The Client
Mr Hugh’s is a producer of cold-pressed rapeseed oil located in Fincham, Norfolk. Their farm consists of 5,000 acres of land, and their high-quality oil can be found nationwide in Tesco and Asda.
ECS began working with Mr Hugh’s in 2011.
The Situation
- Problematic IT systems that limited information access and reduced productivity.
- Ageing and slow equipment – including their server.
- Needed a consistent, reliable source of IT support.
In short: Mr Hugh’s needed to update their server system and proceed with ongoing support and maintenance.
The Solutions
Allowing Information Flow
ECS’s relationship with Maurice Mason Ltd, and later the brand Mr Hugh’s began in 2011. At this time, there was a change of office management at Maurice Mason which revealed some challenges regarding information access and the performance of their IT system. Key members of the team could not access the required information, leading to disruptions due to only one or two individuals having access rights.
ECS were asked to open this flow of information, so that those who needed access, had it.
Server Installation
A new server system was installed in August 2011. This included automated local backups, business-grade antivirus protection and enhanced access to (and management of) the company emails. It also provided additional security for user access to the system and greater protection of company data.
These initial projects brought increased data security whilst improving access for those who required it. This resulted in a more manageable, secure & structured system for the company.
In 2017, the business required a refresh of the server and network. ECS updated the ageing server operating system to the latest version, improving security and giving increased compatibility for the latest modern software packages.
Continual Improvements
Ongoing improvements to the system have been made gradually, with the replacement of old and slow equipment, printers, workstations & laptops. As the growth of Mr Hugh’s continues, ECS supplies additional equipment to aid this development.
In the following years, ECS have continued to provide recommendations to further improve the IT system. Some of those installed include:
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- 2013 – Introduction of Remote working
This allow for specific users, including roaming sales reps, to have secure access to the system across the country.
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- 2014 – A secure isolated wireless system
This created separate access for staff members and visiting guests, ensuring data protection.
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- 2015 – First Unified Threat Management (UTM) device installed
This provided multiple layers of protection from internet-based attacks for all company employees.
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- 2017 – A refresh of the server and network
ECS updated their ageing server operating system to the latest version improving security and increasing compatibility for the latest software packages.
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- 2018 – Next-generation backup solution
This provides an image backup of the server locally and in the cloud. The service provides Mr Hugh’s with a high level of disaster recovery capability, in line with GDPR requirements & the ever-increasing threat of cyber-attack.
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- 2020 – Support during the Pandemic
During the global COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020, ECS set up multiple advantageous remote working set-ups, allowing many Mr Hugh’s employees to work from the safety of their own home seamlessly.
Ongoing IT Support, Monitoring and Maintenance
ECS currently provides equipment monitoring, IT support, managed backup, managed print, hosted exchange, managed anti-virus, proactive IT consulting services and DNS management to help ensure a smooth web-based presence.
