Media centre

30 March 2007

Affiniti brokers a £3.5 million convergence deal with Lloyds TSB Corporate Markets

Lloyds TSB Corporate Markets has completed a £3.5 million Cisco converged communications project at its flagship premises, Ten Gresham Street, with communications integrator Affiniti.  The new state of the art facility consolidates Lloyds TSB’s award-winning relationship banking service with its rapidly expanding debt capital markets, risk management and structured finance expertise. Bringing these businesses together has resulted in an integrated team of over 1,100 staff, including 200 traders, working together to deliver comprehensive financial solutions to enhance their customer relationships and streamline processes.

Lloyds TSB Corporate Markets contracted Affiniti to provide a bespoke service covering design, pre-staging, implementation and user acceptance testing for all technology for the new premises and to link the technology to facilities at its Monument Street and Chiswell Street premises.  A 3-year partnership agreement for reactive break/fix ensures the network runs smoothly.

In the new building, multimedia technology in the 30 seat IP Contact Centre gives sales agents a complete view of their clients’ portfolio so they can work with their clients to meet their goals, offering advice and solutions, and giving an opportunity to cross-sell products and services.  Corporate customers will benefit from one point of call for all their banking needs, including Cash Management and Payments, Risk Management, HR & Pensions, Specialist Financing, Trade and Structured Investments.

A big benefit to staff includes inbuilt wireless access in the café, providing a great environment for meeting, talking and planning.  With traders working such long days, it is paramount that they have the best, most conducive working environment, to aid productivity. Also improving the working environment, the new network supports the latest in trading floor equipment with reduced output of noise and heat, and takes up a lot less space under desks. The heat and noise of the old trading floor has gone and traders remain cool and comfortable. 

Colin Everett, head of IT Strategy & Architecture at Lloyds TSB Corporate Markets, said: “We have worked with Affiniti for several years and its selection for this project was based on an excellent track record in the City for deploying highly resilient environments including trading floors.  Business partnerships are important to us and so it was vital that we signed up to a company with whom we could truly share the risks and the rewards.  Affiniti took the time to understand our unique requirements and challenges and worked with us to provide a bespoke solution, while committing to very aggressive deadlines.”

“Our corporate clients require a complex combination of services including risk management and specialist financing.  By bringing together our sales and customer relationship management within a highly reliant and converged communications environment, duplication of administrative tasks and processes has been removed. This has resulted in time and cost savings and an increase in client requirements we can now fulfil.”

Alongside the Cisco converged communications network, Affiniti has deployed a Cisco Aironet wireless network, Voice messaging, a 30 seat Multimedia Contact Centre, and implemented security with Nokia and Check Point.

Gary Young, Managing Director of Affiniti, said: ‘‘The City sees lots of complex relocations take place, but it is unusual for companies to complete a project of this nature within just 12 months - and to budget. Affiniti’s involvement has been very successful and we are now working with Lloyds TSB to roll out similar solutions across other business units.’’


Affiniti has a strong heritage in the finance sector and particularly in the City, working with other investment banks such as Mellon Financial Corp, Deutsche Bank and Citigroup.

About Kingston Communications

Kingston Communications (HULL) PLC provides a range of Information and Communications technology (ICT) and telecommunication services to businesses, and internet and telecommunications services to selected consumer markets, within the UK.

The Group’s portfolio of ICT businesses works with both leading private enterprise customers and public sector organisations. Through its Affiniti, Smart421 and JAM IP brands, the Group delivers solutions covering unified communications, contact centre solutions, data management, applications integration and managed services.

The Kingston Group also includes a regionally-focused business, Kingston Communications, which supports small to medium-sized businesses. Through its KC, Eclipse and Mistral brands, the business offers a wide range of internet-based and telecommunications services.  The regional business also provides telephony and internet services to targeted consumers through its KC, Eclipse and Karoo brands.

The Group is listed on the London Stock Exchange and employs over 2,700 people across the UK.

For further information please contact:

Dianne White
Affiniti
Tel: 01442 883370 / 07818 077235
E: dianne.white@affiniti.com

Emma Turner
Nelson Bostock Communications
Tel: 020 7792 7440
E: emma.turner@nelsonbostock.com