Atlanta Hawks partner with ManageEngine on IT overhaul

The Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena have selected ManageEngine as a strategic technology partner for IT operations across the team's facilities and the arena's live event environment.

ManageEngine is a division of Zoho Corp. The companies said the agreement covers the Hawks' technology operations and the systems used during games and other events at the downtown Atlanta venue.

The Hawks said they run an IT environment that spans three interconnected facilities and more than 1,000 endpoints. The organisation also manages broadcast and media systems, venue infrastructure, and real-time NBA Data Link feeds. It supports large numbers of fans who interact with digital services on event days.

The companies said the Hawks' IT team needed to simplify its technology stack and strengthen reliability during events. They also said the work centres on unifying critical systems and improving resilience. They described a shift towards a predictive and data-driven IT operating model.

"Fans have high expectations for every part of their arena experience, and our job is to make the technology powering that experience invisible," said Jon Santee, Vice President of Information Technology, the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena. "Our partnership with ManageEngine brings a level of visibility, automation and reliability that allows our team to focus on what matters most."

Unified platform

ManageEngine said it provides a unified platform for IT management. The Hawks said they have centralised IT operations into a connected ecosystem. They said the approach automates routine work. It also produces operational and security data. They said it provides leadership with real-time visibility across endpoints, users, and systems.

The Hawks said the change supports faster decision-making and stronger security oversight. They also said it improves support for live event operations at State Farm Arena.

The companies outlined several areas where the Hawks said they have seen changes in day-to-day operations. One focus is real-time visibility across game-day systems. The Hawks said they now have continuous oversight of network performance across the arena. They said the IT team can detect and resolve issues during events.

A second area covers audit and identity controls. The Hawks said they have centralised audit trails and created a single source of truth for identity and access oversight. They said audit and account reviews previously took days of manual information gathering. They said the same work now takes minutes. They said this reduces administrative burden and improves security visibility across the organisation.

Service management

The Hawks also pointed to structured IT service management. They said they use standardised workflows and centralised reporting. They said this provides clear ownership and visibility for IT services. The Hawks said they close approximately 95% of service requests each month.

Endpoint governance is another area cited by the companies. The Hawks said patching, device security, and asset visibility now sit in a centralised system. They said the approach covers hundreds of endpoints. They said it keeps critical systems protected and up to date.

The Hawks said consistent operational data across systems changes how the IT team allocates time. The organisation said it can place less emphasis on reactive issue resolution. It said it can focus on onboarding automation, asset life cycle management, and long-term operational planning.

ManageEngine said live sports and entertainment settings put pressure on IT teams because systems remain visible to fans and broadcasters throughout an event. The company framed the work with the Hawks as an automation and visibility project inside IT operations.

"Sports and entertainment organizations operate under immense pressure. Every moment is live, every system is visible, and fans expect perfection," said Rajesh Ganesan, CEO, ManageEngine. "The Hawks have embraced automation in IT operations, where unified visibility, automation, and data discipline drive both performance and fan satisfaction. We are proud to be the team's partner in building a reliable and future-ready technology foundation."

Next steps

The companies said the partnership includes further work on automation and system integration. They said the next phase will deepen automation, expand integrations, and further improve IT operations.