Founded in 1984, Percept Limited, an entertainment, media and communications company, has a team of over 1,000 professionals across 62 offices in India and the Middle East.

The company operates across three verticals. The Percept Entertainment Group encompasses television and movie content production, aggregation, distribution and marketing, ad films, etc.; the Percept Media Group comprises media planning, buying and representation as well as outdoor media, retail media, rural media, digital media, etc.; while the Percept Communications Group includes advertising, brand communication, strategy, creative, public and media relations, and integrated marketing communication consultancy services.

With the television industry slated to grow by 12.9 per cent cumulatively over 2009-14 (according to PricewaterhouseCoopers), Percept decided to upgrade its telecom infrastructure to leverage the growing opportunities. The objective of this upgardation was to maintain its leadership position in the industry and create a value chain encompassing all elements of the production process.

tele.net tracks the development of the company’s telecom infrastructure...

Legacy system

In the early days, Percept had a fairly simple IT and telecom infrastructure. All departments were connected through a simple local area network (LAN) and all computers were connected to a single computer that had limited functionality. The company made use of plain old telephone systems and email for external communication. The set-up comprised “dumb” terminals, which had restricted usage, telephone lines and email.

However, as competition intensified, the media major realised that it needed to adopt newer technologies. An IT infrastructure that facilitated efficient and contemporary work practices as well as optimised workflow was the need of the hour.

The shift

The company opted for technologies such as DLC (local loop) and DLC (NLD), and deployed email servers and the internet. The company’s DLC (NLD) and DLC (local loop) are of 2 Mbps each and have been provided by Bharti Airtel.

DLC (local loop) and DLC (NLD) gave the company several advantages. They provided a secure and dedicated data circuit between two locations via a private line, which could be used to transmit data at a constant speed equal to the bandwidth of the circuit. Moreover, this medium permitted the transmission of voice and data over the same connection.

The internet was also a strategic tool for the company. Its website is used as a medium to reach out to its audience and provide a 360 degree view of its product portfolio, recent activities, etc.

To connect to the internet, the entertainment player opted for DSL and a wireless set-up (Wi-Fi). Several applications such as audio- and webconferencing, email and instant messaging were used. Audio- and web-conferencing not only helped it save on travel costs but also enabled senior officials to collaborate and take major business-related decisions in real time, exchange information and data, etc.

Its security mechanism is relatively simple, with firewalls and security solutions provided by Symantec. The company has an in-house team that develops its software applications. It currently uses DOS-based applications, primarily for financial and accounting purposes.

Challenges and benefits

The company did not face any major challenges while implementing the new infrastructure. The improved telecom infrastructure helped Percept manage its information assets and reach out to its customers in a more efficient manner.

Net, net, the deployment of new technology helped the company ensure business continuity and gear up to meet its ever-increasing requirements to better serve its customers.