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MaRS Discovery District

An infrastructure revamp increases efficiency and mitigates risk at MaRS Discovery District’s innovation hub.

Overview

MaRS Discovery District, a venture designed to provide start-ups with the resources needed to develop into world-class growth companies, needed a partner to improve and support its IT infrastructure.

MNP gained insight into MaRS and its technical needs, and those of its diverse community of tenants, to build a robust, stable IT infrastructure that improves productivity, frees up resources, and grows alongside them.

By safeguarding network security and reliability, supporting users at every level, and ensuring technology never hinders innovation, the Managed Services team continues to support MaRS in helping their clients thrive.

Services

  • Managed Services
  • IT Infrastructure & Support

One of the world’s largest urban innovation hubs, MaRS Discovery District was growing rapidly and needed a partner who could improve and support their IT infrastructure and security to meet their needs and those of a diverse community of start-up tenant organizations.

Challenge

Selecting, deploying, and maintaining technology infrastructure for a 1.5 million square foot, mixed-use campus was no small task. Taking over the existing IT infrastructure and platforms was a major transition. The goal was to streamline and modernize all systems, while maintaining high standards for security.

Our Approach

With little background about the environment available to us, MNP Digital took significant yet measured risks to secure the environment and to safeguard against potential issues. We also made a larger team available at the beginning of the project, ready to handle any unknown issues and ensure a high level of customer response.

In addition to improving security, our team:

  • Focused on the core simplification of the architecture, integration of systems, introduction of management tools, introduction of process, and transparency through reporting
  • Delivered exceptional customer service and provided MaRS with the confidence to handle and manage risk, as well as transparency on their IT spend
  • Developed a roadmap to keep systems at the cutting edge, freeing the MaRS team to focus their energy and attention on supporting tomorrow’s breakthroughs

Results

Our Managed Services team simplified IT at MaRS by building a high performing, stable, and secure environment that is easy to use and manage. As a result, MaRS has been able to:

  • Improve IT performance, productivity, and stability – crucial in facilitating rapid growth
  • Maintain Net Promotor Scores (NPS) in the 75 range – which is comparable to the best service delivery companies on the planet
  • Grow their team by 80 employees and their real estate footprint by 3X
  • Support roughly 5,200 entrepreneurs per year
  • Stay highly engaged with our Managed Services team, to the point where we feel as if we are part of the same organization

“It was apparent from the start that MNP’s mindset around innovation matched our own. MNP was the right firm to bring us to the forefront of technology and keep us there.”
– Mark Zimmerman

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