TAG Media

Website	www.tagmedia.co.uk	Services		Modrus Internet Connectivity
Installation	Upgrade			Modrus Hosted Backup (E-Vault)
Locations	Multi-office			Modrus Consultancy

Tag is a 1000 person, international design and production agency creating digital, TV and printed materials. Headquartered in central London, the UK business also comprises 20 satellite offices located within client premises.

Darren Mills, Tag IT Manager explained, "We have a small team of 7 people handling first and second line support for 1000 users in our offices around the world. As you can imagine, this is a huge task and we rely heavily on suppliers like Modrus for problem solving and advice, when we are unable to resolve issues internally."

Darren continued, "We became aware of Modrus about 5 years ago when Tag acquired a large competitor and we inherited their support staff who already had dealings with Modrus. Prior to that time we had a number of networking suppliers and purchased hardware and services on an ad-hoc basis. This had caused problems, as the board here need to see three quotes before approving any expenditure and they often opted for the cheapest option - we got burnt because of this on a few occasions. Modrus is not always the cheapest option, however I believe they offer the best end-to-end value because of their skills and expertise. This is very important to me personally because it's my neck on the line if something I've backed goes wrong!"

Tag uses Modrus supplied and managed Internet connectivity solutions including ADSL / 10Mb / 100Mb / 1Gb links with a sophisticated OSPF (Open Shortest Path Network) network between its locations. Ed Armitage, Modrus MD commented, "Prior to installing their OSPF network, Tag utilised fixed routing tables, meaning that changes to the network topology required reconfiguring each of the routers within the group, with significant associated costs. OPSF means that the entire network can now be controlled from a single location, making adding new nodes simpler, quicker and cheaper."

Another area in which Modrus' experience has proved invaluable, is setting up new client projects, as Darren explains, "We design, build and host web applications for large banks and their security requirements are on a different level. They require a 3 tier hosting environment consisting of a web server zone, an application zone and a database zone - each secured using firewalled DMZs. We use SonicWall firewalls for this and we know that Modrus has a huge amount of experience with these devices. In response to this requirement, Modrus produced a solid proposal and the implementation went in seamlessly with no problems at all."

Backing up data at Tag's remote locations was previously another big headache, as Darren explains, "Because we operate a number of small remote offices within client premises, we required a centralised backup strategy encompassing all locations. We approached a number of suppliers without success, but Modrus proposed that we used the E-Vault online backup service. After some initial teething problems at our first trial site, we have now rolled out this solution to 8 offices including Hong Kong. Adding new sites to the backup system is now a simple and cost effective exercise. Whereas previously we would have costed in an expensive tape backup unit and a backup operator for each location, we now spec a single backup controller machine for each site and then control and monitor everyone's backups from our London HQ."

In conclusion, Darren summed up by saying, "Modrus is a great company, their entire team is very competent and professional - we have a very good rapport which goes beyond the normal supplier / client relationship. Their skills and expertise are excellent and we look forward to working with them on forthcoming projects."