One of Africa`s largest firms of patent attorneys and intellectual property specialists, Spoor & Fisher, has consolidated its Johannesburg and Pretoria offices into a single new custom-built headquarters in High-grove Office-park, Centurion.
The company wanted a state-of-the-art facility, with technology and office systems that could give it a competitive advantage well into the future. It turned to Enterprise Connection and its Rental Finance Solution, to create a lease solution that would allow it to spread the initial capital and implementation costs over several years, as well as to provide a complete turnkey project implementation service.
Enterprise Connection Rental Finance not only provided the finance on the new technology and office equipment, it also handled the entire project implementation, including helping to identify the best vendors, and then managing the supply of the equipment and services from them. This gave Spoor & Fisher a single point of contact for the entire office development project.
"We had two separate offices in different cities which was not efficient. We decided to move into a single, custom-built office, with the very latest office equipment and information systems. We approached Enterprise Connection Rental Finance to find a way that would give us the most value for our investment. In addition, Enterprise Connection was also able to manage the day-to-day implementation of the project so that our management and IT department could focus on ensuring the new office was perfect, both as a working environment and as a facility to serve our business needs," said Glen Dean, General Manager of Spoor & Fisher.
The Enterprise Connection team helped Spoor & Fisher in the selection of technologies and vendors, and then arranged all the financing, including the contract and payment terms.
"Spoor & Fisher is a leader in intellectual property, and understands the value of information systems that allow it to leverage its knowledge assets," said Bryden Culbert, account manager at Enterprise Connection Rental Finance.
"The rental model has allowed it to become a much more flexible, innovative and technology-driven company that can use the latest information systems available. Our rental finance and project management model has helped it streamline joining of both branches into one, which is crucial for the company going forward, today and into the future."
Technologies implemented include a high-speed storage area network (storage systems and SAN switches), networking (switches, routers, security, cabling), power supply (backup generator, power conditioning, UPS), the latest desktop PCs and servers, photocopiers and faxing systems, switchboard and telephony systems, and plasma display screens, as well as environment/climate monitoring and security (including closed circuit TV and access control). Enterprise Connection also managed the office infrastructure installation, including office furniture and bulk filing equipment, even down to the new staff canteen.
Enterprise Connection Rental Finance had to manage a disparate group of suppliers, ranging from Panasonic, Siemens and Nashua for the equipment, to Dimension Data and Kunene for on-site installation services.
"The relationship between Spoor & Fisher and Enterprise Connection has become a long-term and very strategic one, as we have entrusted them not only with the implementation and ongoing support of our office infrastructure, but also with our good name and reputation as they are the ones handling payment to suppliers," explains Spoor & Fisher`s Glen Dean.
"We firmly believe that we made the right decision going with a rental finance option, as we get exactly what we need now, we get a complete solution that does not tie up our capital, and our management time can be spent on making our new information systems a competitive advantage, and less time administering it."
The project planning was started about a year ago as Spoor & Fisher began conceptualising its new headquarters. Enterprise Connection got the green light to start actual implantation in July, which took only a month to complete.
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