Optus signs managed services deal with Hoyts
Optus Business has announced a five-year managed services partnership with cinema company Hoyts, with the telco upgrading its systems to avoid downtime during the busy Christmas period.
Under the deal, Optus will provide IT solutions "designed to improve movie-goers' experience", including a tailored managed services platform built on the Evolve suite.
The solution will improve data security and connectivity across Hoyts' 48 cinemas, offices, and thousands of digital advertising assets belonging to Val Morgan Outdoor (VMO), Optus claimed.
Optus Business MD John Paitaridis said part of the solution is allowing Hoyts to take advantage of Internet of Things (IoT) services.
Specifically, the Optus-provided real-time cloud-hosted platform includes Evolve IP VPN for connectivity across all Hoyts locations; Evolve Internet and Voice for collaboration and communication for Hoyts employees; Evolve WIP VPN Plus Mobile for backup connectivity for the company's cinemas; the Cisco Jasper Management Platform to manage all assets across the network via a single centre; and Machine-to-Machine SIMs to manage and update digital advertising signage and other communications infrastructure.
According to Optus, the platform enables a faster online ticketing experience for customers, and provides management and backup for Hoyts' more than 2,000 end-to-end services.
"Hoyts now boasts modern, automated systems which improve the company's productivity and the customer experience, from improving ticket transactions to the seamless management and distribution of digital content throughout their network," Paitaridis said.
The Hoyts deal follows Optus Business earlier this month signing a similar three-year contract with Hastings Deering to provide managed and telecommunications services across voice and data.
Under the contract, the Cat equipment supplier will be provided with managed security, data protection, unified communications, and unified contact centre solutions across 50 company sites.
Mobile services will also be delivered to 1,000 users, and telephony call-processing solutions for 2,500 users, while Optus maintains the company's private cloud and enterprise resource planning (ERP) infrastructure.
Optus Business has this year also signed managed services deals with power utility Energy Australia, health services company Uniting, and travel agency Flight Centre, along with ANZ Bank last year.
In August, it also announced extending its managed services contract with the Australian Department of Agriculture and Water Resources over the next three years for AU$13.6 million with an emphasis on digital transformation.
Optus' focus on small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) last month saw it launch Yes Business, a community for SMBs providing an online platform for connecting owners and employees with "information, ideas, and tools to solve problems".
This followed Optus launching a series of cloud, collaboration, and infrastructure technologies for the purposes of creating a "smart workplace" for enterprise and government customers with Cisco in March.
Under the partnership, Optus integrated Cisco Spark, which can now be managed end to end by Optus Business through Optus' unified communications solution; and Cisco's Meraki cloud management system.
The two companies also worked on developing and implementing a contact-centre-as-a-service solution, including an interactive voice response system; and a video-conferencing-as-a-service solution for Optus Business to create a hosted video-conferencing bridge service for use with Cisco's Jabber software.
Optus launched the Optus Smart Shop marketplace last year with access to SMB cloud apps and technology, as well as a 24-hour technical support line; and added cybersecurity prevention, detection, and monitoring capabilities to its managed security services portfolio in September 2016.
In May last year, Optus opened 126 SMB specialist stores as well as an SMB call centre in Adelaide, and introduced "premium" support services for SMBs in addition to launching Optus Loop, a cloud-based telephony system for SMBs, earlier this year.
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