The challenge
- Disparate IT systems across the Group a barrier to communication
- Need to improve IT security and resilience
The Bridson & Horrox Group is the Isle of Man’s leading printing business and specialises in digital printing, design, marketing services, and signage. The 84-year-old company, which employs over 40 staff, prides itself on exceptional customer service and is positioned as a one stop shop for local businesses.
As part of a long-term strategic growth plan, the Group has recently acquired two like-minded printing businesses in the UK: Haslam, and Wallace Printers.
“Everybody in the Group is customer-focused. Having the right IT systems in place is crucial in underpinning the quality of our service, but with the acquisition of two new businesses, we found ourselves with disparate IT platforms. This was a barrier to internal communication, and ultimately reduced our ability to respond effectively and quickly to customer requests.”
Darren Horrox, Managing Director at Bridson & Horrox Group
At the same time the company had been subject to a ransomware attack and core infrastructure had been breached. Faced with the challenges of implementing a consistent IT platform and improving security and resilience, Darren turned to long-standing IT partner Synapse360, who suggested that using their cloud services would address these issues.
Our solution
- Synapse360 Infrastructure as a Service
- Cloud-based backup and Disaster Recovery
With Synapse360 Infrastructure as a Service, Bridson & Horrox Group can quickly access a consistent desktop across all three sites. What’s more, resiliency and security are improved as Synapse360 use enterprise-grade IT and security at their Isle of Man data centres.
“It made sense. We used to manage a lot of our IT systems in house, but just like our customers, we wanted to make our own lives simpler too.
“Moving the management of your critical infrastructure to an external supplier can be risky, but the team at Synapse360 took the time to fully understand the B & H Group environment and requirements before they designed the service. They were also able to demonstrate service functionality with a proof of concept, which gave Darren and the team confidence in the solution.”
Darren Horrox, Managing Director at Bridson & Horrox Group
The result
- A common IT platform across three divisions
- Reliable, scalable, and secure platform
- Reduced capital outlay
- Improved desktop performance
- Applications and data are automatically protected as part of the solution too, so Bridson & Horrox no longer has the hassle of creating and maintaining backup tapes.
“We no longer need to worry about our IT, it’s just available and scalable when we need capacity. With this solution you can forget about maintaining, replacing, patching, or upgrading your infrastructure and best of all are the predictable monthly costs that mean no big capital outlay.
“Our focus should be on delighting our customers, not managing our IT. We can now leave that to Synapse360, safe in the knowledge that it just works.”
Darren Horrox, Managing Director at Bridson & Horrox Group