ReviewGLI
IN A DIFFERENT LEAGUE Having published the G3 'Careers in Gaming' feature last month, there's a great deal of rhetoric about hiring the right staff, but there are relatively few companies actually hiring right now in the gaming sector - GLI is categorically one them. “We recognise the need to support our customers with world-class service,” stated Mr. Maida. “To achieve that you have to be ahead of the game as regards hiring people. During this period of financial uncertainty GLI has hired 140 additional staff in the last 18 months alone. This expansion has allowed us to provide world-class services to every regulator in every country on the globe. The people we have hired has radically improved our turnaround times. We are currently hiring 50 engineers allowing us this year to add 250 at GLI, with the long- term plan to offer an unparalleled customer-facing service team. Our aim is to get products approved and walk through walls to get this done. We are testing 20 hours per day, 7am to 3am to achieve our goal. Hiring people is the lifeblood of our company.”
GLI recognises that evey regulator has a different policy, a different requirement,
GAMING IN THE ROUND Gaming Laboratories
International continues its expansion programme in 2013
The roundtable events hosted by Gaming Laboratories International around the world are special meeting places that allow regulators to discuss with industry experts the issues that have affected markets in the past, are confronting regulators in the present and are looming on the near-horizon. Speaking to GLI's James Maida at the ICE show in London, he explained that the debate in 2013 is likely to shift increasingly to focus upon the big issues surrounding Cloud-based platforms and Remote Servers.
“As land-based casinos are looking to send their data to a secure Cloud-based server, we're looking at the regulatory issues that affect operators who are benefiting from reduced data costs, but are no longer holding their information on-site,” explained Mr. Maida. “Similar discussions are taking place in regards to Remote Servers. If you look at Video Lottery Terminals, for example, which receive their outcomes from a central
server that’s sending that information to multiple sites, both operators and regulators are asking if this is allowed? They both want to know where they should be siting their servers to meet legislation that was never designed to cope with these scenarios. Can a system platform, for example, receive updates via the Cloud to maintain and upgrade itself? These issues are been debated and discussed state-by-state and country-by- country right now.”
GLI’s acquisition of Technical Systems Testing (TST) in 2010 propelled the company into a leadership position in the online sector. In a sector in which content is king, distributing content to new platforms should be a seamless experience, and it’s GLI’s view that rather than new submissions being necessary for every new platform, a new test shouldn’t be necessary for each new channel. “New games can be delivered through a variety of channels,” outlined Mr. Maida. “We test if that content is different on the different platforms, but if there’s no change to the maths then developers should be able to port that game to a whole host of different platforms.”
(Pictured) Gaming Laboratories
Internationals’ PAUL MAGNO and JAMES MAIDA.
”Our testing volume as a result of our
hiring strategy is up 40 per cent and average
turnaround time is down 30 per cent, and that's starting from an industry
leading position to begin with.”
JAMES MAIDA, GLI.
“OUR AIM IS TO GET PRODUCTS APPROVED AND WALK THROUGH WALLS TO GET THIS DONE. WE
ARE TESTING 20 HOURS PER DAY, 7AM TO 3AM TO ACHIEVE OUR GOAL.”
and to that end the company provides individual customer solutions with one- on-one customer relationships at the centre of everything that GLI does. “You have to look at your business from the customers’ perspective,” stated Mr. Maida. “Regulators want accuracy, while OEMs want speed. The only way to become more efficient is to add more bandwidth. Our testing volume as a result of our hiring strategy is up 40 per cent and average turnaround time is down 30 per cent, and that's starting from an industry leading position to begin with. At the same time we are also able to spend more time working with clients. The goal of GLI is to be a company that is here over the next 100 years. We are working on the legacy of the company in the here and now.”
March 2013 PAGE 55
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