Blenheim Palace

This historic venue needed to modernise its connectivity and communications technology to enable business diversification and power a sustainable future of outstanding guest experiences.

About Blenheim Palace

Blenheim Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the heart of Oxfordshire, welcomes nearly a million visitors through its gates every year, as well as hosting a variety of cultural, sporting and entertainment events. It is a diverse and complex business that faced a unique challenge: preserving its rich heritage while adapting to the demands of modern technology and visitor expectations.

The challenge

As part of its ongoing modernisation efforts, Blenheim Palace embarked on the construction of a new estate office and recognised the critical need to upgrade its IT infrastructure and communications network. They not only needed a new phone system but also recognised the need for an improved connectivity solution. Its legacy 100Mbps circuit simply wasn’t up to supporting the venue’s growing technological requirements including card payment systems, CCTV surveillance, live event streaming and large-scale visitor WIFI services. Ultimately these limitations were having an impact on guest experience at the venue and the palace’s operational efficiency.

The solution

Blenheim needed a modern cloud solution that would support staff based in their new estate office, but also give them the flexibility to work in various locations around the site or remotely. Furthermore, the team used Microsoft Teams widely so needed a communications solution which could be integrated with existing collaboration tools.

Working closely with Focus Group as its technology partner, Blenheim Palace implemented a comprehensive three-phase technology transformation. The team deployed the Horizon phone system (with Akixi and Teams Integrations) and a high performance 1Gbps leased line which immediately provided 10x the legacy bandwidth and delivered the speed, reliability and security needed. Importantly, the new solutions also empowered the IT team to have full control of the system so they‘re now able to make regular changes on a live basis.

The results

The advanced capabilities of the new phone system have simplified complex call routing, allowing the team at Blenheim to tailor call flows, provide information to customers and ensure callers can quickly reach the right part of the business. Furthermore, access to real-time communications data, provided by the Axixi integration, enables the team to measure and track peak periods and then resource accordingly. The high-speed, uncontended leased line solution guarantees the bandwidth needed to be able to provide reliable connectivity to event organisers, vendors and operators, support a high footfall and power a guest WIFI service for visitors to the palace.

By embracing modern technology, Blenheim Palace has demonstrated how historic institutions can leverage digital solutions to enhance visitor experiences, improve operational efficiency, and maintain their relevance in a rapidly changing world.

“Focus Group took the time to really understand our requirements and worked closely with us to deliver an excellent solution that was sympathetic to the constraints presented by this UNESCO World Heritage Site, as well as successfully managing the installation of both services while we remained open to the public.”

Dave Horwell

IT & Systems Manager

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Blenheim Palace

About Blenheim Palace

The challenge

The solution

The results

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