Online Box Office Turns To Loudcloud For Web ServicesOnline Box Office Turns To Loudcloud For Web Services

The holiday movie season is in high gear, which translates into long lines at the box office. To meet surging ticket sales, Fandango Inc., a Santa Monica, Calif., provider of online movie tickets and showtime information, is working with managed services provider Loudcloud Inc. to ensure that its systems can handle the load.

"From a consumer standpoint, there's no room for error; if we're not available, they'll buy their tickets elsewhere," says Ed Godycki, chief technology officer for Fandango, a privately held company owned in part by seven theater chains, including General Cinemas and Loews Cineplex Entertainment. Loudcloud hosts and manages Fandango's network, operating system, and Web site.

Fandango began using Loudcloud's managed and hosted services in August. Outsourcing the management of its IT systems has helped Fandango deliver its site's capabilities more consistently, Godycki says. The move came as the summer season was winding down and the company was preparing for the holiday releases of Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone and The Lord Of The Rings.

Fandango's online ticket sales and showtime schedule system is tied directly to the point-of-sale systems of more than 500 theaters nationwide. Its Web site manages ticketing and scheduling for about 5,600 movie screens, while Godycki and his staff write and integrate Fandango's applications with the point-of-sale systems through APIs and middleware. In addition to hosting and managing services, Loudcloud also provides Web-site performance-testing services.

Godycki wouldn't provide specifics on Fandango's multiyear contract with Loudcloud, but his company can plan ahead for additional capacity or call on Loudcloud to scale up with just a few hours' notice, he says. Fandango pays Loudcloud a monthly fee, so the cost depends on capacity and demand. "I don't pay for anything I don't use," he says.

Market-analysis firm Datamonitor last week estimated that online retailers will lose $13.5 million this year due to poor online customer service, slow processing, and security concerns.