|
Keeping Tabs on Tiger Woods
“We set up wireless networks for golf tournaments; spectators can use PDAs to keep tabs on Tiger Woods even if they're following Phil Mickelson. Player stats have to be constantly available and speed is critical. We project InterMapper maps onto the wall of our operations center so we can get on problems right away. Our clients, who aren't network people at all, love those maps.” Pat DiPersia, Hawkins & DiPersia, LLC
Customer: Jonathan Baber, Director of Product Development
Company: Integrated Business Systems
Location: Virginia
Business: Develops and installs software used by over 1,000 golf courses in the US, Canada, and Caribbean to manage all Club business operations.
InterMapper's Role: Monitors regional networks to detect problems that wouldn't be easily diagnosed by clients or customers.
Quote: “The biggest benefit is that InterMapper can do 80% of what an ‘expensive’ system can do for 20% of the cost.”
Thanks largely to Tiger Woods, golf has steadily grown in popularity, especially among young people. Every day, certainly every weekend, millions of golfers across this country and others, clamor to get on the course. Their biggest hurdle isn't finding a babysitter or shedding the guilt of unfinished yard work. It's usually finding a tee time.
IBS is helping golf courses ease the tee-time rush through it's WebRes service which allows golfers to log on and sign-up for available times without having to drive to or repeatedly call the course. WebRes is just one service offered up through IBS software that's developed especially for golf courses. Managers also take advantage of point of sale, food and fine dining, banquet, ordering, and membership tracking features. “Our systems take care of everything but greens maintenance,” explains Jon Baber, Director of Product Development at IBS.
Systems are installed and configured at client sites by IBS technicians who work with course and facilities managers to set business rules and configure reporting. “It takes two people about a week to analyze business needs then set up the total software package and provide training.” Along with the software, each site runs dedicated Cisco equipment that's owned by IBS and monitored with InterMapper.
“WebRes is really popular. One of our client courses on Long Island won't accept call-in or walk-in reservations. WebRes has really helped them reduce costs and offer 24 hour service to customers,” reports Baber. “But customers and course employees don't see problems they might be having with their system. They just think that there's some trouble with the internet so they wait for it to get sorted out. We see the problem with InterMapper and call them and say, 'We noticed you're stuff isn't working. Anything going on?' They'll say, 'Oh yeah, the network guys were here switching things around' or they'll check and see that something got shut down.”
“It's critical to find and fix problems before bookings suffer. Last year, WebRes handled $8 - $9 million in transactions. If the network isn't working, that money doesn't change hands. InterMapper helps us keep things working. It runs solid. We like that.”
IBS has also rolled out a new web-based Member Statement system that will let Club members check in on their statements. “There's a secure login and they can look at each expense item and the ticket behind it. They might see $25 for lunch and click on it to see the actual tab for a sandwich, salad, and drink.” Like WebRes, that system will be monitored by InterMapper.
It can be hard to pinpoint a software product's value but Baber is clear on InterMapper's return. “Do the math. Lots of products are fancy and have lots of features and neat options. But technology for technology's sake doesn't contribute to the bottom line. Software is only valuable if it supports the business. A lot of time, only 20% of a software product gets used. InterMapper does 80-90% of what bigger, fancier products do at only 20% of the cost. The value is phenomenal.”
“We use InterMapper regularly to monitor our international network and our own, internal network. I don't have to hire a six figure guy to use it. I can hire someone right out of college without a computer science degree to run and respond to InterMapper.”
And, sometimes, the best technology runs so well that no one even takes notice. “Our clients don't even know about InterMapper,” says Baber. “We can usually fix things before the client even realized they are broken.” |
