Executive summary
Challenge: Robinsons Relocation Ltd. is one of the leading UK removals companies. Though forward-thinking in IT, it didn't have any effective business continuity or disaster recovery systems to safeguard against downtime in its IT and communications infrastructure.
Solution: Claranet developed a solution that would offset the company’s substantial telephony costs to pay for its email services and V-platform, providing a more secure and functional infrastructure with reduced risk.
Result: As well as ensuring business continuity and disaster recovery, Claranet's solution provided cost savings and enhanced customer service.
Business continuity and disaster recovery
Robinsons had no effective business continuity or disaster recovery systems to safeguard against downtime in its IT and communications infrastructure. The business's success is reliant on the ability to manage removals projects efficiently, which in turn relies on effective communication. Should a server crash with no back-up, Robinsons could be faced with losing vital customer data and being unable to fulfil its commitments to customers.
IT Director Richard Veys was given the task of finding a “zero-cost” business continuity and disaster recovery solution.
We were looking for a solution that would provide us with the security and reassurance that customer data would be backed up and remain available should anything untoward happen, without adding to the overall cost of maintaining the company’s IT infrastructure.
IT Director, Robinsons Relocation
Disaster-proof network, broadband and telephony
Robinsons Relocation worked together with Claranet to develop a solution that would offset the company’s substantial telephony costs to pay for its email services and V-platform, providing a more secure and functional infrastructure with reduced risk.
We wanted to migrate our data, email and telephony from our incumbent providers – including BT – into the cloud, and to make them ‘disaster-proof’. Claranet now provides us with a hosted MPLS network, a communications suite of email and telephony that is available through our desktops, and a fully backed-up and secure server in the cloud.
Claranet managed to devise a solution that offset a lot of the hosting and backup costs against savings made on our telephony, so that we were able to achieve our goal of a ‘zero-cost’ solution.
Security, cost savings and enhanced customer service
The transition to a hosted IT infrastructure with Claranet has had many benefits for Robinsons Relocation beyond simply provision for business continuity and disaster recovery. Claranet's solution also:
- smoothed out the IT's department's process
- brought greater regularity to costs
- improved the speed and reliability of the network
- provided customers with a better service
Veys also appreciates Claranet's team of experts and customer service.
A great deal of our satisfaction with the outcome of this project comes down to the people involved. We found everyone we dealt with at Claranet throughout the process to be incredibly solutions-driven, thoughtful, and happy to help.
Trust is difficult to gain, and easy to lose. We need to be able to have total faith in our suppliers. Claranet’s willingness to take responsibility and explain their thought processes was key to us feeling like we were being correctly managed and understood.