Photo studio likens MPLS to the leap from dial-up to broadband

A UK firm specialising in photo shoot experiences has installed an MPLS network to support its four studios and has likened the benefits to the leap from dial-up to broadband connections.

Doubletakestudios, with studios in London’s Pimlico and Farringdon, as well as Manchester and Southampton, has installed a next generation MPLS network from NetworkFlow - a specialist managed services provider of high-bandwidth connectivity solutions.

Established in 1996, Doubletake provides customers with photo shoot experiences which include beauty treatments and makeovers.  Each studio handles from 40 to 80 shoots per day, resulting in over 6,000 pictures which need to be processed and retouched daily.

Managing Director Julian Jenkins explains: “Going back a few years we used to rely on leased lines which took too long to download images between studios overnight; the system would crash and we’d have to send the photos on disks by registered post.  Often they got deleted and corrupted; it was a nightmare and it added a week to the processing time of all orders.”

“With our new MPLS network, we close our studios at 9pm each night and all the images have arrived at head office for processing by the next morning.  This makes us much more efficient, leading to more orders.  All the databases can be linked together in a live environment so we can process clients’ payments straight through the system.  And finally, it enables us to save money on call charges because each of our offices can now dial internally.  I couldn’t be without it now; it’s the equivalent of the leap from dial-up to broadband!”

David Alexander, commercial director of NetworkFlow comments: “Using an MPLS IP Virtual Private Network (IP VPN), a company like Doubletake can reduce its network complexity and costs. Rather than setting up and managing individual points between each office, our customers need to have only one connection from their office router to the service provider edge router. The end result is cost savings, guaranteed quality of service and much greater performance.”

Working together with NetworkFlow, GP Network Solutions provided the IP PBX.  This enables Doubletake to distribute calls through the central IP PBX and out to the sites, enabling effective telesales and improved communications overall.

Simon Daniell, Sales Director, GP Network Solutions comments: “There are very few suppliers able to offer an MPLS network in the UK at present, but there’s real customer demand for it, as Doubletake illustrates.”

“Working together with NetworkFlow, we can offer customers of all sizes a cost-effective and resilient network which meets their business needs.”