Serving the Teesside Business Community | 51
Making a connection
Connected - from left, Middlesbrough mayor
Andy Preston, Cornerstone's Chris Bibby and
Middlesbrough Council's Thomas Rhind.
R
esidents and visitors to Middlesbrough
town centre will soon have access to
fast, efficient WiFi connectivity, thanks
to commercial IT experts Cornerstone
Business Solutions.
The Stockton-based firm will join forces
with Middlesbrough Council to roll out the
free outdoor WiFi service that will allow
anyone to log on while on the go.
The outdoor network will not only allow
town centre visitors to surf the net and use
their email but will enable the council to
communicate important messages to the
public.
Describing the five-figure contract win
as “a major coup”, Cornerstone director
Chris Bibby revealed the firm would look
to provide a similar service to more local
authorities across the North East and
beyond.
“This is our first council contract
but it won’t be our last,” said Chris.
“Middlesbrough is showing real vision
in leading the way as the first Tees Valley
council to install free outdoor WiFi.
“We’re delighted to have won such a
prestigious contract right on our doorstep.
“We’re looking forward to working
closely with Middlesbrough Council and
our technology partners to roll out a public
WiFi solution that I’m sure will be much
appreciated by residents and visitors to the
town’s central areas.”
The public WiFi, which is scheduled to
go live in August, will involve Cornerstone
installing 20 access points dotted around
Middlesbrough town centre area including
Centre Square, Albert Road, Corporation
Road, the Southfield Road student district
and the Baker Street and Bedford Street
regeneration zone.
Twenty small devices comprising the
latest technology will be installed on
existing street furniture.
Chris added: “A good, strong WiFi
connection that’s free of charge can only be
a good thing, whether you’re checking the
opening times of your favourite shop, taking
a peek at a restaurant menu, looking up the
bus timetable or simply following the latest
news while you’re on the move.
“While shoppers will naturally benefit,
there’s no intention to focus only on retail-
heavy areas. The council is also keen to
improve the WiFi experience wherever
people gather and socialise in the central
part of the town.
“But it will also allow the council to
promote their own services, events and
important notices via the splash page
through which the public will initially sign in
each time they use the WiFi service.
“The benefits are endless really.”
Chris, who runs Cornerstone with fellow
directors Chris Petty, Chris Clark and John
Storey, revealed the firm had won the
contract ahead of a number of experienced
IT and WiFi specialists.
“We’re delighted the council was
impressed with our tender, which involves
analytics that will allow the council to keep
a check on the system’s usage and overall
experience.
“From our point of view, it’s a fantastic
opportunity to show off Cornerstone’s
expertise. It will provide a perfect case
study for us to approach more local
authorities across the country.”
Founded in 2008, in the middle of the
global recession, Cornerstone has achieved
a record £2m turnover and increased its
workforce to 25, while targeting expansions
into Aycliffe and Leeds.
Along with being official technology
partner for Middlesbrough Football Club,
the firm’s long-term contracts include
Durham Tees Valley Airport, Camerons
Brewery, Tecnicas Reunidas, Punch Robson
Solicitors, Endeavour Partnership, TTE and
Bedale-based Heck Sausages, while recent
wins include Active Chartered Financial
Planners.
Cornerstone also boast partnerships with
such leading brands as Microsoft, Apple, HP,
Lenovo, Vmware, ESET, Malware Bytes and
Redstore.