ic case study | ARTS & CONFERENCE

Mitchell Arts Centre (MAC)

Registered Charity

Employees: 20

Solutions provided:

Opening its doors in 1957 as a tribute to one of the City’s most loved local heroes – Reginald Mitchell, who designed the Spitfire, MAC may be an Arts Centre by name, but it is also a business and corporate venue, hosting events such as awards ceremonies, seminars andconferences. SITUATION Based in the heart of Stoke on Trent’s cultural quarter, MAC is a registered charity who believe in changing the lives of their local community by providing educational and entertainment opportunities, where talent in the arts could be showcased.  With businesses residing in the upper most part of their building, they were finding increased strain on their shared Internet connectivity, which was becoming a problem for the centre’s usage patterns.

TASK
To keep their tenants appeased, MAC needed the facility to offer lightning fast & secure Internet connectivity throughout their entire venue.  This would allow them to stream live events on show nights, and also support their decision to open the centre up to host conferences and business events.

Not only do we have fast and efficient Internet connectivity, but using Fortigate also means that we can provide each of our tenants a dedicated portion of our connection, and at the same time keeping a secure network safe for our younger users.

Harriet Jackson
DIRECTOR
MITCHELL ARTS CENTRE
ARTS & CONFERENCE CENTRE

ACTION
Mitchell Arts Centre explored various connectivity options with Internet Central that would create a safe and secure network. In order to provide the ultimate experience to all visitors, tenants and performers alike, they were eager to opt for a business grade, dedicated leased line with a Fortigate (Next Generation Firewall) to ensure their range of users could use the Internet facilities safely.

RESULT
Installing dedicated Internet connectivity meant that MAC no longer had to share a portion of a broadband connection with other local businesses, and by installing a Fortigate Firewall, they were in fact able to dedicate chunks of their Gigabit bandwidth to each business within the centre. This meant that the connection speeds used in a business located on the second floor, would have no impact upon the bandwidth MAC had dedicated to themselves. All the while creating a safe and secure network for their visitors, and enabling the lightning speed connectivity they required for hosting conference
days and event streaming.