Case Studies — Penny Arcade
"Who doesn't know about Speakeasy? With our time-sensitive production schedule and the enormous files we handle, we need the reliable connectivity Speakeasy delivers. And once we hit double digits in headcount, their Hosted Voice solution made a ton of sense for us."
— Robert Khoo, President of Operations and Business Development, Penny Arcade
- Full Case Study 91 KB
Company Background
Penny Arcade is a gaming web comic with a readership of about 4.7 million rabid fans. The comics posted every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday feature Tycho and Gabe - cartoon alter egos of writer Jerry Holkins and artist Mike Krahulik respectively - playing and commenting on computer and video games, and also discussing the minutiae of Internet culture. The site debuted in November 1998 and now employs twelve people and hosts the largest gaming festival in North America (PAX).
Overview
- Challenge
When they outgrew their traditional telephone lines, Penny Arcade decided that hosted voice was their best option to get the features they needed at a reasonable cost. Penny Arcade moved away from traditional telco service to support growth and improve phone system functionality - without making major investments in infrastructure or maintenance. - Solution
Speakeasy OneLink 6.0/768 DSL comes with a 99% uptime guarantee and the sturdy infrastructure of Speakeasy's multi-redundant nationwide network. A second DSL line at a remote location keeps Penny Arcade data moving around the clock. Penny Arcade compared Speakeasy against five other VoIP providers and found that none of the others had the features to cost ratio they wanted. "It was a no-brainer switch," says Khoo. - Results
Penny Arcade never misses a deadline and keeps advertisers happy. "It's all about opportunity cost," says Khoo. "There may be cheaper DSL, but not with this kind of reliability." Speakeasy Hosted Voice costs Penny Arcade about 50% less than any other voice service they researched - a total of about $5,000 less on the install and $10,000 a year in monthly fees. "Being able to control all the features without waiting on hold for someone or getting dinged every time I want to make a change is a breath of fresh air," says Khoo.