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Sportingbet Australia
IMail Server with IMail Anti-Virus a Winning Solution for Sportingbet Australia
Sportingbet Australia, a division of Sportingbet PLC, offers telephone and Internet betting services to Australian and overseas clients on horse races, trotting and a wide range of sporting events held worldwide. Established in 2002, the company generates $600 million in annual revenues in Australia alone, and serves 30 to 40 percent of the Australian betting market.
E-mail is a core tool for the administration of this business, where virtually all transactions are conducted remotely and business is conducted 7 days a week, 363 days a year. The quantity is voluminous, with as many as 1,800 incoming and 900 outgoing e-mails in a day. During its first year of operation, the company was using a Linux-based e-mail system hosted on the parent company’s server in the UK, which made administration and delivery of e-mail extremely slow. Simply getting a password changed took 4 days, and setting up new accounts was a lengthy process. Even more problematic was the electronic distribution of more than 600 invoices and statements every Monday, which tied up the e-mail system for well over four hours and created a considerable load on the server.
In preparation for a major expansion of its Internet-based operations in June 2003, including implementing a local (Darwin-based) setup with Web and database servers, Systems Administrator David Alford was directed to find a better e-mail solution—specifically, a Windows-based platform that was economical, would run on existing Windows servers, and would have minimal impact on system resources. Through an Internet search, he identified Ipswitch’s IMail Server as a likely candidate. Designed for small- and medium-sized companies, the Windows-based IMail Server offered a full-featured, easy-to-install-and-use e-mail solution combining all the essential messaging capabilities Sportingbet Australia required. Furthermore, the optional, add-on IMail Anti-Virus product, designed to work exclusively with IMail Server, offered a powerful all-in-one solution to the company’s rapidly growing virus problem.
Alford downloaded and trialed the free 30-day evaluation, found it to “work great,” and made the purchase. “IMail Server gives you 95 percent of the features Microsoft Exchange gives you at about a quarter of the price – and Exchange can take days to set up,” noted Alford, whose team proceeded to install and configure the software on a local server themselves – in under 25 minutes. “Most of our questions were answered in the manual, and the manual is superb,” noted Alford. “Also, DNA, the Australian distributor from whom we purchased IMail Server, was very efficient and had a very good knowledge of the product.”
Results Are Dramatic and Instantaneous
Immediately after implementing Ipswitch’s IMail Server with IMail Anti-Virus, Sportingbet Australia staff noticed dramatic improvements in the administration and efficiency of its e-mail. “We’re finding our e-mail more reliable now and a lot quicker, making it a lot easier to do the job,” Alford said. “Internal mail is instantaneous. We can implement changes (new accounts, password changes, different user lists and groups) instantaneously – and Web administration can now be done from home or any other remote location. New user accounts take just a user name and password to set up. It’s very, very simple. Plus, the software is very efficient in its use of resources – there is very little effect on the server.” Distribution of weekly invoices has dropped from over 4 hours to 22 minutes, with virtually no impact on system resources.
Alford has had little occasion to call for support, but noted that when he has, response has been considerably faster than other companies. “Ipswitch responds in approximately 12 hours, which is especially good considering the time zone difference, and about half the time it takes other companies to respond. The answers are very helpful.” The team also utilizes the Ipswitch online knowledge base and user forum to find answers to most of their questions.
Virus Incidents Significantly Reduced
Before installing IMail with IMail Anti-Virus, Sportingbet Australia’s e-mail system was plagued by as many as 50 to 70 viruses a day. This created a burden on administrators who had to continually check to make sure that the antivirus software had successfully corrected any problems and that the system had not been infected. Today, administrators may get six notifications a day, and they can choose from several options for how they want the software to handle the problem. “IMail Anti-Virus works so well we don’t know it’s there,” said Alford. “It configures itself. It notifies us when it finds a virus. It’s been flawless – it does what it’s supposed to do. Virus incidents have pretty much disappeared from our e-mail.”
Customers Enjoy Better Service
Faster response time and automated notifications are benefiting customers, too, who rely on e-mail as their primary means of communication with Sportingbet Australia. “We place a strong focus on customer satisfaction and customer service, and have a stronger customer component than other online betting companies, explained Alford. “The response time is very quick in IMail and we can even set up automated notifications. This is a very good feature for us.
“Our customers are pleasantly surprised in terms of how much quicker we can reply to their messages,” Alford added. “We have set up the automated response feature with customizable messages so our customers are better served. They know their e-mail to us has gone through successfully.”
Company Prepared for Rapid Growth
The installation of IMail Server and IMail Anti-Virus on a single server in Darwin is more than adequate to support Sportingbet Australia’s current staff of 40 and its current and near-term e-mail load. As the company’s business grows, additional servers may be added.
“This is a very impressive product and a very professional, well-run company that has exceeded our expectations,” concluded Alford.
