Pigsback.com

Ten years ago, the year 2000 marked the start of one of the biggest internet concepts to hit consumers & brands in Ireland. Pigsback.com was launched; an online marketplace specifically designed to help brands build direct relationships with the end consumer through the use of targeted promotions & offers. 

Through outsourcing all aspects of their IT to TelecityGroup, Pigsback.com now benefit from around the clock support, guaranteed connectivity and the flexibility to expand to meet ever increasing client demand.“A crucial element in our service offering is giving our clients the confidence that their brand and their presence on our website is being managed & monitored to the highest level of security and care and having a joint partnership with TelecityGroup has allowed us to deliver on that promise” said John McDonald, Technology & Operations Director, Pigsback.com. 

“We needed something more than a traditional supplier, ideally a partner who would understand our business as well as we did. TelecityGroup not only understood our needs, but they made them a priority. As a result, we see them as a central part of our organisation and just as important as any member of the team.”

John McDonald,
Technology & Operations Director, Pigsback.com

The challenge

Pigsback.com was launched in Ireland in 2000 & in the UK in 2005. Since launching, active memberships have grown to 700,000 in size. The Pigsback.com website is central to its success, with no room for downtime.
  
McDonald recalls, “Throughout our launch in both markets, we invested heavily in marketing to attract visitors to the website.  We required 100% uptime to cope with the high traffic that our marketing campaigns were attracting. A few minutes downtime had the potential to destroy our reputation at such an early stage & counteract high marketing spend’ 

Another challenge facing the team was ensuring the database of member information was fully protected & secure. The best option to ensure the smooth running of these areas was to seek an outsourced managed services provider. Pigsback.com already had an existing presence in the TelecityGroup Facility and had developed a level of trust for the TelecityGroup Team. The decision to stay with TelecityGroup was an easy one. 

“We needed something more than a traditional supplier, ideally a partner who would understand our business as well as we did. TelecityGroup not only understood our needs, but they made them a priority. As a result, we see them as a central part of our organisation and just as important as any member of the team,” said John McDonald.
 
“What set TelecityGroup apart from the rest was the team’s skill and knowledge. From the management team right through to the technicians, we had complete comfort that they could react to any situation before it became a problem and more importantly before it impacted our business,” he added.

The solution

The fundamental importance of their website encouraged Pigsback to explore the TelecityGroup Managed Services portfolio. Rather than investing heavily in infrastructure that added no value to their organisation, the managed services portfolio enables IT services, such as load balancing and monitoring to be wholly managed by TelecityGroup.
 
“As a marketing company, we simply cannot justify the capital investment involved in owning the infrastructure needed to run our business – it is not a viable option. The managed services portfolio gave us a realistic alternative. Essentially TelecityGroup is invisible to us, which is just how we want it, because we know that skilled resources are working 24x7x365 to guarantee uptime all the time.” McDonald said. 

Today, Pigsback.com benefit from a managed services package that include load balancing, monitoring and a DDOS mitigation service package. Their website is also hosted within the TelecityGroup secure facility & John McDonald is happy to note that they have experienced minimal downtime in 7 years, a testament to the strength of the MESH within the Data Centre.

What the Future Holds for Pigsback & TelecityGroup

After a tough year for Pigsback.com in 2009, there is still a plethora of new brands on the books and John McDonald is only too happy to demonstrate the TelecityGroup Facility, which, he says, never disappoints.
 
He notes, “Customers want to ensure the best in class infrastructure and when they see the facility, they are more than just reassured. Hand geometry, IP camera monitoring and 24x7 security, guarantee that infrastructure is 100% secure.” John continues, “However impressive both data centres are, there is much more at stake. Such high investment in infrastructure shows a business with vision and one with a solid future, which is just as important for our clients.”

Partnering with TelecityGroup has been a true success story for Pigsback.com & one that is likely to evolve with time. There is flexibility on both sides of the partnership, and potential for growth and expansion when the time comes. John concludes, “From the start, we built a strong relationship with Maurice Mortell, TelecityGroup Ireland Managing Director, and theTelecityGroup team. They worked with us and genuinely cared about our business and we are delighted to continue our partnership long into the future.”

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