Further and faster - technology and the evolution of the Rugby World Cup

John Corbett, head of IT for World Rugby, explains how IT has driven changes in the Rugby World Cup

Behind every successful major sporting event is a team. While at first this might make you think of those on the pitch, the team I'm referring to is the many unsung heroes behind the scenes.

As you unravel the Russian doll-esque team structure at Rugby World Cup, you'll swiftly discover that technology and the teams responsible for it are the backbone of the Tournament.

While the teams on the pitch are the obvious drive in excitement for fans, it's the pervasive developments in telecommunication and broadcasting technology which has made the rapid globalisation of rugby possible.

Drilling down into the day-to-day mechanics and preparation for the matches, the evolution of technology we've witnessed will ring true to businesses evolving at the time as well, as traditional office technology actually helped us handle the ever increasing amount of organisational work for each Tournament.

Looking to the cloud

The biggest impact on the planning and implementation of Rugby World Cup to date can be attributed to the use of cloud-based solutions, which is arguably the most pervasive of the technological changes we have embraced in sports events management so far.

As we continue to recognise the benefits of mobility we strive to provide a source of comprehensive tools and applications which enable efficiency and compliance, and these days the simplest and most effective way to achieve this is through the cloud.

Businesses like us can look to solutions such as Toshiba's Cloud Client Manager, which supports these requirements but also offers intelligent and responsive patch management across multiple operating systems and applications. This allows us to use the cloud as our source of holistic asset management, all through one simple interface and with smart technology which also minimises power consumption.

The cloud has truly increased productivity and driven down cost like no other technology. By speeding up communication and collaboration while retaining a high level of data security, cloud-based applications have helped us manage on site processes and really step up the overall efficiency of our back office operations.

Many may think the number of staff required to manage the Tournament would decrease in light of these innovations. However, the evolution of technology has actually caused us to grow our IT team in order to manage the ever increasing devices and infrastructure required to support them.

The IT-team consisted of 222 people in 2011, whereas we'll have 285 on site at this year's Tournament. One of the main elements the IT team is working to address is the meteoric rise of the smartphone and demand for in-stadium Wi-Fi capabilities in comparison to the last Rugby World Cup in 2011.

Moving the overall organisation into the cloud and using video review technology also means we have to make sure that bigger and more capable data networks are in place to handle the amount of information that needs to be processed every second. Thankfully the scalable nature of the cloud has made this much simpler than it could have been.

Cautious with confidence

For the successful realisation of Rugby World Cup, it is important that we partner technology providers that understand that our risk adverse nature is a strategic decision and can support us accordingly.

With Toshiba, the level of collaboration and speed of response they're prepared for during the Tournament goes far beyond any normal level we would expect, but it's this level of reliability that gives us peace of mind - even when the pressure is really on.

At a most basic level, this includes the hardware, from high-specification laptops used by the Organising Committee through to the displays on which we run the video replays.

More importantly, prior to the competition, we collaborate on thoroughly testing all IT that is used during the Tournament to make sure it is secure and easy to use, as well as to ensure seamless system integration.

In our book, it is these simple and scalable solutions that guarantee the best results in sports event management. After all, we aim to ensure both player welfare and a first-rate fan experience. In short: an unforgettable experience for everyone.

However, technology is in constant flux and the challenge for us is to stay up to speed with dominant trends and harness the potential of new technology, but as part of broader, reliable solutions which will support the development of international rugby.

In anticipation of evolving spectator expectations, we envisage all stadiums will be enabled with high-density Wi-Fi for the next Rugby World Cup. This won't be an easy feat on the increasing scale we work to, so the planning for 2019 starts now.

John Corbett is Head of IT for World Rugby.