Bespoke technology solutions for the UK healthcare sector's digital pioneer

About GRIDSERVE

A pioneer in the field of sustainable energy, GRIDSERVE have been developing innovative solutions for transport, energy supply, industry, food and nature, ensuring environmentally friendly options can be both accessible and affordable, all over the UK. Their current focus is the deployment of their pioneering Electric Forecourts across the UK's road and motorways, providing electric vehicles with a safe, convenient and affordable way to recharge.

Solution 

Exponential-e deployed a Layer 2 VPLS, private managed WAN across the first Electric Forecourt at Braintree, hosted at two data centres and secured with Fortigate firewalls, with a further fifteen sites planned across the UK. While this differed from GRIDSERVE's original specifications, Exponential-e's deep understanding of the project's short- and long-term goals, gained during the tender process, meant they were perfectly placed to deliver a fit-for-purpose solution. This included collaborating with other GRIDSERVE partners on fabricating custom-designed cabinets to house the specialist switching that would not only ensure a successful launch, but provide optimal scalability, in line with GRIDSERVE's long-term plans for the development of these sites.

Throughout the entire deployment process, a dedicated account team were readily available to provide hands-on support and ensure targets were met. This consultative approach meant their role soon expanded beyond simply fulfilling connectivity requirements, as they worked closely with GRIDSERVE staff and other contractors to ensure the end result would prove fit for purpose.

Thanks to strong, sustained communication and collaboration throughout this project, Exponential-e have swiftly transitioned from acting as GRIDSERVE's connectivity provider to a trusted technology partner. The focus of the partnership has moved beyond ensuring high-performance connectivity was in place for the first launch site to establishing a robust foundation for further expansion, with weekly meetings taking place to identify new opportunities for enhancements and innovations across the next fifteen sites and beyond.

In this way, the future of sustainable energy in the UK is off to an exceptional start.

Challenges

The singular nature of this project meant that GRIDSERVE had highly specific requirements when it came to the technology partner that would help deploy and maintain the underlying infrastructure, providing secure, reliable connectivity across all sites for both staff and visitors, fully isolated from the charging units to ensure operational resilience.

With high expectations for the Electric Forecourts among owners of electric vehicles, it was vital that this infrastructure was not just delivered on time, ready for the planned openings, but would offer consistently high performance at all times. Furthermore, with multiple technology and construction suppliers already involved in the creation of these sites, it was essential that the connectivity provider be able to successfully collaborate and coordinate with them, in order to ensure all elements would be effectively integrated.

The specifics of the deployment - from the type of connection to the accompanying hardware requirements - had already been discussed, reviewed and confirmed, which meant it was simply a question of selecting a partner who could fulfil these requirements on time and to budget. Following a personal recommendation, Exponential-e were invited to tender and subsequently selected, having quickly established a rapport with GRIDSERVE's own teams.

About Royal Holloway, University of London

Originally two colleges that formally became part of the University of London in 1900 and merged in 1985, Royal Holloway, University of London was one of the first institutions to make higher education available to women. Today Royal Holloway continues to display world‐class research in a number of fields, well into the 21^st century, and named as one of the top 25 of all UK Universities in The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2021.

Solution 

Following a competitive process, Exponential‐e were awarded a contract, based on milestones, to deliver the fundamental piece of work to enable the university's infrastructure, starting with the merging of Microsoft tenancies.

At the start of the project, Exponential‐e provided a dedicated team to lead design workshops with Royal Holloway's key stakeholders in order to define the migration processes, drawing on their deep knowledge of the existing infrastructure to deliver a comprehensive IT transformation proposal that fulfilled a range of strict T&Cs, budget, risk and continuity requirements.

From then on, continued communication was key to achieving the desired outcomes, with regular meetings taking place to ensure targets were met, budgets were adhered to, and potential complications could be pre‐emptively resolved. To enable administrative staff to continue working effectively throughout the deployment, the university's internal teams were fully briefed on the impending changes, helping to minimise disruption and ensure end users would be properly supported.

Over a 24‐day period, Exponential‐e migrated over 10,000 Office 365 user tenancies for student, alumni and test accounts - a complex operation, but one that proved the value of Exponential‐e's robust risk guarantee. The expatiated migration was achieved using 'Cloud Commander' tooling, which provided high‐speed synchronisation (up to 1TB per hour) of data between tenancies with data fidelity for a broad range of workloads. The result was a fully managed solution for all users, with a dedicated Azure AD Connect deployment and Mail, One Drive and SharePoint migrations between the existing tenancies.

In parallel, Exponential‐e worked with Royal Holloway to create a futureproof active directory, with a move to a single forest, single domain model reducing complexity and administrative overheads. In addition, this sped up authentication and replication, and helped reduce the number of domain controllers required.

A modern hybrid authentication / identity solution was implemented, making intelligent use of Azure Active Directory, ADFS and AD as appropriate. Multi‐factor authentication mitigated cyber security risk by requiring a second form of identification before allowing access to resources and data. At the same time, allowing users to use password hash synchronisation with seamless SSO provided them each with a single set of credentials with which to access services, providing a streamlined user experience that helped drive greater collaboration in the Cloud.

An expanded deployment of Microsoft Office 365 opened the door to full online university status, allowing lectures and seminars to continue via the highly regarded Microsoft Teams platform, with the new infrastructure enabling greater utilisation of the Public Cloud, delivering the increased power, flexibility, and cost control. In particular, a Virtual Desktop solution and a range of tools for multi‐channel communication and collaboration made it easy for students to submit essays and receive their marks remotely.

Finally, to provide a secure, flexible non‐production environment, replica domains and Office 365 environments were deployed, consisting of the 'bare bones' of the primary operating environment.

The partnership between Royal Holloway and Exponential‐e continues to evolve, with remote collaboration opening up new channels of learning, supported by an infrastructure with the power, flexibility and scalability to guarantee consistent performance - all while keeping the student experience at the centre of everything.

Challenges

With the onset of COVID‐19, Royal Holloway re‐focused its 2020/21 IT programme with a view to achieving full online university status, delivering teaching, learning and research through multi‐channel communication and collaboration. To achieve this, the university required a scalable, cost‐effective and high‐performance solution for remote collaboration (e.g. group chat, file sharing, notebook sharing, assessment setting), supported by the right infrastructure.

One of the major limiting factors in this regard was that staff and students were in two separate tenancies, which would need to be consolidated.

In addition to the live environment, the university required a 'non‐production' environment to facilitate controlled software development, testing, and UAT, with minimal operating costs.

With a new academic year fast approaching, it was essential that all these solutions could be delivered within an eight‐week window.

About Stephen George + Partners 

Stephen George + Partners (SGP) is one of the UK's leading architectural practices, with offices throughout the UK and Europe. It is placed in the 'Top 100' practices by the Architects' Journal and prides itself on responding rapidly to client requirements, resolving complex site issues and producing innovative designs.

Challenges

Faced with the relocation of their Head Office in Leicester to a new space they would be designing from the ground up, SGP were not only moving their central hub, but also relocating all their IT equipment. With a refresh of legacy server infrastructure already planned, this coinciding with the relocation prompted the practice to explore alternative ways to deliver apps and design data. Throughout these discussions, the security of devices and corporate data was a concern, since confidential plans and proposals being leaked would be disastrous for the practice's strong reputation.

In modernising how key applications such as Autodesk Revit and other design packages are delivered, the challenge remains regarding where the data resides. Modern visualisations and BIM models are substantial in volume and have their own data gravity, which typically required user desktops to always remain close to the source of data to avoid drops in performance.

For this reason, servers were previously deployed within each office to achieve the desired performance, availability and resilience. However, this was costly to implement and maintain, and required significant resources to manage the infrastructure across these dispersed locations. For example, patching and updating these servers was the responsibility of the inhouse IT team and was always undertaken out of hours.

Furthermore, designing and deploying a server room is costly and the end result has an inherently limited lifespan, when we consider the increasing speed of Cloud adoption. It was clear that this floorspace would be more valuable for a business-generating resource, rather than as an ongoing expense for the housing of IT assets.

Finally, a legacy on-premise phone system offered limited functionality and scalability, which would not support the expansion into new office locations, nor meet the increasing expectation amongst staff for home working options.

The relatively slow uptake of Cloud within the Architecture sector meant SGP soon found there was no pre-existing model for what they required to meet these challenges. As a result, they began evaluating potential IT partners, with a key requirement being that the chosen candidate must be able to deliver all the required services, in order to eliminate the need to manage multiple vendors and ensure an efficient migration.

Solution

Following a period of intensive evaluation, including data centre visits SGP selected Exponential-e as their new IT partner. Based on their in-depth evaluation of the project requirements, Exponential-e scaled up a resilient Network solution which connects all of SGP's locations. This was integrated with our secure Virtual Data Centre where a new server infrastructure has been built resiliently. Desktop deployment has now been provisioned using managed Virtual Desktop Infrastructure enhanced with NVIDIA graphics. Our Cisco Broadsoft Unified Communications solution has enabled effortless communication and collaboration between staff across all locations.

Exponential-e also project managed the migration from beginning to end, ensuring it was completed to schedule, with zero downtime. This included regular communication with SGP's IT team throughout, ensuring complete visibility. In the end, the migration was so seamless the users were able to log on and begin using it as soon as launch day arrived, fully embracing the new opportunities available for remote working, which later proved invaluable as the practice adapted its working environment in response to COVID-19. As Senior Partner Michael Barker explained:

"The solution has made remote working work. Previously our people were using a VPN and experiencing numerous problems. Now though, our people can do serious architectural modelling work from a service-station café if they need to. The solution works perfectly, anywhere. This gives our people so much flexibility. And it gives our organisation flexibility, too, as we look to expand."

"The IT investment we made over the previous year or so has proved to be a lifesaver during the pandemic. Not only were we able to move at 24 hours' notice to 100% homeworking without a hitch, but we have demonstrated that we can work effectively anywhere and that our business continuity plan, having now been tested in the real world, is totally effective."

Throughout the project, data protection and compliance with regulations such as the GDPR were key priorities, as SGP works with clients in a number of sectors with extremely specific compliance requirements in this regard, such as healthcare. The rigorous security standards Exponential-e operates to including annual testing of all data centre systems and inbuilt data loss protection measures provides both SGP and its customers with complete peace of mind when storing project files in the Cloud.

All in all, SGP's experience provides an object lesson in how architectural practices can benefit from the Cloud and digital transformation, and a potent illustration of why these technologies are being increasingly embraced by their industry. What digital transformation offers, beyond cost and space savings, is a better way of doing things and a clear path for future innovation. As Michael Barker summarised:

"During the solution delivery, and since then, we have never felt a loss of control from within our organisation. Far from diminishing the practice's control, the technology provided by Exponential-e and Exponential-e's management of it gives Stephen George more control of its current operations and future direction as a practice."

Solution benefits

• Seamless Cloud migration, with zero downtime
• Significant increase in online storage space
• Optimal application performance
• A successful move to remote working
• Full data security and compliance  
  

"The solution has made remote working work. Previously our people were using a VPN and experiencing numerous problems. Now though, our people can do serious architectural modelling work from a service-station café if they need to. The solution works perfectly, anywhere. This gives our people so much flexibility. And it gives our organisation flexibility, too, as we look to expand."

Michael Barker Senior Partner, Stephen George + Partners

About Abercorn School 

Established in 1987, Abercorn School aims to offer its pupils the best start in education by providing a friendly and inspiring academic atmosphere where a true love of learning is nurtured.

The school has gained an enviable record of excellence and achievement for boys and girls from 2½ to 13 years of age. They guide both pupils and parents through the education process to ensure their pupils attain the highest standards and meet their potential.

Abercorn are firm believers in traditional values and standards. However, they are committed to embracing the best of what the 21st century will offer to aid in preparing pupils to face the challenges of the modern world with confidence and competence.

Solution 

Implementing connectivity into the new premises for Abercorn School was a priority, and a September 2015 deadline had Exponential-e working fast. From beginning to end, implementation and testing of a super-fast, low latency Internet line was installed in to the new building in just 6 weeks. This allowed the school to ensure they were up and running in time for the arrival of pupils for the new school year.

A key requirement was for the Internet to be robust and reliable, ensuring that lessons were productive for pupils and that staff were able to access resources as and when they needed to.

The next solution that Exponential-e worked to implement was a refreshed telephony system that would allow Abercorn to reduce costs and increase call quality. A Hosted Voice solution offered Abercorn "fantastic call quality" and was "very easy to use" - that alongside the cost savings it delivered meant that Abercorn implemented this solution in to their second site too.

With communication between the two sites ever increasing, it made sense for Abercorn to look in to a Smart WAN, which provides connectivity between the two sites as if they were using a single LAN. This enables faster communication and file transfer between sites, as well as allowing staff to better communicate with each other.

With space at a premium within the schools, VDCs looked like an ideal method for the school to store data and infrastructure without having to find the space for physical servers within their building. With this sitting within the Cloud, managed by Exponential-e, Abercorn could also be reassured that their servers were being proactively monitored by our 24 / 7 x 365 service desk to ensure resilient uptime.

Another benefit of the VDC solution was the fact that the school could better manage its IT budget, with the requirement to only pay for what they required - and with scalability being incredibly easy they could increase or decrease server space when necessary.

Built on trust the relationship between Exponential-e and Abercorn School has grown and grown and they continue to look to other solutions which weren't part of their initial request for services. Exponential-e was able to reassure Abercorn that the service would work by allowing them to test Internet and telephony services prior to the services officially going live. This provided the school with the confidence they needed to embark upon the relationship and implement its services.

 Challenges

When Abercorn originally approached Exponential-e their school in new premises was not yet open and they had poor connectivity within their existing building. This was therefore a priority for Abercorn, and Exponential-e were selected to provide the service.

Abercorn also had a second site which they needed to communicate with frequently. They were keen to implement increased connectivity between these sites. At the time they were using an existing phone line and spending around £500 a month on calling their other sites. This was a challenge that was resolved by a Hosted Voice solution, which Exponential-e further provided to Abercorn to enable increase communication and collaboration - whilst enabling cost savings.

Solution benefits

• Internet Connectivity - enabled school to open on time and provide both pupils and staff with a reliable, fast Internet connection.
• Hosted voice solution - means that the school are saving around £500 a month on calls between sites, with the quality of the calls also being greatly improved.
• Wide Area Network (WAN) - between sites enables more resilient connectivity, as well as allowing users faster communication with those at other locations.
• VPN Access - allowing staff to work remotely enabled access to documents and data.
  

We recognize that educational organisations need to demonstrate the highest possible standards in technology, as well as focusing on cost efficiencies to deliver ROI. Read our education booklet to discover our solutions to specific eduactional IT challenges.

About ABPI

The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) represents innovative research-based biopharmaceutical companies, large, medium and small, leading an exciting new era of biosciences in the UK.

The ABPI is recognised by government as the industry body negotiating on behalf of the branded pharmaceutical industry for statutory consultation requirements, including the pricing scheme for medicines in the UK.

Solution 

Throughout the whole tender process it was felt that Exponential-e had a quality that couldn't be matched and as Exponential-e were already an existing supplier of a Private VPN between ABPI's 3 site, this gave ABPI the confidence that Exponential-e could handle their IT transformation requirements. Their previous experience with Exponential-e and the quality of the services that were provided meant that they were happy to engage Exponential-e for their future IT needs.

Requiring a large review of their services, ABPI instructed Exponential-e to provide them with Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), 24 / 7 x 365 service desk support, an on-site engineer at their Head Office, managed service support of their applications, virtual firewalls and ongoing Network support.

During the migration to Exponential-e, ABPI were able to address a good proportion of the improvements that they were not able to facilitate with their previous supplier.

Despite a vast amount of modernisation, change in existing services and the opportunity to address all existing problems the implementation of the service was professionally handled by Exponential-e's project managers - with a smooth implementation of all services.

The end result meant that ABPI were able to simplify their IT estate, and in particular their Network, whilst selecting one supplier for all their requirements - protected by a single end-to-end SLA.

 Challenges

With 3 sites, The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) required resilient and reliable services that would enable them to carry out the important work that they do for companies across the UK.

Their relationship with their legacy provider had been tarnished due to long periods of underwhelming service, slow engagement on service improvements and the lack of a diverse product range.

This meant that ABPI were using and maintaining an aging IT environment that was no longer suitable for their needs or requirements. Their ability to adapt or improve upon this further constrained by the restrictions of their existing supplier.

Naturally the ABPI therefore had to look at other avenues, and began their research in to suppliers that could provide them with what they wanted and required. A full-scale refresh was the obvious resolution to their existing archaic infrastructure to ensure that all systems were modern and future-proofed.

Solution benefits

• With previous experience of using Exponential-e as a supplier of a Private VPN between ABPI's numerous sites, ABPI knew that they could trust Exponential-e with their business transformation.
• Throughout the tender process Exponential-e "oozed a quality that others failed to match - despite some very strong competition" and this further supported ABPI's choice to select Exponential-e for this project.
• Exponential-e's exceptionally strong technical team and professional, skilled project management team also aided in ensuring that the transformation for ABPI was fluid and confirmed that their trust in Exponential-e was well placed.
  

About Allport Cargo Services

Founded in 1963 Allport Cargo Services operate in 30 countries, with representation in another 100.

Their Network extends to 450 offices, with more than 21,000 colleagues and a worldwide turnover exceeding £600 million.

Headquartered in Cowley, Middlesex, their 800 UK based colleagues operate out of 20 hi-tech logistics hubs, freight centres and packaging factories: picking, packing and transporting cargo globally every day for customers across a range of sectors.

Solution 

To increase the flexibility and scalability of its Network, Exponential-e worked with channel partner Ideal Networks to migrate Allport's existing Network to its VPLS Network. This solution emulates a Layer 2 VLAN allowing the nine geographically diverse sites to connect as if they were on the same LAN.

The flatter Network structure is easier for Allport to manage, and the solution has built-in resilience by incorporating dual, carrier agnostic routers at each site. As a result, Allport is able to ensure optimum Network performance at all times.

As well as receiving 24 / 7 support and technical maintenance from Ideal Networks and Exponential-e, Allport has also been able to increase the visibility of its Network via a tailored web portal, allowing them to better plan Network resources according to business demands.

 Challenges

Allport Cargo Services, a global freight, supply chain and added value logistics company, was looking to update its existing WAN infrastructure to increase resilience and responsiveness across its Network.

Allport wished to transition to a responsive service provider who could proactively support the migration and management of an upgraded Network. This move would help Allport improve the development of its critical business systems ultimately enabling the business to increase efficiency and drive productivity.

Allport was looking for a flexible and scalable WAN infrastructure to connect multiple sites across the UK. Key to Allport's business proposition is the availability and speed of data transfer across its Network. The Network underpins every process within the business and therefore the provision of a resilient and scalable Network is essential in day-to-day operations.

Allport sought a service provider that could offer not only a more scalable Network but also a management, analysis and monitoring platform. These value added services would allow Allport's IT managers to focus on internal processes and demands.

Solution benefits

• Allport has ensured its business continuity by migrating to a Network that will be able to accommodate future business expansion. By increasing its available bandwidth, Allport has seen immediate improvement and has been able to begin work upgrading its critical business processes, a task which had previously been on hold due to the previous limited bandwidth. These upgrades allow staff to respond to customers more quickly and ultimately have improved customer satisfaction.
• Through working with Ideal Networks and Exponential-e, Allport has benefited from a responsive team of engineers who can offer true 24 / 7 technical support and management across all its sites. Exponential-e is able to provide proactive monitoring and analysis of Network activity to enable Allport to respond more quickly to Network issues.