Immediacy Gets Top Marks with IDP

Global Education Company Marks Immediacy ‘A’ for Web Consolidation

Immediacy, one of the leading UK content management solution providers (part of the Mediasurface group (UK, AIM: MSR)) and new client IDP Education Pty Ltd (IDP) today announced the successful launch of www.idp.com and related websites on the Immediacy Web Content Management solution (WCMs). A global education company offering student placement services and English language testing, IDP runs thirty-two websites serving information to a network of offices in twenty-nine countries. With the intention of consolidating the costs, technologies and complexities of managing its global web presence, IDP has re-launched the websites with a single content management platform, Immediacy WCMs 6.0.

Supporting an aggressive growth strategy that aims to double revenue, IDP hopes to significantly improve the level of web transactions, whilst reducing costs associated with the administration of its thirty-two global websites.  Previously maintained via either a Content Management Solution or by manual editing and facing a business objective to double site traffic from 1.5m visitors within two years, IDP recognized the necessity to consolidate its existing web technologies onto a single Web Content Management platform. Achieving cost savings by unifying the old technologies into one environment the new Immediacy Web Content Management solution (WCMs) 6.0 has facilitated centralized IT control by the web team whilst supporting the roll out of localized upkeep and day-to-day management to staff in IDP’s network of local country offices.  Chosen for its ease of use and cost saving potential, Immediacy WCMs incorporates the functionality to fully support IDP’s twenty-four country specific websites in local languages including Mandarin, Indonesian, French, Dutch, Thai and English as well as its eight internal and external corporate websites.
 
Michelle Beveridge, Chief Information Officer, IDP said:

“Essentially we have re-designed the way we work with regards to the web. Gone are the previous complexities of multiple CMS systems and home built management interfaces. Also gone are the costs of running, upgrading and training associated with those disparate systems, saving us an estimated AUD$200,000 per annum. Thanks to Immediacy WCMs, we now have a single solution that works across all our websites, languages and geographies. Our employees can manage and share content easily, making us more responsive to our customers and our prospects and in turn, bringing us closer to our goal to increase revenue sourced via the web by AUD$2m by 2010.”

Andy Peart, Chief Marketing Officer, Mediasurface said:

“We are delighted that Immediacy Web Content Management 6.0 has been so successful for this project. Our robust CMS technology is perfectly suited to the support and management of multiple web instances, being highly effective in helping IDP achieve the cost savings necessary to drive towards its global objectives for the coming years.”

In addition to financial savings from consolidation of technologies, speed of content delivery and the elimination of management and content duplications, IDP is anticipating that the greater ease of employees to manage more of the day to day upkeep of the websites without the need for technical assistance, Immediacy WCMs 6.0 will effectively enable the redeployment of a single full time support team member to a role requiring their skill set. The ease of use of the Immediacy interface should see significant reductions in the costs of ongoing training.

Ends

About IDP

IDP Education Pty Ltd (IDP) is a global company offering student placement and English language testing services.
 
Using its network of over 75 student offices in 29 countries, IDP places more international students into Australian educational institutions than any other organisation. It places students into all sectors of the Australian education system, including higher education, vocational education and training (VET), English language intensive courses for overseas students (ELICOS) and schools.
 
Through its wholly owned subsidiary IELTS Australia Pty Ltd, IDP is a partner in IELTS, one of the world’s leading English language proficiency tests, which is delivered at over 500 test locations in 121 countries. IDP’s fellow IELTS partners are the British Council and Cambridge University.
 
IDP was established by Australian universities in 1969 and has nearly 40 years’ experience in international education. It is committed to using its full resources and experience to deliver excellent results to the students and test takers who use its services.
 
Half of IDP’s equity is owned by 38 Australian universities through their holding company IDP Education Australia Ltd. The other half is owned by SEEK Ltd, Australia’s leading online employment and training company.

IDP’s chief executive, Anthony Pollock, has over two decades’ experience in international education. During this period he has seen the Australian industry grow from small beginnings to today’s major services export which earns revenue of more than A$11 billion annually. Mr Pollock was appointed chief executive in May 2005.
 
In 2006, Mr Pollock led IDP through the equity-raising process which resulted in SEEK Ltd becoming a 50% shareholder of IDP.
 
Previously Mr Pollock was Vice-President International of Monash University and founded Monash International Pty Ltd – the University’s international arm. From 1992, when he joined Monash, until his departure in 2005, he oversaw growth in annual international student tuition revenue from A$35 million to A$200 million.
 
Mr Pollock is a firm believer in the many positive benefits of international education, both on the personal level for students and for societies as a whole. An international education experience can make a major difference to the lives of many people and the skills and experience which international students acquire helps them to build their communities and countries.