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| Case Study - Deltaform Ltd |
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Deltaform Ltd
Deltaform was a small company in 1998, having been started by Steve Jones and Richard Adams in 1992 to manufacture thermoformed plastic collation trays for the food industry in Bridgwater, Somerset. At the time the business had multiple computers and Steve Jones had purchased networking equipment from a local retailer to enable the computers to be linked to share information. Without the IT skills to set up the network himself, he called ICS&M to ask if they would be able to undertake the installation which marked the beginning of a working relationship which goes back almost 10 years. ICS&M continued to provide an IT service as and when required which developed into a hardware maintenance contract in 1992 which has remained in place since, providing Deltaform with telephone, remote of on-site backup whenever required. Brief Rapid growth at Deltaform throughout the last 7 years has seen the company’s IT needs expand considerably to a point where the company now has over 200 employees and more than 25 PCs across various parts of the company’s operation. By 2001 it became clear that the networked computers were no longer able to cope with the integration of systems and information required in the rapidly growing company and ICS&M were called in to advise on the installation of the company’s first server. Solution A new Dell server using Microsoft Small Business Server 4.5 software was installed to provide a network for 5 PCs. Subsequent growth in the early to mid nineties involved first supplying an upgrade to MS SBS 2000 on a new HP server followed by the installation of an Intel rack mounted server running MS SBS 2003. After upgrading to the Intel rack mounted server, the HP server was converted to a terminal server to allow remote dial-in and access to database applications. With the expansion of the business into several units now totalling over 100,000 ft2, including the recent opening of a 40,000ft2 warehouse, ICS&M managed and installed a structured gigabit network using Cat5e network cabling in 2005. In 2006 ICS&M were once again the lead IT consultant in advising, managing and installing the gigabit network in the adjacent building using fibre optic to link the two buildings. The new warehouse located a few hundred meters away also required networking back to the main building which was accomplished by ICS&M recommending a microwave link which allows non line-of-sight connections. ICS&M have also provided most of the workstations and printers now installed around the company’s buildings.
“ICS&M have proved to be a key supplier to Deltaform, particularly through the recent years of strong growth, which has inevitably put pressure on our IT systems. The advice we receive is structured and the support is both attentive and effective”. Steve Jones, Managing Director, Deltaform Ltd
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