Isoma Conveyors
Isoma is a manufacturer of specialist material handling equipment for the food and drink industry – particularly container handling machinery and conveyor systems that need to meet very strict hygiene regulations. This cutting-edge firm works for major names in the sector and regularly updates its product range to ensure it stays ahead of the game. The company, which is based in Swadlincote, Derbyshire, was established in 1983 and now has 31 employees and four Directors.
The Brief
Bryan Gibbons, Isoma’s IT Manager, identifies that the company’s previous server wasn’t ‘complicated’ but needed to be upgraded in order for staff to get more from their IT systems. ‘Our previous system was coming to the end of its life,’ he said. ‘It was a real opportunity for us to look at everything we did and, with the help of ACUTEC, to work out where we could bring additional benefits to the business through the use of our IT. We were not looking for a dramatic change but we knew that significant improvements could be made – for example, we were using an unreliable tape back-up previously and knew that this was one area that required improvement.’ The ACUTEC brief was to upgrade and improve Isoma’s file server, which would bring about improved efficiency and performance within the business.
What ACUTEC Did
After close liaisons with Isoma, ACUTEC opted to install Microsoft’s Office 365 solution which offers businesses the features they have come to expect from the Office Suite of products, but powered through Cloud technology. This means staff can access files from virtually anywhere – via PCs, laptops, tablets or phones – and it brings additional features too. It can help to reduce costs, in Isoma’s case having emails through the Office 365 exchange has saved the business £4 per user per month.
Mailbox sizes have also been enhanced from 5GB to 50GB and overall capacity on the server is now 1TB, which is a dramatic increase on the amount of data it can process and store. As well as a local automated NAS (hard drive) back-up system for the company file server, user files that are stored on their workstations are now synchronised/backed-up in the cloud, allowing access to their files anywhere, any time.
‘Within a month of the new system going live, we were seeing benefits. It has reduced costs as well as increased efficiency.’
Bryan said: ‘It’s great for those members of staff who are working ‘off-site’. They can simply access files synchronised in the Cloud, without the need to login to the Office network. The back-up is now much more reliable and should anything happen to our PCs in the office, the files will all be there in the Cloud to allow us to continue working.’
‘We would recommend any company in the same position as us to transfer to Office 365 and, do it sooner rather than waiting for the old system to be on its last legs.’
Summary
Companies are relying more and more on their IT systems and servers – not just in the office but on-site and working from home. It’s becoming increasingly important for businesses to be able to access files from any location – any time of day. Office 365 not only provides that it also offers a range of other benefits – such as reliable back-up, so that companies can be secure in the knowledge that should the worst happen, they can still get to their company files without any costly downtime. In Isoma’s case, the company was in need of a system upgrade and is already enjoying the benefits of the changeover to Office 365. Companies should be considering making the change even before their existing servers start to creak. It can save money, enhance efficiency and productivity and it means you’ve got access to the office all day, every day, from almost anywhere in the world.
