Lights, cameras, security: How HOYTS built a resilient, growth-ready cinema network

For HOYTS, ‘behind the scenes’ means more than the glitz and glamour of Hollywood.

From its first theatre opening 117 years ago to now operating 61 cinemas with over 500 screens across Australia and New Zealand, HOYTS has defined the movie going experience for millions of Australians.

But in a digital-first world, that cinema experience is no longer defined solely by what happens on the silver screen. At HOYTS, its network underpins every aspect of operations: from movie screenings to ticket sales, through to managing advertisements and even processing popcorn orders at the candy bar.

Today, three out of every four HOYTS customer transactions take place on digital self-service channels, making a high-performing, always-on network critical to the business.

However, operating across 61 cinemas (at present) with demanding connectivity needs is no easy feat and requires significant investment in technology. To support this level of demand and shifting customer expectations, HOYTS partnered with Optus to upgrade their network services and create a foundation to support growth opportunities well into the future.

Moving beyond legacy networks

For multi-site businesses like HOYTS, even a brief outage can have severe consequences for both business revenue and customer experience.

“If our network goes down, it could cost us thousands of dollars a day,” explains Tony Siclari, chief information security officer, group IT operations manager at HOYTS Group. “So a resilient network is crucial.”

Many legacy network systems, including those previously used by HOYTS, rely on fixed hardware-based infrastructure, making it challenging to link multiple geographically dispersed sites. Therefore, to meet their goal of delivering a world-class, seamless digital experience, HOYTS had to rethink their approach to connectivity entirely.

To deliver fast, scalable and secure connectivity, HOYTS transitioned to a software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) powered by Optus and US tech giant Cisco.

Unlike legacy systems, SD-WAN uses software to intelligently manage and route traffic between different sites in real time. This allows businesses to make better use of available bandwidth, prioritise usage and maintain performance during periods of high demand across multiple sites.

HOYTS’ SD-WAN solution also utilises dual Optus and nbn fibre links and 4G backup for network resilience. This increases speed and performance. In fact Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Cloud on-ramp technology improved speed performance 20-fold, while allowing HOYTS greater flexibility to respond to changing operational demands across its cinema network.

Embedding network security

Security is a growing concern for multi-site organisations and was at the forefront of HOYTS’ priorities in upgrading their network.

As cyber threats become more frequent and sophisticated, security can no longer sit alongside a network as an afterthought. According to the most recent government data, the average reported cost of cybercrime for businesses was up 50% in the last financial year ($80,850).

For companies like HOYTS, where customer data, payments and operations are connected across multiple locations, a fragmented approach to security can quickly create risk.

The SD-WAN upgrade allowed for HOYTS to directly embed protection safeguards into its network to strengthen to ensure security and data protection across its sites for both the business and its customers.

This, when paired with an enterprise-grade Cisco Umbrella, a cloud-based cybersecurity layer, enables HOYTS to take a centralised approach to security that allows for rapid detection and response of threats across all locations from a single dashboard.

Simplifying a sprawling network

Managing a multi-site network is one challenge, managing thousands of connected endpoints is another entirely.

Beyond its cinemas, The HOYTS Group also supports an extensive out-of-home advertising network through Val Morgan and VMO, which operate 10,000+ digital screens across shopping centres, petrol stations, office buildings and gyms nationwide.

To streamline this complexity, Optus helped HOYTS modernise its digital signage infrastructure, bringing it onto a centralised platform with remote management and automation of content across every screen.

Critically, the signage system is now quarantined from the rest of the network, reducing security risk while allowing HOYTS’ IT team to independently scale bandwidth as needed.

Now, high-demand activities don’t impact other systems within the business. The result is a more controlled, efficient network where performance, security and operations can be managed cohesively, even at significant scale.

Building for what comes next

For HOYTS, the impact of its network transformation extends well beyond IT.

By modernising its infrastructure in partnership with Optus and Cisco, the business has improved uptime and performance across its sites, reduced operational complexity and created a more seamless experience for customers at every touchpoint.

“Optus is at the core of every dollar we make at HOYTS,” says Adam Wrightson, group IT director at HOYTS Group. “In today’s digital world, there’s not a single interaction that HOYTS has with staff or customers that doesn’t rely on Optus infrastructure.”

Now, HOYTS plans to move its on-premise servers to the cloud, while also working towards 5G enablement to improve cinema visitors’ experience.

By building a secure, scalable and resilient foundation today, HOYTS Group is ideally positioned for future growth and to support the next generation of movie lovers.

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