EUROPE
Long rooted in English history , football is an emotive sport followed by loyal fans who travel far and wide to see their favourite team compete against rivals . However , in the last 10 years the traditional game has changed in the face of a vast demographic , where digitisation has disrupted the way in which we communicate and interact with others . Fans are able to now share experiences and speak to the players themselves through the emergence of social media . Technology continues to impact the sport and has consequently altered what fans expect to receive out of attending matches .
Having won the bid to relocate to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and the iconic London Stadium , the Club looked to Mike Bohndiek to help them review their technological landscape . Initially appointed in a consultancy role and now Head of IT he looked at Upton Park ( the club ’ s previous stadium ) and its technological capabilities .
Understanding the demands the industry faces to cater to both fans and staff , Bohndiek undertook an essential gap analysis to ascertain what the club lacked from a technological perspective , and what it needed to ensure not only an exceptional venue which would cater for all ages , but would deliver an excellent fan experience each time .
“ What quickly became apparent was that IT had been in a dark corner for quite some time ,” he says . “ The primary challenges surrounded the club ’ s decentralised , ageing infrastructure .”
Although Upton Park had been the home of West Ham since the late 1890s , Bohndiek explains : “ When you ’ ve been in a physical location for so long , things work , not because they ’ re best designed or most efficient , but because they ’ ve worked before . The attitude is that they worked yesterday so they ’ ll work tomorrow , without a vision as to how it might be modernised and mobilised .”
Observing that many departments at the club were siloed , with servers out of warranty , machines which ran
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