Royal London Group

Reliable communications for the UK’s largest mutual insurer

When Royal London Group decided to improve the availability, resilience and disaster recovery capability of its communications infrastructure, it knew it needed a reliable, high-capacity network to securely transfer business-critical data.

But it also wanted a cost-effective, scalable and future-proof infrastructure that would carry data, voice and video communications across the organisation, supporting staff in their day-to-day activities and interactions with customers.

Our Internet Protocol Virtual Private Network (IPVPN) provides a cutting-edge communications infrastructure the Group can rely on – while supporting it in its mission to deliver long-term value to customers.

Delivering value with a future-proof network

With around three million customers and funds under management of £31.5 billion, Royal London Group is the UK’s largest mutual life and pensions’ company. Operating under the Royal London, Scottish Life and Bright Grey brands, it also offers savings and investment products, as well as protection insurance and investment management services. Our advanced IPVPN provides reliable, scalable and cost-effective communications across the Group.

Resilient network for business-critical communications

The company’s decision to enhance its disaster recovery capabilities had important implications for the Group’s communications infrastructure. "We needed to increase network capacity to allow replication of business-critical data between offices in London, Edinburgh, Wilmslow and the Isle of Man," explains Paul Templeman, Group Networks, Royal London Group.

However, bandwidth was not the only consideration. From accessing central business systems to enabling customer interactions, the Group’s communications infrastructure supports day-to-day activities across the organisation – so resilience was also an important factor. "Staff often need to access systems based at different sites across the country – so if the network were to go down, it would cause a lot of disruption," continues Paul.

Our sophisticated network solution provided the answer. "The IPVPN from ntl:Telewest Business significantly increased our bandwidth," says Paul. "And because it is designed to be resilient, we can be confident of an always-available service."

Evolving the network

Currently, our network is used everyday by the Group’s 2,620 employees at 16 branches and offices nationwide, as well as partners in London and India – helping deliver a first-class service to customers.

But the Group also has a future-proof, scalable network it can rely on as it expands its organisation. "Because our sites are on 100Mbps circuits, we have the ability to double the capacity we use if we need to," concludes Paul. "We have confidence that ntl:Telewest Business will continue to provide the services that we need in the future – helping us grow."

Close contact

Paul believes that our longstanding relationship has been key to helping the Group achieve its objectives as its communications infrastructure has evolved. The fully-managed service we provide ensures that the network stays up and running 24x7 – providing employees with communications they can rely on.

In addition, monthly meetings and ongoing contact with the local account management team ensure that the lines of communication are kept open. "If there are any issues, I can always get hold of someone to help me – we always get it sorted," says Paul.

What it has made possible

Because the new network is Internet Protocol (IP)-enabled, it can carry voice and video communications as well as data. This is resulting in substantial cost savings for the company. "A large proportion of our phone calls are internal, between sites," explains Paul. "As we’re able to run IP Telephony over the network, these calls are now free."

Having an advanced IP-enabled communications infrastructure in place will also mean that the Group can take advantage of next generation applications as and when appropriate – transforming working practices and improving efficiency. Videoconferencing is just one example, "Staff at different sites currently use videoconferencing, reducing the need to travel to meetings," says Paul. "By running videoconferences over our high-speed network, we’ll be able to offer staff improved picture quality. In addition, we’ll no longer need the integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) lines that we use for this at the moment – reducing costs significantly."

The importance of the network to the Group’s competitive edge can’t be underestimated. "It’s a key service," Paul concludes. "ntl:Telewest Business is ultimately helping us to be more responsive as an organisation."