MTV Europe to use remote working

Music network installs secure VPN for 700 employees

MTV Europe hopes to improve employee productivity and make savings on IT administration by introducing new remote working technologies for its staff.

The music TV network has gone live with a secure sockets layer virtual private network (VPN) for more than 700 employees who need to access the company’s business applications frequently while on the road.

Working with systems integrator Scalable Networks, MTV installed a Netilla/AEP VPN that allows staff to access corporate systems from their home PCs, laptops, internet cafes and customer sites.

‘MTV Europe has gone through some restructuring recently and we’re now working a lot more with colleagues in the US and Asia,’ said Dave Jones, corporate programme manager at MTV Europe.

‘So now, if people are accessing from a kiosk, laptop, home PC or customer site, they can gain almost total access to our network, but in a secure way.’
Two-tier authentication from security firm Swivel is being used to ensure that the network is only accessed by employees.

The new corporate network is also reducing administration time by replacing an outdated dial-up system, says Jones.

‘We can create profiles for users very quickly by linking to Active Directory. It has reduced overheads, because we don’t have to spend time looking at people’s firewalls and antivirus to see why they can’t connect,’ he said.

MTV hopes to improve the productivity of employees by giving greater access to Outlook email, the company’s JD Edwards financial systems and other core business applications while out of the office.

‘Due to the nature of our business a lot of staff need to work in a very collaborative environment, and this gives us an opportunity to look at different working options,’ said Jones.

‘If someone wants to see their emails or check that a supplier deal or purchase order has been set up, they can do so from their hotel room or the airport.’
The music network says the new thin-client infrastructure will also help to set up offices in new cities faster.