Flexible and reliable hosting solution helps VCI drive digital transformation for SMEs

VCI Systems provides IT consultancy and support to small businesses ranging in size from one-man-bands to organisations with up to 60 users. Amito’s cloud and data centre services enable it to offer customers a cost-effective, secure and low risk hosting solution.

Small businesses often lack dedicated in-house IT expertise, and VCI’s clients trust in the team to provide the right guidance as technology evolves. As COVID-19 accelerated one SME’s digital transformation plans, VCI turned to Amito for a solution.

The brief

VCI Systems had won a new SME client with an existing on-premise network that was sufficient for occasional remote working, but wasn’t configured to support multiple users, or to deliver the functionality of one of its core products. The off-site user experience was markedly different compared with in the office. As lockdown hit, the need to improve remote working capabilities by moving to a data centre became urgent.

“We’d worked alongside other data centre providers on various projects in recent years, but having built a relationship with Amito I was in no doubt as to my data centre of choice,” says VCI’s founder and managing director Robert Creech.

The solution

Amito provided VCI Systems with an entire hosted solution which takes the responsibility for tasks such as procuring hardware, provisioning services and installing and configuring firewalls off the company’s shoulders.

“We’re able to support our client with levels of failover and redundancy far beyond what they could achieve at a realistic cost within an office, without us having to jump through all the hoops to get there,” says Robert.

VCI has been able to improve on the client’s previous remote working solution by setting up a secure VPN within Amito’s data centre. Users connect to corporate systems from wherever they’re working, getting the same functionality as they would in the office.

“We’ve been able to keep the end user on familiar territory,” explains Robert Creech. “Off-the-shelf solutions such as Azure can be configured, but you need to work within their limitations. With Amito’s solution, the client didn’t have to change how they wanted to work – the remote solution matches the office experience rather than providing a feature-restricted facsimile.”

VCI is also able to lean on Amito’s 24/7 monitoring and support service. “The response is second to none,” continues Robert Creech. “With other providers we’ve experienced wait times of days following an issue. Amito prioritises according to context, and its support is proactive. Not long ago we had to reboot a server, and within a minute we’d received an email alert followed by a call from a technician.”

As more of VCI’s customers opt to move their networks, workloads, apps and data off-site, Amito’s cloud infrastructure gives them the flexibility to meet individual hosting requirements. The team can quickly and easily make changes, and scale up capacity and resources as businesses grow.

Amito’s pricing model also suits the needs of growing businesses: a fixed monthly fee, with a cost-per-user on top, means VCI’s customers always know where they stand and can budget effectively.

The outcomes

VCI is able to support and accelerate its SME customers’ digital transformation plans by offering a dependable and scalable cloud hosting solution.

• Stronger client relationships – Amito’s infrastructure expertise helps VCI to recommend the right solution, and positions it to win higher value contracts.
• Lighter management burden – VCI’s standardised infrastructure can be used across all clients, making support easier; staff only need training on one setup.
• Major cost savings for the customer – moving to a data centre means less ‘kit’ in the office, reducing the need for floor space, and no big financial outlay to replace hardware when it comes to the end of its life.
• Major cost savings for VCI – the team manages its estate via Amito’s remote portal; they no longer have to travel to the client’s site to fix physical hardware.

“Many smaller businesses are recognising the value of shifting to a hosted cloud platform,” says Robert Creech. “Our clients have outsourced the responsibility of finding the best approach to us, and we needed to get it right. Amito’s solution helps us to look after our customers, giving them total faith in our ability to keep their vital information, applications and resources safe and available.”