Case Study
Union College
Case Study
Union College
Enduring business partnerships enable seamless IT solutions
Peace of mind assured after nearly two decades of managing the IT services
Union College is part of the University of Queensland (UQ), St Lucia, Brisbane and is one of the largest residential Colleges at UQ – accommodating over 330 students plus staff.
Cymax has been the trusted IT provider to Union College since 1999. During this lengthy time, the College has undergone the changeover of three CEOs and three Operations Managers, yet Cymax continued to be the College’s trusted IT service provider – a result of Cymax’s commitment to delivering outstanding service and solutions.
Security issues, costly data usage & lack of understanding – a thing of the past
Sean Dendle, Director of Cymax, said they were engaged at a time when the College’s needs were high. “Their previous IT provider’s solutions were not adequate in crucial areas such as security – leaving the College exposed,” Sean said. There were also issues with data usage and lack of management, which resulted in students using huge amounts of data resulting in expensive bills for Union College.
“They required an IT service provider that understood the College’s commercial requirements and crucial security needs.”
Cymax implemented an anti-quoted firewall system, performs pro-active disaster recovery testing and due to their longstanding history and understanding of the College, Cymax also manages their budgeting and forecasting. “This is to ensure their IT solutions meet the College’s needs and that they’re always using the latest technology,” Sean added.
Sean provides a three to five year forecast plan to identify what’s up for renewal, what warranty extensions apply and any other changes that the College may benefit from. “As a result, the IT structure runs seamlessly,” Sean said. “We discuss technology trends and how to better leverage these to provide better services and stability to students. We liaise with other IT service providers to ensure continuity with the College – such as telephony, security systems and CCTV.”
Ann Musgrove, Operations Manager, Union College said Cymax has helped the college streamline their business by implementing and managing the required infrastructure, as well as ensuring the College is up to date with changes in technology. “They have been involved in the backbones of technology and keeping us up with market demand,” Ann said.
For any business to thrive and grow, they need to be able to ensure its technology is well placed to enable productivity and efficiencies – while meeting the demands of its customers. “This is what Cymax has done for us from the beginning,” Ann said.
“Cymax have been able to accommodate our needs and requests and also advise on what technologies would be useful for the environment that we are in.” Other benefits include the service commitment by Cymax, and responsiveness to the College’s IT needs.
Cymax has fulfilled technology refresh cycles, which included implementing internet accounting software, state of the art firewalls, cloud backups and virtualisation – improving processes and creating better efficiencies.
Ann also said Cymax’s pricing is fair and reasonable for the work involved at Union College.
“They have been responsive to our needs – even when the resolution has been a complicated process. Their service is always professional and friendly, and Sean is always very helpful in providing updates and solutions that best suit the College,” Ann added.
Cymax is a trusted supplier for all IT service solutions and products, and with a professional working relationship that exceeds 17 years, Union College enjoys peace of mind, state of the art and reliable IT solutions and systems.