Strawberries, Cream and not a Cloud in the Sky

As a keen tennis supporter, I am thrilled that the gates are open to the 2016 Wimbledon Championships and that the sun is once again shining on SW19.

Unfortunately, unlike the 500,000 who have managed to get a ticket, I will not be able to sit in the stands this year and soak up the live action courtside. I know I’m not the only fan who will be checking the Wimbledon website and app from my desk and mobile, desperate not to miss any key points or shock exits.

This year, with Wimbledon’s impressive website and mobile app, it seems there isn’t much that I will actually miss out on. I can keep up-to-date with the order of play, matches, interviews, and news from my smartphone, tablet, PC and my TV, meaning I can check the latest news from pretty much anywhere. The same applies to a spectator in the stand or sitting on “Henman Hill” (or “Murray Mount”) – they are able to keep track of other matches quickly and easily on the mobile app so they don’t miss a beat.

It comes as no surprise, I suppose, that Wimbledon has such a strong online presence. In 2015 alone, the website had 21.1m unique users (up from 17.1 in 2014) with 71m visits overall, a staggering amount considering the tournament is only really “active” for two weeks of the year. With 542m page views (up from 473m in 2014) and 1.6m app downloads last year, it is no wonder that the website and app are sleek, digestible and more available than ever before.

There is no denying that the technological advancements in tennis have been considerable, especially over the last few years. The introduction of player analysis equipment such as the Babolat Play Pure Drive racket indicates that the acceleration doesn’t seem to be slowing. Players and supporters alike are hungry for statistics, whether it’s the tournament’s fastest serve, the player with the most winners or the highest number of aces. And, like millions of others out there, I want, and expect, this information to always be at my fingertips, whether I’m sitting in front of my TV at home, at my desk at work or in a park with my phone.

But how does the Wimbledon site and app cope with such increasing demands for instant gratification from an eager, information-hungry fan base?

The answer lies with its burstable private cloud infrastructure, providing the ability to handle extremely high peaks in traffic and activity with efficiency and ease. It also allows for the enormous amount of real-time data, generated throughout the two week tournament, to instantly be made available to users across the globe, enabling and encouraging greater interaction for fans.

The Wimbledon Cloud, powered by IBM, also stores key statistics from previous Championships, allowing for instant insight and analysis for players, commentators and viewers alike.

Wimbledon is a prime example of how cloud technology can bring serious benefits to organisations where website traffic will be accelerated to run at its absolute maximum for only short periods of the year. Together with mobile, analytics and social technologies, it has allowed for real-time, extensive coverage that means viewers such as myself don’t ever miss a beat.

A reliable cloud platform with 100% uptime can satisfy the ever increasing demands for live coverage, real-time access to information from any device, anywhere, anytime.

How are you watching Wimbledon this year?

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