BUSINESS BENEFITS FROM SUPER FAST BROADBAND

As part of the get £15 million Get Digital Faster programme of introducing super fast broadband into Stockport (reported in 2014), The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport made a visit to two Stockport businesses who are seeing huge benefits in the upgrade.

Cloud 9 Hosts and DASA met with The Rt Hon Sajid Javid at their premises in Hazel Grove to discuss the benefits of the upgrade and what it means for their businesses and future opportunities.

Stockport has a rich heritage in manufacturing and engineering, it also has a growing innovative digital community that requires fast connectivity.

Businesses could not survive or accelerate growth without such connectivity.

Graham Saul (pictured left) is the owner of Cloud 9 Hosts, a cloud service provider, and says it has enabled him to offer new services and develop his business and future proof his offering:

Graham commented:

“I run a cloud computing business and it is important that my team and clients have uninterrupted connectivity and expect upload and download times to be fast and acceptable. In some cases our domestic broadband has been faster than commercial services. This is now changing and it will give business like mine many opportunities to expand and grow our client base”.

Graham is set to launch a new cloud storage service in February aimed at the business market. There are just a few products out there for SME’s that offer reliability and above all security and Cloud 9 Hosts have invested in the hardware and technology, listened to the concerns businesses have for security, and developed a product.

Graham continued:

“Having the confidence in the digital investment means we can all think differently about our services. It does open opportunities that would not be feasible with slower connections. It also will make Stockport a more attractive choice for relocating businesses.”

Left: The Rt Hon Sajiid Javid at DASA

Neighbour to Cloud 9 Hosts is  DASA (Drainage Advisory Services & Assistance) owned by Darryl Gartley;  the super-fast broadband upgrade has meant their online client service portal and national systems can work with greater efficiency:

Managing Director Darryl explains:

“We are specialist service provider to the Insurance claims marketplace and facilities management sector providing bespoke evaluation and solutions for problematic drainage systems and water services.

“Our business is nationwide and having a more reliable and faster connection means we can stream live footage and reports from site in real-time back to our in-house engineers based at Hazel Grove. This allows the review process to be completed in the shortest time cycle making it more accessible and efficient for all concerned, allowing the client reporting portal to be updated at the earliest opportunity. Our work can be 24 hours and having instant access is key to our business growth and more importantly our customers’ journey and experience.”

Stockport is home to web designers, cloud businesses, video production, creative and arts, plus a backbone of professional services, all reliant on the internet to manage customers and trade efficiently locally and internationally. 

Stockport is leading the way in the upgrade driven by Transport for Greater Manchester and BT on behalf of The Greater Manchester Combined Authority. Whilst the programme will help the business community it will also create 500 new jobs.

Other delegates at the event included Eammon Boylan, Chief Executive of Stockport Council and Jim Jackson who is the Regional Infrastructure Delivery Director – North for Open Reach.