Based in central London, the Central School of Ballet is one of Europe’s most prestigious dance training establishments.

What was the problem?

Despite its worldwide reputation as an artistic centre of excellence, the Central School of Ballet’s IT provision for its students and staff had grown in a piecemeal fashion since the early 1990s. It was becoming apparent that the network needed IT expertise to run efficiently and to enhance the work of the School and its Touring Company. The School faced a dilemma that affects many arts organisations: realising its dependency on comprehensive IT applications, but lacking the skills base to make IT an effective tool for the organisation. Every time the system malfunctioned, valuable staff time was being lost and increasingly it was recognised that the School’s dependency on IT could not be ignored. Central looked to Connect to see if they could resolve their dilemma in the most cost-effective way.

How did Connect help?

After a detailed review of all the options open to a charity operating on a limited budget, Connect recommended Technology Renew. For Central, this was a big commitment and represented a significant mind shift in the organisation. Technology Renew meant replacing all the IT equipment that was more than a year old with new PCs, server and software, together with the backup of full IT support at the end of a phone line – effectively, Central had outsourced its IT department. To fund the changes, Central pays a fixed monthly fee over a three-year period, allowing them to accurately budget and manage their costs. Additionally, Connect was able to recondition the existing equipment to upgrade the students’ IT and provide study and research resources for their BA (Hons) in Professional Dance and Performance.