Quick launch for BIS site

The government recently announced a merger of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) with the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) to form the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) under Lord Mandelson.

The announcement meant that BIS quickly needed an interim website to communicate the merger, and host both departments’ key corporate information until a full site could be developed.

As soon as the announcement was made Eduserv was hired to provide reliable, rapid-deployment hosting for an interim BIS website. Eduserv worked with BIS’ in-house digital communications team to configure an open-source hosting environment based on a Linux virtual server. Eduserv also helped set up a WordPress-based website, developed by BIS, that went live within two days.

Steph Gray, Head of Digital Communications for BIS, said:

We needed an interim site to go live as soon as possible. Eduserv demonstrated their ability to react quickly to the machinery of government changes by dedicating hosting staff to work with our team on helping get the site launched.

Having direct access to the server and WordPress provided us with the flexibility we needed to manage the design and content of the site, whilst Eduserv worked on delivering solid and reliable hosting.

Will Callaghan, Corporate Web Manager for BIS, added: “We chose to host the BIS site with Eduserv because they already hosted the former DIUS corporate website and are consistently first rate. Since launch, the hosting for the new BIS site has been the most reliable we have used with the greatest resilience and uptime.”

Visit the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills website at www.bis.gov.uk

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