Following the success of their first e-commerce Web site, MFI began the development of a new application which, unlike the original, would align with the store offer and network trading platform to ensure a single experience for users across all channels.

MFI's objective was to provide an improved customer experience including higher availability and performance during peak times. This demanded a greater technical complexity and a significant step up in the site's support requirements, presenting difficulties with the incumbent hosting supplier who supported only up to the operating system.

The new application was built using Microsoft .NET enterprise server infrastructure to improve its overall functionality and scalability as well as its speed of deployment. However, without expert configuration and specialist support of the entire infrastructure, up to and including the supported software and application itself, the site would struggle to meet the ambitious demands for performance and reliability, especially through busy bank holiday periods.

Attenda was originally called in by MFI to solve a complex technical issue relating to the configuration of Commerce Server 2000 that threatened the live date of the new application. Attenda's expertise in this area enabled the site to go live on time and convinced MFI that this level of specialist attention would be necessary after the site's launch.

Easter and bank holidays are the busiest times for the MFI site, during which it can experience thousands of concurrent users. To validate and optimise the performance of the site under load, Attenda conducted load testing and tuning, establishing the capacity of the site and optimising the infrastructure to improve performance during traffic spikes. As a result, users are able to complete their transactions quickly and efficiently, even at these peak times.

Attenda provides 24 x 7 proactive monitoring and management of each and every layer of the infrastructure required to support the site. Unlike MFI's previous hosting provider, this includes support of the complex .NET software and the application itself. Given the new complexity of the site and the increase in users it now experiences, the upgrade of support has been essential.

Peter McKenna is MFI's head of e-commerce.

"We are already seeing significant uplift in many areas. There has been an increase in sales year on year in excess of 200 per cent during certain periods. MFI have been able to build an online Web solution capable of managing a network of customers both in the UK and globally."

Customers are at the core of any business, and the availability and performance of the application has not just broadened this customer base but deepened existing loyalities by providing a new, convenient way to purchase. Peter McKenna again,

"Attenda has given MFI peace of mind by having a selective outsourcing partner that is constantly checking the site to ensure it is running efficiently. As a major brand channel, it is important that the site is always available, so customers can purchase or research products any day of the week and at any time, day or night. If the site is down, even for a few hours, it could mean that MFI loses both significant revenue and credibility with our customers."