ICT Management

ICT Management, established in 2004 by Gavin Young, is a web consulting business based in the United Kingdom. ICT provides services to small and medium sized enterprises, along with smaller businesses, on both a project by project and long term agreement basis. Currently, their largest clients employ over 200 personnel, and generate upwards of $100,000,000 annually. While the size of the businesses they represent varies, they are all clients with high-end IT needs, requiring creativity and resourcefulness on the part of ICT.

Using WebGUI, ICT Management provides websites that reflect the needs of their clients. For small businesses, simple static and informational websites are generated, while other sites are geared towards lead generation from online advertising campaigns. A local government site has also used WebGUI to create a website that acts as a social networking site and internal intranet wrapped into one.

Search for a Solution

In 2005, ICT Management realized its content management system was not meeting its needs, and they began a lengthy search for a new solution. After an in-depth review of CMS software, WebGUI was identified as a potential candidate.

ICT identified a need for a wide range of CMS tools and content applications powered by an advanced technical platform. Specifically, versioning, SSL capability, and an advanced privilege system stood out as desired features. Other CMS products tested by them lacked the range of features and technical capability they required, and their modules often failed or required a great deal of customization. Upon testing WebGUI, ICT discovered a platform capable of meeting their demands.

In addition to meeting their technical needs, WebGUI provided the advantage of being supported and developed by Plain Black Corporation. Plain Black provides a full range professional services related to WebGUI, including a number of support options. Many of the other content management systems tested by ICT lacked strong customer support, and they didn’t want to run the risk of adopting a CMS and being
left to fend for themselves when a problem arose. With WebGUI, ICT Management was able to find a powerful CMS that they knew would be backed by a skilled team of professionals who had the in-depth knowledge and technical skills necessary to provide them the support they desired.

Great Results

Upon adopting WebGUI for themselves, ICT Management soon realized that it met many of the needs of their clients. Today, ICT has established a WebGUI based service in the UK and recommends that their clients adopt it.

ICT is very happy with WebGUI’s templating system, which allows the freedom to customize the appearance of almost any aspect of the site. In addition, ICT has found WebGUI’s separation of style and content to be beneficial. Clients can update their own content without the worry of altering their
site’s appearance, making content management simpler for the average user. A client of ICT states, ”At last, the freedom for us to manage our content without having to pay out for every word changed on our web site.”

WebGUI’s built-in content applications have also served ICT well. Among the most commonly used by both ICT and their clients are articles, data forms, SQL Reports, surveys and the Collaboration System. A local government organization has even found a creative use for karma to encourage young people to participate in local government activities. They also use WebGUI to power their intranet, primarily to house a document library, photo gallery, and news items.

WebGUI provides the reliability, freedom of style, wide range of features, and solid support ICT Management was looking for. ICT states that they are excited about WebGUI’s future development plan, and have taken advantage of WebGUI’s flexibility by installing a custom application for their own
business use. ICT’s clients are also satisfied with the results they have delivered, stating, “The ease and flexibility of WebGUI has delivered us fantastic value for money. Training costs have been lower than expected, and take up from users easier because of its ease of use. In total, costs are lower because the application and the stack are all Open Source. The money spent on training and support is worth every penny.”