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RH Group
31/08/2005
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Powerful collaborators: Servo and BT provide a clear way forward for the RH Group
Upgrading a Wide Area Network can be a complex and costly operation. This case study explains why the RH Group opted for a solution based around IP Clear, and assesses the benefits and cost savings that this has brought.
For organisations embarking on large ICT (Information and Communications Technology) projects, collaboration between different suppliers can pay dividends. For instance, when the RH Group needed to upgrade its Wide Area Network (WAN) recently, this was achieved by a major collaborative effort involving Servo Computer Services plc and two sections of BT - BT Business and BT Indirect Channels.
The RH Group is based in Nottingham, and specialises in the provision of worldwide transport and distribution services. It is best known for its scheduled road freight services to and from Europe. The group has 18 offices in the UK and two in Finland (Helsinki and Turku), and is planning further expansion in the future. In the past, it has invested heavily in IT systems to support its business activities.
Identifying the needs
Until recently, the RH Group was using a traditional WAN infrastructure, with KiloStream technology that was about ten years old. The technology was gradually beginning to fail: the KiloStream lines were becoming unreliable, and were no longer fast enough for the company’s needs.
In addition, the costs of managing and maintaining the WAN were escalating, and the server routing hardware was unsupported. The group needed a faster, more responsive and more-friendly system, and therefore discussed possible upgrades with BT Business.
Richard Litchfield, the RH Group IT Manager, explains: “Our old WAN was at full capacity. The 64kb lines to our branches didn’t give us sufficient control of our links. All of our IT support is based in Nottingham, and if there was a problem in Finland that we couldn’t resolve remotely, this could cause major headaches. Our inability to add further branches was in direct conflict with our Business Plan. We needed a totally resilient solution that would be both reliable and cost-effective.”
BT Business proposed a new solution based around IP Clear, supported on a Cisco hardware platform. IP Clear enables companies to link their sites into a corporate IP Virtual Private Network (VPN).
Richard Litchfield presented the proposed IP Clear solution to the Board of the RH Group, identifying the weaknesses in the existing set-up and outlining the potential savings that could be made with IP Clear.
He explained that IP Clear would provide much greater resilience and reliability than the existing network. It would also provide greater control of its branches in terms of support and security, and would enable new branches to be added easily to the VPN, in line with the group’s Business Plan. He predicted that the new network would break even in the first year, and would subsequently achieve cost savings of some £60,000 per year.
He says: “My predictions turned out to be very conservative. In reality, it now looks as if we will be saving £60,000 in the first year and should subsequently save around £120,000 a year from the new network - and that’s before a whole string of other possible savings are taken into account.”
Developing the solution
Because of the complexity of the project, BT Business called in Servo, an established partner of BT Indirect Channels. Rob Holmes, BT Business Corporate Sales Manager, comments: “We needed specialist expertise to help integrate the new solution with its existing network and software. The RH Group was also keen to use a local supplier. Servo was ideal: its ability to manage the costs of router maintenance and to provide integration consultancy was critical to the success of the project.”
“We were very impressed by Servo’s professionalism and their technical knowledge,” says Richard Litchfield. “They were willing to take on the whole project, working in collaboration with BT Indirect Channels and BT Business.” BT Indirect Channels Account Manager, Nick Panton, helped to co-ordinate the different teams.
The hardware design for the network was provided by the RH Group and validated by Servo. The network and the Cisco routers were sourced through the BT Indirect Channels Integrator programme. Servo installed the routers in the first few sites, and then provided skills transfer training so that the RH Group could roll out the other sites. Class of Service was also installed to ensure that important applications could be prioritised.
Enjoying the benefits
Richard Litchfield continues: “The IP Clear solution has considerable advantages when compared with our previous WAN. It gives us much greater resilience and reliability, and improved control of our branches in terms of both support and security. It is also much more cost-effective than the old WAN, and the bandwidth has increased significantly compared with the cost.
“Our WAN is extremely important to us, as we work in a very fast-paced environment, and we need to respond very rapidly to customer requests. Our systems must run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in a very resilient way - which IP Clear provides. It also gives us a useful upgrade path - if a branch expands, we can increase the bandwidth easily.”
He continues: “We’ve already identified further savings available from IP Clear. We have a Renault truck distributor, which has to dial into France to access the computerised parts system. An IP Clear solution is being installed in France, and we will bridge our VPN with theirs, which will enable us to make huge cost savings.
“We’ve also found that it is cheaper to run a VPN to Helsinki and a separate one to Turku rather than trying to link Nottingham to Helsinki and then Helsinki to Turku. We are discovering more and more ways of saving money as we proceed.”
Extolling the partnership
He adds: “The relationship between the RH Group, Servo and BT has worked very well. Servo has been superb throughout - it’s a company that knows who to approach in BT for any specialist advice, and get things done very efficiently.”
Richard Heaviside, Servo’s BT Relationship Manager, remarks: “We’ve worked closely with the BT team throughout to put together a competitive solution, including its supply and installation. We work with BT on many different levels: independently, in collaboration, as an outsourced partner, or as a partner to Global Services. This gives us a flexible approach to projects - we have a range of options we can present to our customers. We can engage with them in a way that is best for both them and BT.”
Richard Litchfield concludes: “We will have no hesitation in working with Servo again, and we particularly like the fact that they are a BT Indirect Channels partner. In fact, we are already talking to them about our next project.”
About Servo & BT
As one of only four Premier Partners within BT’s ICT Channel (the highest accreditation available in BT Indirect Channel), Servo has full access to the BT portfolio. Our dedicated BT team provides day-to-day account management of BT on behalf of our clients - including pricing requests, scheduling, fault reporting and escalations.
In addition, product specialists pro-actively work with clients to provide advice on network migrations and upgrades to the latest technologies, ensuring that network performance is optimised for line-of-business applications whilst maintaining the cost-effectiveness of the network.
About IP Clear
IP Clear allows businesses to create IP VPNs over BT Global Services' MPLS IP network. It is ideal for corporate customers seeking to link their geographically dispersed sites for the exchange of information. IP Clear offers secure and integrated dial access to the corporate network. Furthermore, it will seamlessly inter-work with other IP enabled data services, allowing companies to create networks based on a mixture of services, or to migrate gradually to IP from more traditional services.
IP Clear provides 'any-to-any' connectivity via MPLS. There is no need to configure and manage multiple permanent virtual circuits (PVCs) between sites. IP Clear is a ‘wires only’ service (i.e. no routers are included) that offers customers great flexibility. New sites can be added easily - all that is required is an access circuit. It also offers tremendous scalability. IP Clear accesses will be available in speeds from 256 kbit/s to 155 Mbit/s.
About RH Group
The RH Group employs 650 staff and has an annual turnover of £85 million. The group provides regular deliveries to and from over 60 depots in mainland Europe and the Nordic countries. Over the past year it has expanded its services to and from Eastern Europe. In addition to European road freight, the company provides long haul freight forwarding and comprehensive logistics services on a worldwide basis.
The company operates two major UK freight hubs, at Nottingham and West Thurrock, four additional warehouses and logistics facilities, and 18 branch offices at key points throughout the UK. The RH Group also operates a subsidiary freight business in Finland, with branches in Helsinki and Turku; a Renault truck distributor; and a truck rental business.
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