blog

Itex wins award for Customer Service

Thu, 17 May 2012 08:19:20 +0100

IT service provider Itex has won the Best Customer Service of the year award at the 2012 Egaming Review (EGR) B2B Awards Event.

The results were announced at the awards night held at Wembley Stadium on Thursday 10 May attended by a large number of industry specialists in betting and gaming software, networks, mobile eGaming, payments, eGaming recruitment, and IT & infrastructure

Itex was shortlisted in three categories and beat off some strong competition including GameOn Marketing Limited and Manx Telecom to bring the Best Customer Service award home. The judging panel was made up of representatives from some “big hitters” in the industry including brand names such as BskyB and William Hill.

The Awards – now in their third year - celebrate the very best service providers and B2B Operators in the online gaming industry, and recognise the achievements of suppliers from across all the major eGaming disciplines.

Glyn Harris, Head of Sales for Itex in Guernsey (second from right in the picture above) who collected the award on behalf of the company, was thrilled:

“This really is a fantastic achievement for us. Quality Client Service delivery is at the core of Itex’s work ethos and to be recognised in this way is really rewarding for our team. We are particularly grateful for the testimonials that a number of our clients submitted in support of our nomination. ”

Alderney’s Robin Le Prevost, Director of eCommerce Development said in response to Itex’s award

“In a world when everything is becoming commoditised it is increasingly difficult to stand out from the crowd, one such way is through superlative customer service and whilst expensive, in terms of cost and commitment not to mention buy in from all your staff to put in place and maintain, it really does make a huge difference. Itex has made that commitment and I believe they are without question a deserving winner and an absolute credit to both Guernsey and Alderney.”

Winners/shortlists in the three categories Itex entered

Best customer service of the year: Winner – Itex. Others shortlisted - GameOn Marketing Limited; Jack Media London; Manx Telecom; PayPoint.net.
Datacentre of the year: Winner - Continent 8 Technologies; Others shortlisted - Itex; Manx Telecom.
IT supplier of the year: Winner - Computrad (Europe); Others shortlisted - Itex; Maxymiser.

Aurum supports Itex-Rotary Walk with limited edition pins

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 10:13:50 +0100

The Itex – Rotary Walk committee and Aurum of Jersey at Charing Cross are proud to announce their collaboration for the third year running. Aurum has created a limited edition of sterling silver, Checkpoint Charlie lapel pins to support this year’s around the island walk. Aurum are also offering the pins as charms upon request.

The pins have been designed around the walks iconic mascot, Charlie and will be sold at the Aurum showroom at £25 each, with 10% of each one sold going directly to the Itex Walk to contribute to the overall funds raised for needy local charities. Pins will also be awarded to the youngest and oldest walker as well as the person that raises the most sponsorship money.

Georgie Mabbs, Marketing Executive at Aurum of Jersey says – Georgie Mabbs, Marketing Executive at Aurum of Jersey says – “We are delighted to be supporting such a successful and popular local charitable event for the third year running.”

The pins are on display in the Aurum’s showroom so please come into the showroom itself, email: Georgie@aurumjewellers.co.uk or Tel. 736182 early to get your order in and show your support for this excellent cause.

Itex shortlisted for three Awards!

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 12:45:08 +0100

Itex has been shortlisted for three awards at the 2012 Egaming Review (EGR) B2B Awards Event.

Now in their third year, the EGR B2B Awards are open to any company operating within the eGaming industry and the awards categories, which number over 30 in total, cover a wide spectrum of activities, from Corporate services supplier of the year to Software rising star of the year and Bingo network of the year.

The Awards celebrate the very best service providers and B2B Operators in the online gaming industry, and recognise the achievements of suppliers from across all the major eGaming disciplines. Entrants include specialists in betting and gaming software, networks, mobile eGaming, payments, eGaming recruitment, and IT & infrastructure.

Itex is shortlisted within three categories – Datacentre of the year, Best customer service of the year and IT supplier of the year. Award submissions and supporting testimonials have been judged by an impressive line-up of industry experts comprising of Board Directors, MDs and CEOs of large operators from within the sector. These include well-known brand names such as BskyB and William Hill.

Glyn Harris, Head of Sales for Itex in Guernsey (pictured) was delighted to receive the news:

“The EGR Awards night has become a ‘must attend’ event in the eGaming calendar. We have seen real success in the eGaming area of the business over the past few years and it’s great to see our hard work pay off.”

Robin Le Prevost, Director of eCommerce Development in Alderney agreed:

“This is fantastic news for Itex and the islands. Alderney’s on-going success as a centre of excellence for eGambling operators relies on modern hosting facilities and reliable telecommunications networks supplied by organisations such as Itex. This type of recognition is real testament to the quality of service provision offshore providers can offer.”

Itex is shortlisted with Manx Telecom on two of the three shortlists and Glyn is philosophical about the potential results:

“There are some good companies nominated and the competition is tough. The fact we are even shortlisted is a real achievement and being recognised by our peers working within the industry who make up the judging panel is a particular accolade. But of course it would be fantastic to win one of the three - so fingers crossed!”

The winners will be announced at the Awards event on 10 May at The Atrium, Wembley Arena when representatives from over 500 organisations are expected to attend.

Shortlist details

Best customer service of the year: GameOn Marketing Limited; Itex; Jack Media London; Manx Telecom; PayPoint.net.
Datacentre of the year: Continent 8 Technologies; Itex; Manx Telecom.
IT supplier of the year: Computrad (Europe); Itex; Maxymiser.

Further details can be found on the event website

Richard Parker, Itex Market Development Director - to speak at Environmental Intelligence seminar.

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 16:30:26 +0100

The Guernsey Chamber of Commerce is holding a seminar on reducing business costs and environmental impact at St Pierre Park Hotel on 3 April 2012.

The three speakers will present case studies and their views on how organisations have adopted an environmentally intelligent approach to business.

Barry Cash, Director Guernsey Chamber of Commerce explains

“This seminar is a great opportunity to learn about how businesses can operate in a more environmentally intelligent manner, and reap the benefits by reduced costs, and reduce their impact on the environment.”

The speaker line up is

Peter de Garis, Director and General Manager Ronex
Ian McCathie, Head of Client Services Generali World Wide
Richard Parker, Director Market development ITEX.

Richard Parker writes:

“Worldwide IT infrastructure now exceeds the airline industry for carbon emissions. The growth of the Internet has spawned thousands of data centres around the world and Guernsey is no exception in that Internet traffic exceeds that of South Africa. Guernsey has 12 commercial data centres supporting this activity.”

Richard Parker will share ITEX philosophy on environmental intelligence and the experience of implementing an Environmental Management System. He will also broaden the talk to discuss the impact of technological innovation and new service delivery models, which reduce customer costs while promoting a better environment.

Itex Rotary Walks - Registration now open!

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 13:01:10 +0000

Calling all walkers – register today for the 2012 Itex-Rotary walks taking place in June

Planning for the around the island walks – now key dates in Channel Island calendars – are well underway and walk organisers hope to top the incredible funds raised last year – a total of nearly £170,000.

Richard Parker, Chairman of the Guernsey organising committee is looking forward to another successful event:

“The Walks have become real community events and give people the chance to get fit, achieve personal challenges, as well as making a real difference for some really worthwhile local causes.”

This year the Guernsey walk is offering a team option for those walkers who don’t fancy facing the entire 38.5 mile route whilst in Jersey walkers can opt for the Lieutenant Governor Challenge introduced in 2007 where you can undertake the full route over four consecutive years walking in parallel with those walkers attempting the full distance in one go. This year walkers will be tackling the second section of the Walk from St Catherine’s Checkpoint to Les Fontaines checkpoint which is a distance of 10.9 miles!

Guernsey charities being supported in 2012 are Guernsey Cheshire Home, Guernsey Sailing Trust, Guernsey Botanical Trust, Channel Island Air Search, ADHD Support Group, MS Society and the Health Information Exchange.

In Jersey, selected charities are 10th Jersey (St Brelade) Scout Group, Jersey Cheshire Home and Jersey Trees for Life. In addition another 12 local organisations will benefit from the donations raised by the walkers and their numerous supporters.

Registration can be made online at www.itexwalk.gg and www.itexwalk.je.

The Guernsey walk takes place on Saturday 9 June and the Jersey walk on Saturday 23 June.

If you have any Itex-Rotary Walk stories to share, please email Trish Grover or call her on 07911 717379.

Itex Rotary Walk 2012 - Chosen Charities announced

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:14:36 +0000

The Itex Rotary Walk Committee has selected the local Guernsey charities which will benefit from funds raised at this year’s event.

Seven local charities are set to benefit from the 2012 Itex Rotary Around the Island Walk. Charities were invited to submit requests for funding late last year and each application was then considered by the Walk Committee.

To be eligible for funding, Charities must outline a specific project or item that needs financing rather than asking for a donation towards their general fund raising activities.
Successful applicants this year are:

The ADHD Support Group, Guernsey Cheshire Home, The MS Society, The Guernsey Botanical Trust, Channel Island Air Search, Guernsey Sailing Trust and the Health Information Exchange.

Richard Parker, Chairman of the Walk Committee was pleased to have had so many applications for funds:

“Applications came from a wide range of organisations this year and so the selection process was difficult – every one of them was a genuinely worthy cause. However, we are delighted that we are able to help seven organisations to fulfil their plans. There is an incredible number of local people who dedicate so much time to volunteer work. The walk gives us a great opportunity to support them.”

The 2012 Itex Rotary Walk will take place on June 9th and the Committee is anticipating another record turn-out and sponsorship result.
“Last year over 600 people took part and raised and incredible £53,000 – hopefully we can top this in 2012 and give some real support to these seven organisations.”

Registration for the 2012 event opens at the end of February. In the meantime for any budding walkers, lots of tips regarding training, nutrition and other preparation advice can be found on the event website.

ICE 2012 as busy as ever.

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:31:12 +0000

Itex staff have recently returned from a successful trip to this year’s ICE exhibition at Earl’s Court in London.

The exhibition is now one of the biggest B2B gaming exhibitions in the world and covers online, mobile, betting, bingo, casino, lottery and land-based gaming sectors.

Itex attended as part of a 10 strong contingent that forms Team Alderney, a collaborative venture that combines technical and telecommunications businesses with legal and fiduciary firms, aiming to promote Alderney as a gambling and licensing jurisdiction.

“Being part of Team Alderney is an important commitment Itex makes to support the Alderney Gambling Control Commission’s commercial efforts” explains Glyn Harris, Head of Sales, Itex Guernsey (pictured).

“ICE is an excellent forum to communicate with the e-gaming community. The event give us the ideal opportunity to speak directly with senior decision makers in the industry who are interested in Alderney as a jurisdiction. With international visitors and exhibitors, the show is a very efficient way of getting the Itex brand into the market place as well as meeting with existing contacts. We are now following up some interesting leads.”

ICE Totally Gaming 2012 attracted 21,555 gaming industry professionals, an increase of 6.3% on 2011. Next year the show moves to London’s ExCeL centre, running from the 5^th - 7^th February 2013.

Itex to speak at international Cloud conference

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:25:16 +0000

Richard Parker, Itex Market Development Director, will be joining an impressive line-up of speakers next week at Cloud Expo Europe 2012.

Cloud Expo Europe, taking place at London Olympia on 25 and 26 January, will welcome over 3,500 people through its doors for the two day conference.

Registered delegates represent a wide spectrum of industries but are all involved in investing in or implementing Cloud Technology projects.

IT professionals will be able to choose from seven conference streams (totalling over 70 hours of presentations) which will focus on all aspects of the Cloud market from IT infrastructure, applications and management services to security issues and governance. The event aims to get behind the current ‘hype’ surrounding cloud technology and look at the measurable benefits it can deliver in terms of efficiencies and financial savings.

Delegates will have the chance to gain valuable insight into the latest thinking from industry experts including representatives from the world’s leading cloud service providers and software companies.

Richard will be presenting on the implications of Cloud computing in the boardroom.

He joins a speaker list which boasts industry heavyweights such as the CTO from Amazon, the Head of Google Apps as well as leading IT suppliers and business leaders from blue chip companies such as Honda UK, Hiscox Insurance and the BBC – all of whom will share their own real life experiences.

Richard explains:

“The global Cloud market is currently estimated to be worth over $50 billion worldwide. In the UK alone, the market is projected to double between now and 2014. For suppliers it's a new, dynamic and fast growing sector and this event offers the perfect environment to exchange ideas with other players and to showcase the Itex Cloud Infrastructure. It is a real coup for a Channel Island-based company to have the chance to participate at such a prestigious event.”

An exhibition is also taking place alongside the conference where over 100 infrastructure and software suppliers will be presenting their products and services.

For further information on the event visit www.cloudexpoeurope.com

ICE 2012 promises to be a lively event and 'Team Alderney' will we out in force

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 09:25:19 +0000

Itex will once again be represented on the Team Alderney stand at the eGaming exhibition – ICE 2012 - at the end of January.

Held at Earl’s Court from 24 to 26 January 2012, ICE is now a key date in the eGaming industry calendar and has become the leading networking event for operators, technical specialists and regulators alike. In 2011 the exhibition attracted over 20,000 visitors and operators have come from 126 countries over the last three years.

This is the fifth year Itex will be attending at ICE, together with other members of the team from Alderney Gambling who between them offer the full range of hosting, telecommunications, legal and corporate services to gaming operators.

Richard Parker, Itex Market Development Director is confident about the company’s on-going success in the sector:

“Alderney certainly punches above its weight in the eGaming arena. The island’s legislative, technical and regulatory framework enjoys an enviable reputation within the industry and is a location of choice for many licensees seeking a sensible and well respected jurisdiction from which to operate. For Itex it is a great opportunity to meet our non-island based clients, network with operators from around the world and introduce some new initiatives specific to the sector”.

The Itex contingent will be led by Glyn Harris (pictured), who explains Itex’s unique proposition:

“Itex is unique in its ability to provide a full spectrum of technology, people and processes required by regulated businesses. We are more than just a hosting company. As an IT services provider we architect, design, deliver and manage IT, from infrastructure to pre-enabled applications. Working with Itex as a single point of contact means an efficient use of our clients’ time and allows them to concentrate on their core business.”

Itex and the Alderney team will be on stand 5465.

To schedule a meeting with Glyn or his colleague Adrian Bott please email glyn.harris@itexoffshore.com or adrian.bott@itextoffshore.com or just find them on stand 5465.

Itex gains Cloud Centre of Excellence status

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 09:29:45 +0000

Local IT company Itex has been picked by Hewlett Packard (HP) as a Cloud Centre of Business Excellence (CCOE)

Richard Parker - Itex Director of Market Development

Itex is one of the first five UK companies to have been selected for the new HP scheme and one of only 21 companies across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Unveiled in August, the CCOE scheme was set up to find and certify about 10 UK partners to be HP’s leading lights in deploying private cloud infrastructures based on HP technology.

Kevin Matthews, HP's UK and Ireland channel manager for enterprise, storage, servers and networking, explained that he wants to end up with a “crack team” of about 10 resellers.

"It is all about customers that want to have private clouds and the CCOE partners will be the best partners in the UK. CCOE partners are subject-matter experts in deploying private cloud in HP technology.”

Cloud technology is a fast growing aspect of today’s IT service provision and one which forms a key part of Itex’s business strategy:

Richard Parker, Itex Market Development Director is delighted with this latest initiative:

“HP is one of a number of strategic partnerships Itex has built over the years. Being recognised by one of the largest players in the IT industry in this way is excellent news for us. Association with a highly respected brand such as HP will certainly build our profile in the market place and is a clear reflection of the quality of service we strive to deliver to our clients.

Cloud is one of the technologies that is prompting a real shift in the way organisations purchase and consume IT services and resources. Businesses will need to adapt to these changes if they are going to remain competitive and we are helping and advising clients on the best way to manage these changes”.

Businesses must be smart about Smart devices

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 10:14:18 +0000

Over 30 IT and Compliance professionals attended for a recent Itex Breakfast seminar which looked at issues surrounding the growing trend of using personal mobile devices for accessing work data.

With forecasts predicting the sale of mobile devices to surpass sales of PCs in 2012, businesses are facing a new set of challenges relating to data security. Users are increasingly using their personal devices to access emails and other work related information both in the office and remotely.

Guest speaker at the seminar, Andy Malone from Quality Training delivered some insightful thoughts on the mobile data issue:

“Smart 'phones, slates, tablets…. the increasing proliferation of these new and increasingly sophisticated smart devices is simply mind boggling and they are infiltrating the workplace. But whilst this trend is ideal for delivering what today’s client demands – 24/7 service – it brings its own security implications. What happens if the phone is lost or stolen? How do you segment personal from business data?”

Itex has already been approached by a number of clients seeking assistance in managing this new trend effectively:

“Work data that sits on these devices needs to be managed effectively”, explains Paul Jarvis of Itex.

“The use of personal devices in the workplace is an irreversible trend and so pragmatic IT departments are embracing it and implementing appropriate security measures. At the same time, there is a need to work with the HR function to ensure that effective procedures and policies relating to mobile use are well defined."

A new service from Itex was introduced at the event. Software from Good Technology is able to encrypt data and create an environment where business and personal data is separated. If the device is lost or stolen, the device can be wiped with no loss of personal data. Companies will be able to license the software themselves, or purchase a managed service from Itex.

Attendee, Paul Rostron:

“The briefing was extremely interesting and informative. The presenters outlined some of the key issues facing businesses with regard to the use of smart devices. It certainly gave us food for thought!”

For further information on Good Technology software contact Samantha Rankin on 01534 633613 or by email samantha.rankin@itexoffshore.com.

Calling Channel Island charities

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 10:03:18 +0100

Channel Island charities are being encouraged to apply for funds, which will be raised in the 2012 Itex-Rotary Walks in Guernsey and Jersey.

Any locally registered charity, large or small, wishing to request funding support is invited to apply in writing to the Itex-Rotary Trust c/o Itex (Jersey) Limited or Itex (Guernsey) Limited. Deadlines for applications are 8 November in Guernsey and 25 November in Jersey.

Richard Parker, Itex-Rotary Chairman in Guernsey, says, “We’re asking charitable organisations to tell us about any specific projects they are planning or have underway which will benefit from funding from the Itex-Rotary Walks. Hundreds of people undertake the challenge every year and raise a substantial amount of money for worthy causes”.

Hugely successful events in both islands, previous walks have raised over £2million across both Jersey and Guernsey in the 21 years since they first began.

Additional sponsors are also asked to contact Itex-Rotary, as the on-going success of the event relies entirely on the generous support of businesses and individuals in the islands.

In 2011, close to 2,000 people aged from 10 to 74 took part in the Walks, raising £165,000, which was split between over 20 island charities.

Itex plans for future growth

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 09:30:42 +0100

Itex realigns its senior management team to respond to forecasts in business growth and to anticipated change in IT delivery

Leading IT services provider Itex has announced plans to augment the structure of its business to position itself for what the company believes to be major changes within the IT industry over the next few years. The business has created group functional divisions to ensure a more integrated and standardised approach to client service across its three offices in Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. This realignment means new director level roles have opened up within the organisation.

Ian Jauncey, who will lead the team as Managing Director, explains:

”We foresee substantial changes emerging in the IT world over the next two to five years which will impact every organisation. With the rapid development of technologies such as Cloud, for example, businesses will have to adapt to seismic change if they are to remain competitive.”

Itex anticipates a significant shift in the way and the speed that organisations purchase and consume IT services and resources, moving from in-house self-sufficiency to consumption-based utility services. The new structure will position the business to accommodate the increase in IT service demand, supporting and facilitating clients through these changes, while at the same time maintaining the high levels of service provision they currently deliver.

Gary Bowles has been recruited as Business Development Director responsible for the group’s sales and professional services delivery. Gary has over 30 years’ experience in IT including periods as Executive Director with Mourants in Jersey and as CTO with Kleinwort Benson. His appointment will bring valuable insight from a client perspective as the company enters this new era.

A new Market Development function has also been created to focus on new services and markets, to be led by the current Guernsey MD Richard Parker, who will also assume responsibility for group marketing.

Tim Wainwright will head up the group’s Managed Services business responsible for the delivery of Itex service activities in all its jurisdictions. Tim Barnes continues in his role as Finance and Commercial Director.

Ian adds:

“This change is inevitable - the massive investments already being made by the major players in the industry are indicative of this.

We want to ensure that we are in the best position to take advantage of this trend so we can continue to deliver quality service to current and future clients. We stand on an exciting threshold for Itex as we look to a future where there is a fundamental shift in the way businesses will operate their IT. The introduction of our new business model will create an environment in which Itex can continue to innovate and grow.”

From left to right: Ian Jauncey, Tim Barnes, Gary Bowles, Tim Wainwright and Richard Parker.

Itex employee gains Ethical Hacker Status

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 09:31:37 +0100

Itex Managed Service Consultant Dean Cooper has become a Certified Ethical Hacker (C|EH), following an intensive UK course managed by The International Council of E-Commerce Consultants (EC Council). Dean passed all his exams with flying colours to become one of only two qualified C|EHs in Guernsey.

C|EH is an advanced ethical hacking accreditation and is recognised by the US Department of Defence as a premier certification in this area of specialisation and is also recognised by the NSA on National Security Standards at every level. A C|EH understands and knows how and where to look for the weaknesses and vulnerabilities in specific systems using the same tools as a malicious hacker.

The C|EH qualification turns the traditional view of security on its head. Instead of looking at how to defend against malicious users the course provides a network for you to think like one. Instead of trying to defend the network, you identify vulnerabilities and likely areas of attack. You think like a hacker, and use the same tools hackers use in order to exploit weaknesses in a system. Businesses in Guernsey can now employ this expertise to safeguard their intellectual assets.

Commenting on Dean’s success, Richard Parker, Managing Director of Itex Guernsey says, “Dean’s qualification will be a great asset to Itex. There is an immediate benefit to those existing customers who are contracting our data centre services. This new certification will enable us to provide one of the most reliable, robust and secure hosting or co-location environments in the Channel Islands.”

Dean will also be able to perform a complete security review from documentation and security policies, identification of internal security weaknesses, thus protecting from internal hacking right through to individual file security requirements.

He will use his skills to help both colleagues and clients understand security profiling issues in greater detail. He will also undertake consultancy meetings and seminars where people can find out more about system security, which will give a greater awareness of how to protect important information from theft and corruption as well as enabling systems to remain accessible and productive for intended users.

Commenting on his qualification Dean said, “Gaining this qualification means that I can turn my enthusiasm and interest in IT security into a full time job with a dynamic and cutting edge organisation that has been extremely supportive of my desire to gain this prestigious certification. I look forward to using the award to help both colleagues and clients have a greater understanding of security profiling.”

Itex Recruits New Head for Managed Services

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 10:01:33 +0100

Itex, Jersey’s leading offshore IT services provider, is delighted to announce the recent appointment of Shaun Bennetts as the company’s new Head of Managed Services.

Shaun has worked in the IT industry for over 15 years and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the role from both the private and public sectors. Responsible for delivering outsourcing IT Services with Steria, on a multi-million pound contract for the Ministry of Justice, as well as heading Service Delivery and Operations for the MoD and managing hundreds of clients worldwide for Hewlett Packard, Shaun is confident he can achieve great success for Itex clients across the Group.

Itex Chairman Ian Jauncey says, “We are very pleased Shaun has joined the team. The provision of market leading Managed Service solutions is integral to our business strategy across the three islands. We have won several new contracts across the Group to provide these services and Shaun’s role, given his breadth of expertise, will be instrumental in ensuring we deliver a superior offering.”

Shaun has a vast amount of experience implementing operational processes within strict industry regulations, following ITIL and ISO20000 frameworks. He said he was looking forward to helping Itex deliver improved services to all their clients. “I have worked with organisations that require IT Services to be delivered beyond service compliance following industry standard processes and maintaining a high level of customer service. That experience, coupled with a large, diverse, volume of clients that I have been required to manage at any one time, make me a highly suitable candidate for this role.

“I am really excited at the prospect of working within a sector that demands a great deal from its service providers and I will do all that I can to exceed our clients’ expectations.”

Managed services are contracted remotely and can include fully outsourced network management, virtual private networks (VPNs), managed firewalls, and monitoring/reporting of network servers. Most of these services can be performed from outside a company's internal network.

Itex’s Managed Service Solutions are designed to enhance the business value of IT investment, through improved operational efficiency and measured service levels. An Itex Managed Service forms a mutually agreed suite of out-sourcing solutions that enables us to work as an extension of a client’s IT team, complementing existing in-house resources, and optimising business efficiency. Itex is currently the only provider in the Channel Islands to provide 24/7 x 365 day remote service management to support services contracted.

Itex offers global rapid response IT support service

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 09:47:30 +0100

Expert offshore IT services company, Itex, has significantly reinforced its service and support capability, so that customers can enjoy full operational activity wherever they are in the world, at any time. Itex now offer the broadest range of remote managed services in the Channel Islands.

Itex is launching a new platform of sophisticated remote monitoring and IT infrastructure management services underpinned by a 24x7 service desk located in the UK. The new services are designed for organisations seeking to drive greater efficiencies within their business; and to complement in-house technical teams, either by providing cover for out-of-hours requirements, or by plugging the gaps in terms of expertise or capacity. Where an organisation does not have a technical team Itex can offer an attractively priced fully outsourced IT management service.

With sophisticated monitoring technologies Itex now has the ability to assess the health and performance of computer servers, networking components and applications and take appropriate action when needed to prevent performance issues or system failures. The monitoring is supplemented by a range of management and maintenance services such as patch assessment and deployment, backup management, change control and comprehensive reporting on systems activity.

Richard Parker, Managing Director of Itex Guernsey, believes strengthening customer support in this way sets the company ahead of the field, “Practically every business today is being challenged to provide faster and greater flexibility in their service offerings. With our new remote management suite Itex is offering access to best practice management systems and processes in a cost effective mechanism that will reduce IT costs and free up valuable resources.”

For example, the time taken to identify and fix a system fault is dramatically reduced. Last month 80% of incidents were resolved within 15 minutes and 95% of all incidents were fixed remotely among those using the service.

One service in particular is finding appeal with travelling executives, who may encounter problems with their laptops while in another time zone. By calling Itex, customers will have access to expert help wherever they are and at any time of day or night, simply by purchasing prepaid vouchers.

All the services are broken down into a straightforward menu, which productises a traditionally complex offering into an easy to understand ‘pick and mix’ range of managed services.

The announcement follows a number of significant investments in services and capabilities made by Itex in recent months, including the expansion of the Itex data centre and hosting capacity at Braye Road by fifty percent due to strong demand from the eGaming sector. Itex continues to work with leading global technology partners such as Hewlett Packard, Microsoft and Cisco to offer innovative, superior IT services.

Itex help out Nairobi Slum Schools Charity

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 09:34:16 +0100

Local IT company, Itex, has donated a collection of office furniture to a Nairobi schools project working with disadvantaged children living in the city’s slums.

The Nairobi Slum Schools Trust is a charity committed to improving the prospects for children living within the slums of Nairobi by providing them with the facilities to learn. Rather than simply discard the unused furniture, Itex, as part of its ongoing CSR programme, wanted to give something back to a charity, supporting a community in need.

Paul Marett, Itex Managing Director, ‘We are always keen to help out charities when we can, the Nairobi Slum Schools project does a lot of key work in providing equipment and facilities for young people living in that area so that they have the opportunity to get an education. Itex are proud to be able to contribute to this cause.’

Itex has had a great deal of involvement with many local causes through various charitable events, most noticeably the Itex Walk which has to date raised just over £1.5 million for local charities. Itex is also associated with Highlands College, supporting local students on the Foundation Degree in IT where they have periods of time working at the IT company, learning and gaining training and experience on the job.

Itex invests half a million pounds in push-button technology

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 09:46:13 +0100

Innovative offshore IT services provider Itex has significantly bolstered its own IT infrastructure to facilitate improved efficiencies and cost-savings for local businesses. Itex is not only the first organisation in the Channel Islands and the UK to deploy this dynamic automated platform, but they are also the first in Europe to offer it for business use.

The innovative platform, named Matrix, will reside in Jersey and according to industry sources, could reduce local businesses’ operational costs by approximately 80 percent, recouping payback after eight months. Matrix will revolutionise the way technology is used to deliver business services. The intelligent, agile system will ultimately allow businesses to flex and scale their IT needs simply and quickly according to demand – at the push of a button. This powerful offering greatly eases complex tasks such as integrating new servers and storage online or simplifying disaster recovery. Itex first reviewed the system from Hewlett Packard, the world’s largest computer company, a year ago and recognised its potential then as the industry’s first converged software, server, storage and networking platform.

Dr Ian Jauncey, Chairman of Itex Jersey says, “What really excites us about this technology is the speed and flexibility it allows us to design, build and manage optimum IT solutions for the businesses we work with. It dynamically assigns resources to meet the needs of the business in minutes versus weeks or months.

This piece of kit is going to allow us to pass on unparalleled efficiencies to clients who are looking to IT solutions to deliver cost advantages to their business. We have invested over £0.5M in this platform because we are continually committed to ensuring that we offer clients the best Enterprise Class Technology, to help them transform they way they operate.”

Ian continues, “This hardware will underpin Itex’s portfolio of Managed Services - which include Cloud Computing offerings like Hosted Desktop. Together, these offerings create an integrated pool of resources that operate in both physical and virtual environments, creating the first truly business-ready infrastructure.”

Itex offers its Hosted Desktop cloud-based service to local businesses to help drive down IT costs and promote efficiency. Itex is the only provider to have offered offshore flexible, scalable cloud services for the past two years and currently manages over 5,000 desktops with 24/7 service desk support. With hosted desktop, organisations simply need to provide internet access to staff who are then provided with their normal full desktop suite of software applications.

Itex has invested over £5M to help facilitate business innovation. We continue to work with leading global technology partners such as Hewlett Packard, who supplied the world-class Matrix technology, Microsoft and Cisco to offer innovative, superior IT services.

Highlands College IT Course Heralded a Success in its First Year. Itex Sees Results After Recruiting Student

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 09:58:44 +0100

A new IT course launched in 2009 by Highlands College is being hailed a success as its first enrolment of students look to take up positions with local employers or go on to further their education in the UK.

The students who enrolled in the two-year Highlands College Foundation degree in IT for business are now coming to the end of the course. The majority of them plan to complete a 1 year top-up to achieve their BSc at Plymouth University and the remainder have chosen to pursue career opportunities in Jersey.

Due to the amount of work-based learning the students are expected to undertake, local businesses have been thanked for their considerable, and ongoing, support of the course. Stuart Philip from Highlands College commented, ‘The course includes several periods of work-based learning, designed to get the students working at an employee level, not just shadowing employers, allowing them to develop their work skills and putting the theory they learn into practice. The course is therefore heavily dependent on businesses to offer the students work placements. We simply could not have offered this level of industry experience without the support offered by businesses throughout Jersey’.

Itex is just one of the local businesses that were keen to help get the course up and running and in 2009, the company took on Daniel Moon as a first year student. Daniel began his work-based learning as a Trainee Data Centre Technician. As part of his training Daniel has been working assisting the busy service desk, carrying out calls and going out to client sites with engineers. Daniel has had to complete several training units as part of his time at Itex and is now capable of troubleshooting issues and operating an IBM iseries system.

He has gained much experience from his time at Itex and now feels more confident in his future; Daniel is now off to finish his degree at Plymouth well equipped with a year’s work experience behind him.

As Daniel’s time at Itex comes to a close, a second student, Philip Farrell, is now preparing to join the team.

This year, the response from local businesses wishing to provide work experience placements has remained strong , which has meant that all the current first year students have been offered work placements. As the course matures Highlands is also seeing the scheme attract students from all of the Islands 6^th forms with an increased number of students applying for September 2011. Therefore, if you wish to offer a work placement for 2012 please get in contact with Stuart Philip at Highlands College.

Itex Employee Racks Up 10 Years of Service

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 09:59:03 +0100

Marcus Schaffrath is celebrating 10 years of working for leading offshore IT services company, Itex.

Marcus joined Itex in 2001 as a Data Centre Technician. Having previously worked in the British Army for five years, moving in to a civilian shift work role was an easy transition. Marcus says, ‘It was a real culture shock to move from such a physically demanding job, to one which was based solely in an office environment. However, the shift work routine, of doing earlies, evening and nights, was something I found easy to cope with as it was not dissimilar to the unsociable hours I worked while I was in the Army.’

After receiving his first IT certification with the CompTIA A+, Marcus began to progress quickly within the company and after two years was promoted to the role of Shift Supervisor. While he was in this role, Marcus was given the opportunity to spend some time shadowing engineers in the Technical Services Department, allowing him to gain further invaluable industry experience.

Along with his progress gaining additional qualifications, Marcus used his experience to full advantage and, a year later, moved from the Data Centre to the Technical Services Department as a Systems Engineer. Itex encouraged him to continue his studies and gain a MCSE certification. This gave Marcus the opportunity to have a much more varied role where he was able to take on more responsibility and deal with other tasks, such as troubleshooting PCs, solve server based issues and deal with high profile client projects.

At Itex we are passionate about career development; our organisation delivers IT operations management, Internet services, business continuity and professional services to a diverse mix of clients across the offshore world. Our business is all about bright people delivering a brilliant service. Our technical skills are market leading and we’re committed to recognising and nurturing the next generation of talent, giving you the support and direction you need to develop your career.

Now, Marcus works as a Consultant in the Professional Services Department where he continues to focus more on the client project delivery. He says, “My ten years at Itex have provided me with an enjoyable, varied career and a wealth of experience in the ever changing world of IT.”