Liverpool Science Park

Extending a warm IT welcome to new tenants.

The Liverpool Science Park Innovation Centre (LSPIC) is in the heart of the city centre, close to both Liverpool John Moores University and the University of Liverpool. Drawing on the wealth of expertise at the Universities, the Innovation Centre is the perfect location for young research based companies in the science, engineering, biotechnology and IT sectors.

Designed to accommodate different size businesses, from start-ups with two staff to more established businesses, the focus at the Innovation Centre is on flexibility. Flexible terms, flexible services and a wide range of support to nurture growth and prosperity.

The Challenge

The nature of the businesses based in Innovation Centres dictates the need for a secure first-class IT infrastructure and that's exactly what LSPIC wanted. This would help to attract new businesses and simplify the data and Internet connectivity as these businesses moved into their new offices.

With the focus on flexibility, the infrastructure needed the capability to provide each tenant with their own network and Internet access, while being scalable enough to allow LSPIC to plan further expansion.

The Solution

With specialist skills in multi-tenancy operations, First Solution Technologies designed and installed a secure data infrastructure and managed Internet connectivity solution.

Based on Cisco switching technology, the solution allows each tenant to have a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) and an Internet connection with Quality of Service to ensure the integrity of the connection. The VLANs operate over the same physical infrastructure which was designed to be scalable to allow for growing numbers of tenants with increasing network and Internet demands.

Wrapped around the solution is a fully managed service contract to ensure ongoing support and maintenance for both LSPIC and tenants. This covers the following areas:

• Cisco data infrastructure
• Internet bandwidth management
• Network monitoring server
• Remote support
• On site set-up and support for tenants
• Network security and change control management
• Internet bandwidth management

A Service Level Agreement is also in place to provide LSPIC with the peace of mind that performance can be measured against agreed criteria.

The Benefits

The solution has already delivered many cost and performance benefits to both the Innovation Centre management and the tenants. The following summarises some of the main benefits derived:

• New tenants are networked and connected to the Internet quickly and easily
• Remote support provides rapid problem resolution
• One phone number and one point of contact for all technical support and queries
• Proactive management of the network minimises downtime
• Investment is protected as the scalable infrastructure provides a platform for growth
• New tenants get expert advice and guidance on all areas of IT

The IT infrastructure and support arrangements for new tenants have already proven to be a value add service for LSPIC and the flexible approach adopted by First Solution Technologies has complemented the overall aim to provide flexible services for young growing businesses.