Providing a communications lifeline
STM - a Sydney-based Australian company with an international clientele with outlets in the USA, Europe and the United Kingdom, designs, imports and distributes bags for laptops, cameras and technological equipment.

Two years ago, STM recognised a gap in a growing market  and focused on products for the global digerati. Since then  STM's growth has extended to export markets in New Zealand, Singapore, the USA, Canada and Europe.

The challenge: communications for an international company
STM wanted to establish linkages between head office and its employees out in the field, as well as a two-way connection with business outlets in the United States. While on the road, employees had experienced difficulties with emailing head office and accessing the inventories available there. “Communication has always been an important part of our business but our greatest challenge was our lack of a remote access system for  email, inventories, sales statistics or office communications of any sort,” said STM’s General Manager, Ethan Nyholm.

“When it was time to develop our network and improve our capability in that area, Bluefire offered us a Citrix solution.”

Nyholm concedes there were teething problems but emphasises that these were quickly addressed and problems remedied. “I was in Europe when I encountered a problem with the connections to two specific networks on the Citrix server. Bluefire stayed on the phone with me until it was corrected and subsequently they came out to our Sydney office, took care of the issues and proved very reliable,” he said. “Recently I was in Europe again en route to the States and it was as if I was in our Sydney office with immediate access to all the applications and information I needed at the time.”

STM’s response
“Before the installation of Citrix, I would forward emails to my hotmail address, I didn’t have access to Outlook Express or to our accounting system in the office.

“What Bluefire did for STM was fantastic, they have changed the way we communicate in our business,” Nyholm said. “We’re a small company, we’re all out of the office a lot and Bluefire’s solutions have enabled us to remain in contact without physically being in the office, which is a signficant change and one that has facilitated the growth and development of our company.”

The future
STM’s employee in the United States has now got full access to the Sydney networks, applications and information, so there is greater connectivity despite geographical distance “We’re so satisfied with the way things are going that we don’t have any major plans to update or change the system,” Nyholm said.