How scalable IT support turbo-charged a windfarm’s growth

How scalable IT support turbo-charged a windfarm’s growth New businesses often add IT support only after they’ve established themselves. That can be a short-sighted approach. As demonstrated by this windfarm operator, getting IT support from the start can provide a springboard for rapid and sustainable growth. Objective: Position a windfarm business for ongoing growth When a windfarm operator set up operations in 2010, they aimed to expand rapidly. And they realised their IT systems could not be allowed to hold back business. In fact, IT not only had to grow with them, but also assist in their business expansion. Initially, the windfarm operator would have offices in Sydney and Melbourne which would need seamless access to data. A document management system was therefore a first priority. As they built windfarms across Australia, employees at those sites would also need to be connected to data and to the offices. “When they first began in Australia in 2010, they had four people. Now they have three hundred staff in administration alone, with more in remote sites. Even then, they knew they would grow fast, and needed their infrastructure to scale with the business. Because they thought ahead from the beginning, we could provide the right advice, and offer the best technologies to support growth in the best and most cost-effective way.” Steve Ranson, CEO, Nexio Group. Thinking outside the box Before the exponential uptake of cloud, conventional wisdom dictated that IT systems should generally be deployed on premises. So in 2010, the predictable course of action would be to create a dedicated server room in an office, and upscale and increase servers as business grew. However, Nexio Group always look beyond the predictable to see if there’s a smarter way of doing things. After discussing their requirements, it was clear that centralised access to data was key. Since this data is highly confidential, security and privacy would be essential. At the time, both on-premises and hosted solutions were viable options. But after examining the advantages and disadvantages of data access, backups, security and cost structures for each option, a hosted solution became the front runner. The team were then able to search the market and found a reputable Australian hosting partner, who then helped to fine-tune the solution for the windfarm client. All of the windfarm’s data and core communications systems including telephony were hosted by the partner. Nexio Group provided helpdesk and IT support. In effect, this was an early cloud solution, which at the time was ground-breaking. And it proved so successful, we offered similar solutions to other clients in tandem with our hosting partner. The flexibility to adapt and grow The hosted solution enabled the windfarm operator to increase the size of their business and operate in multiple locations with ease. As business grew, it was easy to add on extra computer resources to support it. Behind the scenes, Nexio Group ensured everything ran smoothly. And when it came time to move from the hosted solution to the Microsoft 365 cloud, Nexio Group worked with the hosting partner to manage the migration with no disruption and no down time. Support and expertise-sourcing Nexio Group continues to support the windfarm operator, not just in terms of daily operations, but also for major upgrades and changes. And if needed to, the team can work with outside resources. For example, when the windfarm operator needed to give more control of Microsoft SharePoint to their business units, Nexio Group worked with an external consultant. The ability to work with subject matter experts throughout a customer engagement can be crucial. In this case, the consultant enabled Nexio Group to develop bespoke processes to ensure infrastructure being created was future-proof and matched the needs of the business. Tips for any business A lot of businesses think it makes sense to run their IT as cheaply as possible when they start operations. For example, they’ll have the lowest-cost cloud subscriptions. But this can be a false economy. When business grows, they find their IT can’t scale to match that growth, or their subscriptions don’t provide the features to fully empower the business. Ultimately, this means lost opportunities – opportunities to get new customers, tap into new markets, provide new and differentiating services – and more. Crucially, it can also mean opening up your business to cyber-threats. Cyber security is now more complex than ever, and it’s vital to ensure 24×7 protection. The best course of action for any business without an optimal Cloud set up – whether you’re a new or established business – is to talk to IT experts. They’ll help you choose the right technology to enable growth from wherever you are now. They can also do cost-per-user projections so everything is easy to budget for. While IT consultants have their place, it’s better to talk to managed IT services experts such as Nexio Group. They can not only do an initial consultation; but they also know what’s most effective and economical to run over the long term – because it’s their business to know. In addition, they can discuss the pros and cons of managed IT support versus DIY and how your IT impacts on the rest of your business. In this sense, a Managed IT Services company becomes more than a technology partner, it becomes a business partner. In a nutshell, if you’re a business with ambitious growth plans, make sure you: Get IT advice early – don’t try to do it yourself Plan for growth and put in the right technology to support it Understand how to reduce the burden of IT so you can focus on business. “It’s important to understand how you intend to grow from where you are now, and budget for that growth at the same time. A lot of start-up businesses begin with the cheapest subscriptions, but that presents problems when the business grows, which we’ve seen many times before. It’s never too late to optimise your IT for growth, and the sooner you do it the