Aprolis

From the outset, Marcus was impressed with the redundancy and resilience built into Node4’s VDC. But he admits visiting the Northampton data centre was still a real eye-opener. “We saw the physical redundancy for ourselves – extra generators that would keep our servers running even if the power failed, secured access areas, and perimeter protection.”

This has a direct, positive impact on depots, warehouses, and overall supply chain performance. Engineers do not have to be dispatched from HQ to fix the problem, saving time and money and improving operational efficiency. If there are any issues at a site, the workload can be transferred to another location so the business can keep running.

“It’s taken away all our disaster recovery headaches. These days, I’m an IT manager again, not an IT worrier.”

Looking ahead, Marcus is considering backing up his virtual servers to Node4’s Wakefield facility. “Presenting options like this to the board demonstrates I’m always thinking a step ahead and offering new ideas to improve our redundancy.”

Marcus’s visit also highlighted that Node4 physically stores Aprolis’s data in the UK, which helps support data sovereignty.

“Data sovereignty has links to operational resilience and supply chain continuity,” Marcus explains. “So, having our data physically stored in the UK is an advantage. It’s useful from a governance and security perspective and helps us align with group-level security policies and standards.”

Node4’s VDC also makes it easy to establish and control default security settings. Marcus explains: “That matters because our parent company has its own security team, and they pass those policies to us for implementation. When that happens, we can roll out security updates to existing machines as they’re needed and update templated security settings for new virtual servers. This ensures consistent security across all depots and warehouses and promotes stronger supply chain resilience.”

Stronger security and improved MPLS connectivity also make remote working more viable. “Node4’s VDC and supporting connectivity strengthen support for our distributed workforce,” Marcus notes. “These days, field engineers, depot managers, and warehouse supervisors don’t need to be in Doncaster to work on files from the Doncaster server; they can access them quickly and securely from anywhere in the country just by connecting to the VPN, making for a much more efficient and agile workforce. This is important in the event of a site outage. Order processing can still be managed remotely or from another site. Plus, there’s no double entry when the site comes back online.”

The ability to quickly bring new virtual servers online has made it easier and faster for Marcus and his team to integrate newly acquired companies into the Aprolis UK group. “With Node4 providing the connectivity and the centralised VDC, migrations are completed in a matter of weeks.”

“This improves depot team and engineer productivity as we can now deploy policies and processes quickly when we acquire a new company. Those updates span order processing and HR, for example, and mean it doesn’t take as long to get the new company working in sync,” Marcus notes.

He continues: “It’s also where centralised policies, firewalls, and security settings all really come into play. But integration isn’t just about systems and processes; it’s so much better for everyone if this procedure happens quickly and new employees can start to feel they’re part of the company.”

Asked to identify cost savings from the project, Marcus explains that his new virtualised server environment freed him from expensive five-year server purchase-and-refresh cycles – making budgeting and forecasting far easier.

“We’ve saved money by maintaining high-quality, responsive IT support with the same-sized team, even though the company continues to grow,” Marcus comments. “Reducing our physical server estate by around two-thirds means we don’t have to make as many site visits, which frees up a significant amount of our time. Eventually, that need will vanish entirely, but it’s already made our department far more productive.”

“There’s significantly less travel time,” Marcus adds. “Colleagues can collaborate remotely without needing to be on the same site. Crucially, Node4’s VDC gives us a single version of the truth, allowing teams across different depots to work on the same documents simultaneously, with full confidence that everyone is accessing the most up-to-date information.”

When asked about how he thinks the project will evolve, Marcus explains that he’s keen to explore the potential for AI deployments. “I’d like to focus on areas that would benefit customers and improve efficiency. That might include scheduled and predictive maintenance,” he observes. “But we could also consider chatbot deployments that help customers get fast access to technical vehicle-related information. Whichever route we take, with centralised data in the VDC and the ability to practice good data hygiene, we’re paving the way for AI to run smoothly and deliver for the business.”