Hard Rock boosts network links with outsourcing deal

International brand gets better link with worldwide locations

Hard Rock International is to outsource its IT network to gain greater bandwidth and improve security.

The global cafe, hotel and casino business has increasingly relied on its network to connect shops and customer-facing IT systems with the 67 Hard Rock Cafe restaurants around the world.

Kelly Maddern, Hard Rock International senior IT director, says the company has increasingly turned to technology to improve efficiency, which has put a strain on its network capabilities.

‘Our IT use has grown on the application side, but our previous network provision wasn’t able to cope because of bandwidth limitations,’ she said.

‘The increasing use of technology means we are more dependent on stable, secure and reliable networks and a higher level of bandwidth. If the network is not operational, it impacts on our ability to carry out core business functions.’

Hard Rock manages the audio-visual systems in the restaurants over the network, as well as the more traditional systems for point-of-sale transactions and the supply chain.

The company has signed an outsourcing contract with IT services vendor Savvis, which will provide wide area network services to connect head office with Hard Rock restaurants, including seven UK locations.

The managed network and security services will deliver a network backbone for handling transactional data in support of Hard Rock’s central business applications.

‘The global deal lets us customise our network needs by market. By outsourcing that portion of our business, we are able to make use of the applications we’ve invested in more efficiently,’ said Maddern.