Q&A (with Vincent McGann)

At Cineworld the business of entertainment technology and computing are getting ever closer. Vincent McGann is head of IT for UK cinema group Cineworld, which operates 78 sites, five of which are in the top ten highest-grossing cinemas in the UK and Ireland. The cinema sector operates on a ´peaks and troughs´ basis – very busy when blockbusters are on release and during school holidays, for instance. Relying on the Web for ticket sales, trailer downloads and more, it is key that the Cineworld website offers continuous availability and can deal with high peak workloads. This places direct responsibility for uptime on the organsation´s IT function.