San Diego Padres Elevate the Game and Become the First MLB Team to Go “All-In” on Cloud
Company Name: MicroAge
Headquarters: Tempe, Ariz.
Website: www.microage.com
Year Founded: 1976
Key Markets/Verticals Served: Healthcare, Financial Services, Legal, Education, Retail, Construction, Entertainment, Manufacturing, State and Local Government
Specializations: Data Center, Virtualization, Cloud, Disaster Recovery, Networking, Storage, Security, Mobility, Telecom, Software, Power and Cooling
As the host of the 2016 Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star Game, the San Diego Padres were eager to raise the bar of the fan experience and ensure their mobile workforce stayed connected anywhere at any time. It was a game-changing move that required precision execution and proven expertise.
To ensure success, Ray Chan, Director of Information Technology for the San Diego Padres, tapped the experience of MicroAge, a nationwide, multi-award-winning IT solutions provider with a heritage spanning five decades. MicroAge started by evaluating the goals and objectives that Chan and his team were hoping to achieve, and then developed a game plan that called for enhanced mobile communications capabilities and going “all-in” with the cloud.
“We wanted to enable our road warriors with the same, consistent experience across all devices, whether they’re on the road or in the office, it’s one and the same,” said Chan.
Who’s on First?
With guidance from MicroAge and one of its top business partners, PlanetOne Communications, Chan carefully evaluated and selected Mitel as the vendor of choice. A global market leader in enterprise, cloud, and mobile communications, Mitel helps businesses connect, collaborate and provide innovative services to their customers. According to Chan, it was Mitel’s cloud expertise and flexible solutions that earned his business.
“It was clear from the start that Mitel was ‘all-in’ with the cloud,” said Chan. “We really liked their ‘cloud-first’ mentality, and the Mitel solution gives us all the bells and whistles we wanted in a communications platform, without having to maintain the infrastructure onsite, which alleviates much of the burden our staff was experiencing with our previous solution.”
Chan added, “The enterprise mobility aspect is equally important for us because it opens up a different avenue of communications that allows our business to operate more efficiently and more successfully.”
Playing to Win
Fast-forward to the deployment at Petco Park, as well as the San Diego Padres’ training facility in Peoria, Arizona, and the San Diego Padres are now viewed as a trailblazer for the Major League Baseball.
The Padres’ stadium meets and exceeds in many cases the much-desired digital and mobile-first requirements of its fans. The new and enhanced mobility afforded by the Mitel solution also helps to keep the franchise’s staff, players, coaches and scouts more connected across disparate locations worldwide through its flexible, feature-rich collaboration tools. And finally, the Mitel solution reduces the burden on the San Diego Padres’ IT organization for support and maintenance, saving them an estimated $60,000 out of the gate.
“We are honored to work with Mitel and the San Diego Padres and play such a big role in this game-changing event,” said Phil Tuckwiller, MicroAge Telecom Practice Manager. “The MLB All-Star Game is always an exciting event in sports, and the fact that we were able to contribute to the success of the 2016 game, the fan experience, and the Padres organization with this next-gen communications solution was a significant moment for MicroAge. We are thrilled to share this success with Mitel, PlanetOne and the San Diego Padres.”
“Baseball holds so much history, pride and heart for millions across the world and for hometowns throughout the U.S.,” said Ted Schuman, Founder and CEO, PlanetOne. “It’s nothing short of awesome to see firsthand how technology is, can and will continue to build on the fan experience and keep players, coaches, commentators, referees, scouts and everyone better connected to the game.”
