The challenge
Working on projects from the south coast of Devon to the Highlands of Scotland, Ringway Group works with local authorities maintaining the network in the UK. Whether it is resurfacing the fast lane, installing a new bus shelter or painting markings on a runway, the company strives to provide a quality service, on schedule and on budget – all of the time.
Due to the very nature of its work, Ringway’s 3,000 employees are very mobile and move to different parts of the country with every new contract. The company has over 1,000 PC users, who need to be able to access ICT systems for HR, fleet management, finance, work order management and vehicle tracking from an ever changing range of locations. In 2008, Ringway reviewed its existing ICT infrastructure and identified that a Software as a Service (SaaS) IT model would enable it to better meet the needs of its mobile workforce.
Before the company could launch this new IT strategy, however, Ringway first had to consider the full implications for its business. Many of Ringway’s customers are local authorities, so the new network had to be able to adhere to public sector regulations relating to data security and stand up to rigorous penetration testing. Ringway also identified that
any system downtime might hamper its ability to deliver good service and complete projects on schedule. It therefore had to implement an effective business continuity plan, to ensure the constant availability of its core business systems, in the event of a disaster.
The solution
Rather than deliver its new SaaS systems from its own company headquarters, Ringway decided to appoint an external partner to host the systems. It had an existing relationship with Telstra International and took a tour of one of Telstra’s UK Data Centres in London’s Docklands. This purpose built facility offers a spacious, secure and fault tolerant environment that is directly connected to Telstra’s high speed connectivity backbone.
Ringway elected to take two racks of space at the Data Centre, and this gives the company more than adequate capacity for its SaaS systems. At the same time, Ringway upgraded its existing Telstra Multi Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) networking service, to increase network capacity and ensure fast connectivity for users. Ringway also used Telstra’s MPLS network to create a high-speed link between its hosted systems and an internal back-up system.
This is an EMEA based case study
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