Published on
18th June 2019
Infrastructure update helps berry growers to innovate
Overview
It’s anticipated the UK berry market will be worth £1.6 billion by 2020. In order to get here, the industry has had to innovate to keep pace with all-year-round demand and the constantly changing British weather!
W B Chambers is one of the largest growers and packers of soft fruit in the UK. In order to innovate it reviewed its business processes with Zest Business Process Management who decided to introduce the company to ITRM, to review its IT needs.
The Challenge
Business growth had led to a need for the IT infrastructure to be updated, especially to be more efficient in its day-to-day operations. Plus, the new infrastructure needed to be reliable and scalable.
ITRM met with W B Chambers to understand its business challenges. A detailed network infrastructure review revealed:
- A lack of email back up and data recovery
- Operating systems incompatible with corporate networks
- Ageing hardware out of warranty
- A lack of a central back up
- Connectivity issues caused by poor cabling
Coinciding with the network refresh, ITRM was also appointed to implement a new ERP Server Solution.
The Solution
The implementation and rollout of the ERP Server Solution created a tight timeframe and the need for a new cabling infrastructure widened the project’s scope considerably. A detailed project timeline was drawn up by ITRM to minimise downtime.
All of the issues identified above were addressed in the network refresh which included:
- Installing a new server cabinet, wireless access points and 90 Category 6 cabling outlets
- Installation of new UPS and network switches
- Installation of a new virtual host and two virtual servers
- Replacement of existing desktops and data migration
- Office 365 mail migration
- Secure removal and disposal of old infrastructure and services
The Outcome
The new IT and network infrastructure was successfully implemented alongside the rollout of a new ERP Server Solution. Having fully understood the business’ longer term aims and objectives ensured the firm’s strategic IT requirements are met for the next 3-5 years.
As a result, the business is able to focus its efforts on innovation in areas, such as its processes for farming and packing, confident that its IT is efficient and streamlined.
