Business IT systems
ART Computing
ART Computing
Business IT systems
We supplied this small (at that time) London recruitment agency, specialising in the music and design industries, with their very first IT system (server, PCs and software).
This included helping them progress from their old card system to a fully electronic recruitment mechanism.
At the same time, the agency was expanding rapidly, and we ran the expansion and relocation of their system to several new offices over many years.
Naturally, this progression also included the move to virtualisation via VMware and Datacore SANsymphony.
One of our first Commence clients, over 20 years ago, and still involved.
We designed a bespoke database for all marketing and CRM functions.
Altius Associates
ART Computing was a key support to our team as we established and grew Altius until the company was acquired. It was then instrumental in the integration of our IT with that of Pavilion and subsequently Mercer.
We worked together to design, create and implement a robust IT infrastructure with global reach. They were prepared to do everything from basic desk support, to high level IT strategy and everything in between.
Jenny Fenton - former co-CEO of Altius Associates
This meant that not only could the server load be distributed between the 2 locations, but if either location went down for any reason, the other location could take up the load instantly and automatically. Site and server resilience.
VMware vSphere was also deployed in the Richmond VA office, although the same data centre facilities were not available there.
For the Singapore office, with only 8 users, the server infrastructure was built in the cloud, using Microsoft Azure, hosted on Microsoft’s Asian hosting locations to maximise performance for those users.
Eventually, Altius was purchased by Pavilion Financial Corporation in Montreal, and our work continued for them. Finally, Pavilion in turn was purchased by Mercer, part of Marsh & McLennan.
We have been employed by Altius Associates (private equity advisor) since its formation over 20 years ago. It comprised offices in London (30 users), Richmond, VA (USA) (30 users) and Singapore (8 users). We re-developed and built its server infrastructure in all three offices, and maintained & supported all three and their 70-odd users throughout this period.
Originally, the existing London internet connection was a 2 mbps leased line costing over £11k p.a.
The poor performance of the existing VPN connection to their US office in Richmond was causing daily difficulties, working on shared documents across the Atlantic.
Alternatives? The existing ADSL infrastructure wasn’t available in Victoria, and even if it had been, suitable or sufficient for this purpose.
However, the hosting locations such as Telehouse in the City were sitting on top of enormous internet pipes. But how to get there?
The answer was provided by Fibernet, via a dark fibre. By “dark”, it meant that it came with no services. Ideal. We could put our own switches at either end of it, and “light” it, extending the office LAN over this Gbps link to the hosting location. A rack was rented in Telehouse, and the existing server infrastructure split between the London office and Telehouse, from where a super-fast internet connection was available.
Not only did this mean that extremely fast internet connectivity was available, but it provided Disaster Recovery and site/server resilience into the bargain.
Extending this further, we deployed VMware vSphere and converted the physical servers to virtual servers. This enabled us to run servers in either location, and migrate between them. Not only that, but Datacore SANsymphony real-time synchronising storage was employed between the two locations.
British American Racing
One day we received a phone call saying that a deal had been done for BAT to fund a new F1 team.
Their small and temporary industrial unit in Brackley had three employees who needed a couple of servers and associated kit in double-quick time, and someone to look after it.
This included supporting the new users, who were arriving at a rate of knots. We didn’t need asking twice.
We imagined that our involvement would end fairly soon thereafter, as a deal with a major IT supplier would be done almost straight away, but in fact it lasted for a year.
We’d supplied over 60 PCs before HP arrived on the scene and took over.
A thoroughly enjoyable and rewarding episode, from which we learned a lot, and met some people with whom we deal to this day.
Handle Recruitment
Your Case History is fine, but it could go even further!
Harry and ART Computing were an invaluable support for 12 years during the expansion of our agency. With Harry’s help we were able to transform into a modern business that was able to compete with the very best.
He constantly monitored the best available technology for our needs and kept us ahead of the curve at the same time providing the day to day support required to ensure virtually no downtime for anyone at any time...
Peter Tafler - CEO of Handle Recruitment
Captimax & Planetaire
I have now been using Commence CRM for 20 years. Harry revealed all the magic of Commence to me and my team. He was phenomenal at interpreting our immediate requirements and anticipate the future ones. Commence is still the central depository of all my data accumulated over 20 years from more than one business. Hard to beat.
Mario Hytten - CEO of Captimax & Planetaire
IT consulting and services company. We design complete IT infrastructures, typically for small to medium businesses, which we can then supply, install and maintain on a continuing basis. This includes user support, which is delivered through a combination of regular on-site visits, remote control and telephone support.
Typically, our clients are in London and the south of England, although the largest client has offices in London, Richmond, VA (USA) and Singapore, and we built, installed and supported the IT infrastructure and users for each of these sites.
For clients who don’t have their own in-house IT function, we can fulfil that role (as above), but for those who do, we also work with existing departments.
When necessary or desirable, we also work with a network of partners.
We also sell and consult in a highly-customisable CRM application – Commence.
Commence is used by a wide variety of businesses to integrate the running of those businesses in all manner of ways - not simply CRM. For a few of examples, please see the Case Histories section.
This consulting work continues, using both Commence, with which we now have 25 years’ experience, and, latterly, Salesforce.
ART Computing Ltd
Spring House, Bull Hill
Chadlington
Chipping Norton
Oxfordshire
OX7 3ND
Altius Associates
(later Pavilion Financial, now Mercer)
Amala Partners
Apollo Business Parks
Aspak
Awardco
Aztec Facilities
Banksia
Bridgepoint
Campbell Lutyens
Captimax
Careers Research Forum
Handle Recruitment
Heinz Harald-Frentzen
Helix Associates
Howard Sherwood
Jaguar Racing
Kingswood Map Mechanics
Loxton Developments
British American Racing
(F1 team which became Honda, then Brawn, now Mercedes)
Mario Hytten
Maxwells Restaurants
Mezzanine Management
Noble PR
Pallant House Gallery
People in Business
Planetaire
Protein Supplies
Quadriga
R&R Teamwork
Richard West Associates
Sarsden Glebe Farm
Sensor Technology
Ski Solutions
Stratford-Upon-Avon Town Trust
Stratford Artshouse
design
build
support
Cloud & Microsoft 365
Complete IT Infrastructure
One-off projects & CRM
Consultancy & advice
We worked together to design, create and implement a robust IT infrastructure with global reach. ART was prepared to do everything from basic desk support, to high level IT strategy and everything in between.
Jenny Fenton - former co-CEO of Altius Associates
design
Infrastructure
Cloud & internet
Data centres
Servers & storage
User devices
Networks & security
Building control
build
Software
Server software
Applications
App development
support
Updates
Support
Consultancy
Backups
cloud computing
Cloud services and applications have revolutionised IT. They have enabled building, in the cloud, resilient and fault-tolerant IT architecture of a standard that is difficult and expensive to build in-house.
Amongst many others, the six features below have been keeping us particularly busy:-
ultra secure remote working
so important, we've given it its own website and branding:-
microsoft modern workplace
Microsoft 365, Microsoft Azure, SharePoint, OneDrive, Entra, Defender etc.
cloud drive mapper from IAM Cloud
map a drive direct to OneDrive in the cloud - no more OneDrive Client
full fibre internet connections - fibre to the premises
up to 900 Mbps in each direction, and more.... Gigaclear, CityFibre, etc.
bt landline switch-off
voice over IP telephony - Voipfone, 8x8, Microsoft Teams Phone etc.
wi-fi systems
low-visibility wi-fi systems for country houses & estates
ultra secure remote working
A new way to work remotely - the same, but different. Our new website has more...
microsoft modern workplace
The entire range of Microsoft's cloud services and facilities offered on the Azure platform is too extensive to detail here.
But one group of components is known as Microsoft Modern Workplace. It's a collection of features and services which fall broadly into the following five areas:-
User applications and services
User and shared file storage
Shared applications
Identity and Access Management
IT Infrastructure
User apps
Microsoft 365
Office 365
Outlook
Exchange Email
Word
Excel
PowerPoint
Access
Teams
Storage
OneDrive
SharePoint
Shared
Teams
Teams Phone
Dynamics 365
SQL databases
Power Automate
Power BI
ID & Access
Entra
Defender
Enterprise Mobility
InTune
System deployment and management
Infrastructure
Azure
Virtual servers,
networks & appliances
Storage
Cloud PCs:-
Azure Virtual Desktop
Windows 365
To name only a few
cloud drive mapper from IAM Cloud
No more:-
OneDrive Client app
file synchronisation problems or breakages
security concerns over the entire OneDrive folder stored on your local disk, especially on a laptop
disk-space management worries, especially on multi-user PCs & laptops
concerns about which version of a file is open - local or cloud
'"...-Copy'" files infesting your folders
Cloud Drive Mapper in action
Enter your text here
Developed by the excellent team at IAM Cloud, we regard this as an essential add-on to OneDrive and SharePoint
full fibre internet
Cloud services mean that fast internet connections are essential.
Plain old ADSL is not ideal because it is asynchronous - faster down than up.
Much better to be the same in each direction. And preferably much faster than ADSL.
Full fibre internet connections, with the fibre terminating on your premises, are the way to go.
Up to 900 Mbps in each direction are offered by many alternative fibre providers, including:-
Gigaclear, CityFibre (through partners such as Crystal Clear Telecom) & Hyperoptic.
Faster speeds are also available if/when needed.
We can help.
bt landline switch-off
The much-delayed BT Landline Switch-Off is finally due to complete by January 2027.
All existing BT landline phone connections - PSTN (analogue) and ISDN (digital) - will stop, and phone systems must be moved to Voice over IP (VoIP).
BT has its own VoIP offerings, but there are many better and cheaper options available elsewhere.
Suppliers such Voipfone, 8x8, bOnline, Microsoft Teams Phone, etc.
What's more, your existing phone numbers can be moved, or "ported", to your new VoIP setup.
We will manage the whole process for you. All the way through to providing the phone service.
One great advantage of VoIP is that your users can connect to your phone system from anywhere, including on their mobile phones, and callers can reach them wherever they are, using your existing "landline" number.
The days of being tied to a physical telephone on the desk are over.
wi-fi systems
As you might expect, we build a full range of business Wi-Fi systems.
But we recently completed a very interesting Full Fibre Internet, Wi-Fi and VoIP project in a large historic country house.
Given the visually-sensitive nature of the house, both inside and out, it was vital that the cabling and Wireless Access Points (19 of them) were unobtrusive - preferably invisible.
Internal cabling to Access Points would have been both difficult and visually awkward too. so cables were routed externally, hidden from view, with APs mounted directly inside external walls, hidden behind curtains etc.
Flooding the house with strong Wi-Fi signal means that the new IP telephones can be Wi-Fi (rather than DECT, which are dependent on DECT base units). So the phones - both desk-phones and hand-helds - can be located and moved at will. No network cables required. A beautifully flexible and unobtrusive system.
design
As well as the new cloud infrastructure, we also still design, build and support all the on-premises physical infrastructure that we always have.
Cloud
Microsoft 365
Office 365
Azure & Amazon AWS
Internet
FTTP
Leased line
Data centres
19"" racks
Server hosting & resilience
Disaster Recovery
Servers
Physical:
Dell
Fujitsu
HP
Virtual:
Azure
VMware
Storage
Azure
Datacore
Synology
User devices
PCs, laptops
Thin clients
IP phones & mobiles
Printers & scanners
Networks
WAN & LAN
Wired & wi-fi
Dark fibre
VPNs - Full & SSL
Security
Defender & Entra
Firewalls, routers
Remote access
Anti-virus & MFA
Building Control
Loxone
Heating, lighting, security
Monitoring
Server
Windows Server
Exchange Server
SQL Server
Sharepoint
Dynamics
Backup: Veeam,
Hornet, 11:11
Applications
Office & Office 365
Teams
CRM: Salesforce
Commence
Sage, QuickBooks
AV: Defender, Hornet,
Bitdefender
Development
SQL Server
Salesforce
Sharepoint
Dynamics
Commence CRM
Support
End-user support:
telephone, remote and on-site
Training
Consultancy
Advice
Second opinion
System development
Updates & backup
Backup: Veeam, Hornet,
11:11, Synology
Monitoring, maintenance,
updates & support
clients
support
build
case histories
Suppliers included Gigaclear, RUCKUS, Voipfone, Yealink & Microsoft 365.
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