from the same or different cellular networks to provide effective data communications. The cellular networks provide coverage in all but the most rural locations. Newer network technologies like 3G (UMTS) and HSDPA can provide peak bandwidth in excess of 3Mbs.

Jackson Civil Engineering was involved in the first phase of i-MO development. The firm has now used the system at numerous project sites including a bypass project at Papworth in Cambridgeshire and at the British Sugar site in Wissington in Norfolk. Other major users include Interserve, Morgan Est, Shepherd, Taylor Woodrow, Clugston, Kier, Colas and Balfour Beatty.

The task

Jackson Civil Engineering estimate that 25% of their contracts complete before a landline is installed. Where lines can be installed more quickly there are issues with minimum contract terms for both the BT line and the broadband service.

There are also a significant number of sites where there are major problems with installing a fixed line. Some of the problems include no local BT distribution point, no capacity at the distribution point or local exchange, the distance from the exchange is too great or the quality of the existing cable is too poor to provide a reliable broadband service.

The benefits

In addition to eliminating the issues outlined above and the related costs (e.g. installation plus line rental and broadband charges) there are a number of intangible productivity benefits when a site is data-enabled using an i-MO appliance at the very start of a project eg where there is no data connectivity staff often have to leave site to collect or send emails and new drawings or revisions have to be sent via courier.

In summary then i-MO provides Jackson and others with an effective data communications capability on day one of any given project. This is critically important in situations where the installation of conventional ADSL or leased line connections is likely to be unacceptably slow, prohibitively expensive or quite simply impossible (e.g. remote and mobile locations).

The high speed i-MO appliance enables remote workers to access the full range of corporate, web based & thin client applications. These applications include e-mail for the speedy resolution of technical queries and COINS for real time access to financial and stock records. i-MO is also used to access web based collaboration portals eg BIW and 4Projects that facilitate teamworking.

i-MO can easily been moved from site to site and has been designed so that unlike other solutions it does not require an engineer to install or configure it. Site managers and users at the sites are trained in the use of i-MO. It has proved simple to deploy and has given the remote users easy access to email and electronic data where no other solution is available. This clear benefit has generated demand and enthusiasm from the users that has ensured the successful deployment and take up of the technology.

i-MO is supplied as a complete managed service removing the need for additional equipment or resources. EMS monitor all  i-MO appliances and can remotely diagnose and resolve issues. The service can also be provided inclusive of cellular data charges enabling the service provider (e.g. Orange, Vodafone etc) to be changed on a site-by-site basis. This enables any given project site to benefit from the best possible connectivity.

The i-MO device provides proven benefits:-

- When i-MO is deployed, the site can be instantly productive
- Company is more competitive in the marketplace as users can deploy to site and start projects faster and more efficiently
- Cost savings by transmitting plans electronically rather than by courier 
- Cost savings from not using fixed lines for short term project 
- Cost savings if ADSL not installed, no minimum contract terms
- Cost savings from reduced support calls to the company IT help desk, as connectivity is 'self healing'  
- One i-MO appliance can typically be used on 3-4 projects per year
- Data budgeting for projects easier and more predictable using i-MO 
- Communication and information flow more reliable as it is passed using company IT systems and processes.

Jacksons estimate the payback period for each i-MO appliance is approximately one year. This reflects savings on IT support staff time and the costs associated with having no onsite connectivity.

The IMO units used by Jackson have helped the firm to increase productivity. There is also a cost saving compared with installing a phone line, the firm reckons. On a four-month project the tangible saving is estimated to be around £400. But there are many more savings that are difficult to measure. Couriers are no longer needed to deliver large documents, for example.

Customer comments

"On smaller projects it might otherwise have not been worth putting a line in. A device like this is a boon," says Neill Pawsey, IT manager at Jackson Civil Engineering.

"i-MO is the first solution we have seen that appears to address all our requirements in terms of speed, reliability and cost. Arguably the start of a contract is the most critical time for the receipt of construction information, drawings, specifications, etc. i-MO can be delivered and configured to provide immediate site data connectivity."

"We have used i-MO on a number of smaller site on our Cambridgeshire County Council Framework contract. It is easy to set up and it has given us the benefit of connectivity where previously we would have had none" says Jamie Boast, Site Agent, Jackson Civil Engineering (Cambridgeshire CC Framework Project.)

"Access to information and emails as soon as you are on site; the rest of the world expects you to be able to pick up emails so you tend to struggle and look inept if you can't" adds Teresa Jeffcoat, Site Engineer, Jackson Civil Engineering  (EA Framework Project - Nottingham.)

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