Building Connections: Centralising Hales Group's IT Infrastructure

A centralised IT plan and consolidated server are vital for clear business ongoings. See how Netmatters were able to help Hales Group by upgrading their IT network


The Client

Hales Group are a leading provider of health and home care services across the UK, delivering over 50,000 hours of award-winning care each week. The client also offers high-quality recruiting services for commercial, industrial, and residential roles. They have established themselves as one of the largest providers in the market, with an award-winning reputation built upon their care for clients, candidates, and consultants.


The Requirements - What Was the Challenge?

Being a large company, the client has sites across the UK, and each location had its own IT infrastructure, requiring them to troubleshoot their own issues independently. We identified that introducing a centralised plan would help provide a clearer direction for their infrastructure which in turn would offer more opportunities to improve moving forward.

When reviewing the existing data center that was set up to house their core infrastructure by their previous provider, we also identified the opportunity to improve their server speeds and support additional functionality by moving to a new system.

Similarly, we found that longstanding functionalities could be trimmed down from their existing infrastructure in order to save on costs and minimise the risk of a technical debt being incurred.

With this in mind, we took a holistic approach to the client’s IT by looking to improve their infrastructure as a whole. The focus was on driving standards and procedures to address these points - placing less reliance on ad-hoc fixes.


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What Was Our Solution?

The first part of our solution was to move the data center into Azure. This allowed us to have all the company files, applications, and services running in secure and up-to-date systems.

Once the data was securely housed, we could turn our attention to cost saving. To achieve this, we reduced the number of required servers considerably and then consolidated all of the services spread out across several different servers into one. 

Following the data move and the server consolidation, we have worked to rationalise billing. The existing process was non-standardised, so by ensuring that licensing is configured correctly and frequently checked, we have reduced the client’s costs for the same products with no downturn in service.

Currently, we are working to get an in-person view of all of the client’s sites around the UK. At each location, we have found opportunities to improve their infrastructure both in terms of their servers and wiring. We are resolving issues as they are identified at each location, as well as writing up detailed recommendations and guidance for resolving the remaining issues that require more planning or equipment.

Building Connections: Centralising Hales Group's IT Infrastructure

The Result

By consolidating their server infrastructure, the client’s total server count has shrunk from 22 to 11 without any lost functionality. Additionally, through rationalising their billing and licenses, their costs for servers and Microsoft 365 licensing have more than halved.

The client also now has a clear, centralised IT plan in place, with processes implemented to manage new starters and leavers, and system load-outs in place for the former. Additionally, there is now documentation for the entire network detailing how and why things are set up the way they are. The client can now feel comfortable that their IT infrastructure is under control and running efficiently.


"Netmatters came in as our IT partner around the same time I joined in my role. In that time, they have moved our whole estate into the cloud, brought down our costs and embedded themselves with our team across our many sites. The team of technicians that support us are knowledgeable, friendly and have brought back a lot of confidence in the IT systems across the business."


How Can We Help You?

If your IT infrastructure lacks direction or is loaded with inefficiencies, Netmatters’ experienced IT support team are here to advise. 

With a team of experienced, expert developers and technicians ready to help, we have a track record of delivering effective bespoke IT infrastructures that are streamlined, logical and easy to use. Take a look at our work for Tex Group for another client’s experience.

Get in contact with one of our specialists in Norwich, Cambridge or Great Yarmouth to book your free IT consultation, where we can discuss your requirements in further detail.

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