National network integration and ICT infrastructure management specialist Integr8 IT has once again played a crucial role in the successful staging of Sithengi`s Film and Television Market. The network specialist supervised the provision and installation of hardware and software to ensure organisers enjoyed the benefit of reliable connectivity and digital services.
Sithengi is a Section 21 company mandated to promote the development of, and trade in, African and South African television and film product to a global market. The organisation hosts two events annually, the Cape Town World Cinema Festival and the Sithengi Film and TV market, both of which run during the month of November.
The organisation repeated its strategy of last year and once again put into action its service level agreement with Integr8 IT to guarantee a glitch-free registration process and secure reliable Internet access for database management.
Dale Arries, Managed Services Division Manager at Integr8 IT and Account Manager for Sithengi, says Integr8 IT adopted a similar approach to last year in terms of infrastructure provision but included a 3G wireless component this year.
"We kept the setup very similar to last year with the exception that this time we have provided wireless connectivity via 3G in the Internet Caf'e section and supplied two additional ADSL lines," says Arries. "Integr8 IT also supplied about 40 machines that were distributed over four floors at the Artscape and we installed four ADSL lines (2 X 512k & 2 X 1024k) as well as two Diginet lines via MTN Network Solutions."
According to Arries, in terms of connectivity, there was an improvement in redundancy this year.
"The Diginet lines were kept as backup in the unlikely event the ADSL links failed within critical areas such as registration and Internet Caf'e. The registration process cannot afford any downtime, so our strategy was to place half the machines on ADSL and the other half on the 128K Diginet. Should either link fail, only half of the registration process would be down and this would shorten the time for us to switch the other half over onto the live link."
Last year Sithengi representatives were very impressed with the success of the event, especially from a communication and media management point of view. This year has been no different.
"Integr8 IT has been really great and has seen to all of our IT requirements. Our records indicate that we have welcomed over 2 200 delegates from 46 countries around the world. Everything has gone very well and Integr8 IT`s service is impeccable. We have also incorporated a 3G wireless service, including cards, to ensure hotspot areas for our visiting international delegates and this has placed us on a higher level from an event perspective," says Taryn da Canha-Uhlmann, Market Director at Sithengi.
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Integr8 IT (Pty) Ltd is a network technology services and solutions company. A recognised leader in the field of system integration, infrastructure management and support services, the company employs a wealth of highly skilled, best of breed, certified system engineers who are directly involved in high level consulting, support and integration.
The company`s core focus is on network infrastructures specialising in design, planning, deployment, management and maintenance. Offices are located in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and representation in Port Elizabeth, East London, and nationally across the southern Africa region.
Integr8 IT is a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner for Enterprise Systems and Advanced Infrastructure Solutions. It has been accredited as the Mid-Market Infrastructure Integrator of the Year for the last two consecutive years. Named as one of the country`s top ICTe companies and honoured with a position among South Africa`s Technology Top 100 Companies, Integr8 IT has established itself as a strategic partner with several internationally-recognised technology vendors and industry leaders, including: 3Com, CA, Citrix, Intel, Microsoft, MTN Network Solutions and Attix 5.
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