Our client is a not-for-profit haulage organisation and national training programme. It equips individuals with the skills and confidence to pursue careers in transport and logistics. The scheme supports people who may have struggled to find employment and addresses the industry’s skills shortage.
They launched in 2016 with a basic IT system that was only intended to be a temporary solution. Files and folders were stored in various locations, providing a significant challenge to the growing team. Despite inefficient IT, the training programme was successful and new opportunities were arising. However, they needed a fit-for-purpose IT solution to drive the business forward; in particular, they needed Cyber Essentials accreditation to enable them to engage with the public sector.
FLEX IT APPROACH
Project
Having met with the team, we agreed the priorities were to organise the multiple temporary systems into one effective, intuitive, and scalable IT solution. The organisation needed to embrace remote working and also required Cyber Essentials accreditation to apply for contracts.
Timeframe
This project was completed over 6 months. The greatest challenge was gaining access to multiple systems. With this achieved, we progressed promptly and were proactive in keeping the team informed of developments.
Solution
We developed a new, secure cloud infrastructure and collaborated with existing providers to migrate data across without disrupting operations. A management platform was provided as a central control of all systems. To enable flexible working, all computers were replaced with new, properly specified devices. In addition, we agreed on an ongoing support package, to proactively deploy updates, troubleshoot issues and maintain security.
Enhancing and evidencing cyber security was fundamental to future growth. Firstly, our solutions were fully compliant with built-in protection. Secondly, we provided an Information Security Policy with advice on implementation. Finally, we engaged our CE consultant to audit the organisation. Cyber Essentials accreditation was achieved very quickly due to the thorough IT groundwork put in place by Flex IT.
Conclusion
Equipped with a new and secure IT infrastructure, the team benefits from greater efficiency and improved communication. In addition, CE accreditation has opened up the opportunity to bid for new contracts. The IT structure, with a central management system and our ongoing support, provides the necessary foundation for expansion.
"When we originally formed, we used services supplied by and had IT support from two separate sponsors. As the business grew we needed to become independent from these organisations and have one single IT support function.
In Flex IT we found a supplier keen to understand our business. They are small enough to give our people personal attention, yet large enough to provide the infrastructure and applications we needed to enable us to develop".