The Web Chat For Sharepoint system, based on Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2 and Office SharePoint Server 2007, has improved the speed and accuracy in which the company responds to its customers.

With offices in London and New York, Redburn Partners provides stock recommendations, sales trading and execution, operational and compliance consulting, and industrial analysis, research, and reporting services.

The company's customers, which include major Wall Street investment banks, rely on Redburn to provide up-to-the-minute stock information and industry news. Redburn employees had access to various applications to help them provide customers with information and pursue new business opportunities. These applications included a Fidessa order management system, Parlano MindAlign Group Chat, and a Microsoft Dynamics CRM platform.

However, because each of these systems operates separately, gathering and communicating information was time-consuming and inefficient. Users had to log on and off each application separately in order to search and retrieve the necessary information.

Peter Culver, IT manager at Redburn Partners, said: "The applications were adequate, but our sales staff and analysts didn't have access to one seamless solution that offered a complete picture of a customer or industry, so it was difficult to provide customers with accurate market trends in a timely manner. Also, this lack of integration made the flow of information between the sales and analysts teams ineffective."