We made Toronto Hydro...
Project
Implementation & Development
Industry
Energy & Utilities
Technology
SharePoint, SQL Server
BACKGROUND
Toronto Electric-Hydro System Limited (THESL), is one of the largest municipal electric distribution utilities in Canada, serving over 676,000 utility customers across the GTA. Visit THESL on the web at www.torontohydro.com.
The Challenge
A key recommendation of an initial web strategy consulting study performed by Whitecap was to redesign the THESL website utilizing newer technologies, such as Flash, Lingubots, multi-language support and integrated content management and editing modules, in order to make the website more relevant and useful to customers.
The existing site was based on ColdFusion, which required IT department involvement to perform updates to content. As such, THESL sought to redesign and migrate the site to a platform that would enable content management and editing by non-technical users throughout the organization.
The Solution
Whitecap proposed the development of a platform based on Microsoft SharePoint, incorporating a Content Management System (CMS) which would allow for the distribution of content responsibility within the organization and eliminate reliance on the IT department. Whitecap’s experience designers also worked with THESL to develop a new look and feel for the new site.
The SharePoint-based solution was developed using a dynamic menu generation technique that would allow new pages to be easily added to the site and integrated into the navigation without by non-technical staff. Non-technical users also have the ability to add rich content, such as Flash video, to the site through SharePoint’s CMS interface.
The Results
The site redesign and migration to SharePoint was a success. THESL is now poised to distribute content management throughout the organization, and the system is extensible to the future development of enforced workflows for content generation, approval and publishing. Various departmental stakeholders have been able to take direct ownership of content throughout various parts of the site.
Ultimately, this has enabled THESL to rapidly disseminate meaningful and useful content to its customers, making www.torontohydro.com a more engaging and effective web presence.