Moving core infrastructure to a data centre with minimal disruption.
How SHW improved performance, scalability, resilience and security for more than 250 users through a carefully planned relocation of its central systems.
A growing property adviser needed its central systems in a safer home.
SHW is an independent property advisory business specialising in commercial and residential property. It operates from eight sites across the south of England and supports more than 250 users through a central Virtual Desktop Infrastructure.
The VDI platform gives employees mobility while maintaining control over business systems and data. Historically, however, most of the supporting infrastructure was housed in the Brighton head office, where the building and local connectivity imposed limits that technology changes alone could not resolve.
Power protection was restricted, there was no generator, cabling was ageing and high-speed network capability was limited. Multiple internet lines still depended on the same local exchange, while cooling and the location above another commercial premises added further resilience concerns.
After beginning its relationship with SHW in 2016, Fifosys evaluated the available options. Replicating data-centre levels of power, connectivity, cooling and physical security inside the office would have required disproportionate investment, making relocation the strongest business case.
The head office could no longer provide the resilience the VDI platform required.
Local building, power and connectivity constraints increased both the likelihood of an outage and the time needed to recover.
Limited power redundancy
Restricted UPS capacity and no generator meant an extended outage could take central systems offline.
Connectivity constraints
Ageing cabling, no 10Gb network and internet lines sharing a local exchange restricted resilience and performance.
Environmental and location risk
Inadequate cooling and the position above another commercial premises created avoidable infrastructure exposure.
A high-risk migration
Every site depended on the central platform, so the move had to protect data and minimise disruption for more than 250 users.
A recommendation based on risk, options and the commercial case.
Fifosys did not begin with a predetermined solution. The team helped SHW evaluate the risks, understand the implications of different approaches and compare alternative solutions with appropriate budget costs.
The preferred data-centre option comprehensively addressed power, connectivity, environmental and physical security concerns at a lower cost than recreating the same capability in the head office. Detailed planning then gave SHW confidence that a complex move could be completed safely.
Clear evaluation and business drivers
The proposal connected each technical option to risk, resilience, cost and the requirements of a growing organisation.
End-to-end project ownership
Fifosys coordinated suppliers, budgets, contracts, engineers, testing, communication and the final go-live.
Contingency-led planning
Potential failure points were identified before the move and matched with practical fallback plans and sign-off criteria.
Plan every dependency, move once and support users immediately.
The project covered the commercial, technical and human aspects of relocation, from contract negotiation to on-site assistance after go-live.
Build the project and business plan
Set out costs, drivers, budgets, third-party responsibilities, communication and clear testing criteria.
Document and protect the environment
Record existing systems and back up all data and configurations before physical work began.
Install the data-centre platform
Deploy hardware, networking, firewalls, servers and SAN storage within the secure co-location facility.
Reconnect every SHW site
Configure resilient links between the data centre and offices, then update workstations and laptops.
Test with technical and business users
Complete system checks and involve end users so service quality could be confirmed before sign-off.
Move over a single weekend
Execute the relocation to the agreed plan and provide on-site support when employees returned.
Stronger resilience and better performance without disproportionate capital cost.
SHW gained a high-availability foundation that can grow more predictably and gives employees faster access to the VDI platform.
Improved user performance
Faster VDI access supports productivity and improves the everyday experience for employees across the estate.
Linear scalability
Capacity can be expanded as the organisation grows without repeating large, disruptive capital investments.
High-availability resilience
Multiple power supplies, high-bandwidth leased lines and hardware failover remove key single points of failure.
Minimal migration disruption
Central infrastructure was moved over one weekend with little impact and without needing the contingency plans prepared.
“The entire project was well planned and went incredibly smoothly.”
What would a stronger technology foundation change for your organisation?
Start with the challenge, the risk or the pressure on your team. We will help you understand the most practical route forward.