ASL design and implement a resilient network infrastructure solution for Leathams Ltd.

Leathams is a food wholesale distributor with a turnover of more than £90m. It supplies customers across the whole food industry and has 160 users across 3 different sites. Its previous network design left the business exposed to multiple single points of failure, which were unacceptable for meeting the business requirements of a high-transaction fast order processing system.

In addition to creating a redundant network, we implemented a first-class network monitoring solution. This provides Leathams with real-time information on the performance, availability, capacity and tracking growth trends of their network. In addition, our solution goes one step further by also monitoring the server infrastructure and applications. It identifies if there are any faults with these systems, to maximise uptime whilst minimising disruption.

Our solution has ensured there is no single point of failure on the network, which means Leathams’ critical IT services are now available 24/7. 

Dashboard access to the network monitoring solution

Smartphone, tablet devices and large screen displays allow Leathams IT department to access real-time network/server information anytime, anywhere. The system is fully monitored and ‘alerted-on’, with Leathams having full visibility of this process. With our network monitoring service, issues are now immediately identified and resolved.

We provide proactive network monitoring services to solve problems before they affect business capabilities

The ASL network monitoring solution in detail

The Problem

As part of an infrastructure upgrade, Leathams requested that we analyse the network to highlight any potential weaknesses. In conjunction with Dell, we performed an audit of the current network topology. This review found that many network switches and associated uplinks were problematic, in that if they failed, there would be a knock-on effect to 80% or more staff members which would stop them from processing. This level of outage in a 24/7 fast moving high transactional environment, was deemed unacceptable and formed the basis of our design of a new resilient network. Working in partnership with Dell engineers, we designed a solution which was certified by Dell to ensure that it would meet Leathams’ requirements.

The Solution

In key areas of the building we installed multiple stacked switches, whilst also installing multiple fibre connections to increase network traffic throughput. Through the use of Link Aggregation Groups (multiple links connect devices together with redundant paths across multiple devices – LAGs), device failure or path failure means that now only the users on the failed device are affected, and not the rest of the staff. This reduces the number of users affected to less than 20% from the original network design.

Supporting the Solution

Not only did the solution require an update to hardware and connectivity, it also needed a means by which Leathams was able to monitor the system effectively.

Our managed service network support ensures that any failures in these LAG’s are detected, as clearly a redundant system will continue to work even if there are failures. This is absolutely necessary to maintain the integrity of the system and the investment by Leathams. Leathams now have the confidence to know that any changes in their IT personnel, will not mean there will be any loss of knowledge. We still actively monitor the solution and report on any issues as they arise 365 days a year.

Our network solution keeps Leathams’ IT running 24/7/365.

Our networking solution offers:

• Real-time network monitoring to identify and resolve issues as they occur.
• A wraparound service to a leading industry product [PRTG], where we take care of the design, deployment and on-going support for the business’s IT team.
• Non-jargon-based reporting on the network infrastructure and entire server estate.
• Tracking and analysis of system uptime over a 12-month period to assess if management goals and targets are being met.

Why ASL is the preferred managed network monitoring service partner.

We have a proven track record in delivering resilient network solutions which are effectively monitored.  We have worked with multi-site, high transactional distribution businesses for over 20 years.   

At ASL we pride ourselves on offering exceptional customer service through our pro-active approach to IT systems monitoring.

The benefits of working with ASL:

• We have proven experience and expertise in the provision of networking and network monitoring systems.
• We are a leading disaster recovery and off-site back up provider.
• We have in-house, high availability, server infrastructure expertise.
• We provide accurate and detailed monitoring of all systems including the network.
• We take an holistic approach to providing a consistent external IT support function.
• We provide detailed management reporting that demonstrates the ROI on our services.
• Our team is always on hand to resolve issues as they arise.

At ASL we take Corporate Responsibility very seriously. We help businesses to maximise uptime and minimise downtime. Our systems allow internal IT teams to report back to Senior Management, to make sure they are meeting their obligations to the business.

Find out how our network services could enable your business to maximize its uptime –  call us on 0345 862 0350.