The Landscape
As their six-year-old SBS2003 server began to struggle to service the company’s 40 users and 35 mailboxes, Mackays realised their on-premise server hardware had to be upgraded. The server was also preventing future Office upgrades due to compatibility issues, which was causing problems. Plus, while the company’s desktops were adequate, they had various Office versions including Office 2007 and 2010 – a problem common to many businesses of this size.
In addition, Mackays needed a new Line of Business (LOB) application upgrade, which also required improved hardware, and external users were also going to need to access this going forward to ensure business effectiveness and productivity. There were also concerns over the backup and disaster recovery available to the business, which it was relying on more and more as it grew. The team decided to call in Shackleton.
The Plan
Mackays investigated both hosted and on-premise solutions for the LOB application and after much deliberation decided on an on-premise model. Shackleton then worked with the LOB application provider to ensure that the revised infrastructure met all requirements and also recommended moving the email functionality to Office 365 to take advantage of the flexibility of the solution as well as the standardisation of Office applications. Shackleton also recommended a business continuity solution to ensure that in the event of a serious incident the business could continue to function.
The Journey
The migration was carried out in stages, with a lot of work undertaken outside business hours, to ensure as little inconvenience to end users and as little disruption to the business as possible. Email was migrated and Office Applications were updated in the first instance covering all end users’ equipment including all mobile devices and tablets. The data was then migrated to the new server infrastructure, which comprised a physical server and multiple virtual servers all running on Microsoft Server 2012. Lastly, working with the supplier, the LOB application was migrated.
All servers are now being backed up by the business continuity solution. This includes both onsite and offsite backups along with full server virtualisation providing complete protection for the business.
The Goal
The new IT infrastructure has given Mackays better resilience and an improved hardware platform with the latest on-premise and hosted technologies. The business has benefited from greater efficiencies, remote data accessibility and increased flexibility through using Office 365. And the Datto Business Continuity solution has meant greater business peace of mind, knowing that the server infrastructure is secure both on-premise and virtually in the Cloud.
Client Testomonial
“From the presentation of our new server proposal to the install and implementation of the project, the Shackleton’s team were 1st class. Our server was installed with no downtime or disruption and the results were instantly recognised by our staff.”
Mark Thomson. Financial Accountant.
