Marcus Curtis, IT Manager, Aprolis UK, explains how moving 90 ageing, scattered servers into Node4’s Virtual Data Centre cut the company’s physical estate to 24, while giving his team the fixed pricing and direct control it needed to win board approval.
Aprolis UK specialises in the sale, rental and ongoing support of materials handling equipment and industrial solutions. This includes forklift trucks, industrial doors and warehouse equipment. Part of the global Monnoyeur Group, Aprolis UK has expanded through acquisitions and now serves over 500 customers, including B&M Retail.
However, such growth presented significant IT challenges. “We had around 90 ageing servers at locations across the country,” said Marcus Curtis, IT Manager, Aprolis UK. “We couldn’t manage them centrally and had to schedule in-person site visits to resolve issues. On paper, a public cloud solution seemed like the obvious choice, but it was overly complicated and lacked transparent pricing.”
The solution
While assessing his options, Curtis discovered Node4’s Virtual Data Centre (VDC) offering. “It was refreshingly simple,” he said. “There’s a fixed monthly price with no hidden charges for networking, data transfer, or micro-transactions. It finally allowed me to present a solid business case to the board and demonstrate a costed pathway towards cloud and virtualisation.”
As a first step, Node4 established a centralised network backbone by deploying secure MPLS connections from one of its data centres to each of Aprolis UK’s depots. From there, server migration was straightforward: new servers were provisioned in the VDC and ageing on-premises machines were gradually decommissioned. “It’s so easy to spin up new servers and transfer the data,” he said. “It means we can respond quickly and bring new machines online at a moment’s notice.”
Crucially, Curtis and his team maintain direct control of their virtual environment. “We still prefer to deploy our own servers and retain responsibility for them – we’re a very tech-savvy team, so that suits us well,” he commented. “But there’s always the option to transfer more control to Node4 if, for example, we are short-staffed for any reason. The VDC offers both options and that flexibility is invaluable.”
The results
Improved Disaster Recovery
From the outset, Curtis was impressed with the redundancy and resilience built into Node4’s VDC. But, he admits, visiting the Northampton data centre was still a real eye-opener. “We saw the physical redundancy for ourselves – extra generators that would keep our servers running even if the power failed, secured access areas and perimeter protection. Our Disaster Recovery capabilities had kept me awake at night, but I could finally sleep easily. The visit also underscored the fact that our data is physically stored in the UK, which is key to retaining data sovereignty.”
Looking ahead, Curtis is considering whether to back up his virtual servers to Node4’s Wakefield facility. “Presenting options like this to the board demonstrates I’m always thinking a step ahead and offering new ideas to improve our redundancy.”
Simplified, unified security
Node4’s VDC also makes it easy to establish and control default security settings. “That matters because our parent company has its own security team and it passes those policies to us for implementation,” said Curtis. “When that happens, we can roll out security updates to existing machines as they’re needed and update templated security settings for new virtual servers.”
Stronger security and improved MPLS-based connectivity also make remote working more viable. “Aprolis UK has a distributed workforce,” Curtis noted. “But we were tethered to our desks. The VDC and supporting connectivity changed that. Now, you don’t need to be in Doncaster to work on files from the Doncaster server; you can access them quickly and securely from anywhere in the country just by connecting to the VPN. This makes for a much more efficient and agile workforce.”
Faster integration of acquired companies
The ability to quickly bring new virtual servers online has made it easier for Curtis and his team to integrate newly acquired companies into the Aprolis UK group. “It used to take around three to six months,” he recalled. “However, now that Node4 provides the connectivity and the centralised VDC, migrations are completed in a matter of weeks.
“That’s where centralised policies, firewalls and security settings all really come into play. But integration isn’t just about systems and processes; it’s so much better for everyone if this procedure happens quickly and new employees can start to feel they’re part of the company,” he said.
Cost and efficiency savings
Asked to identify cost savings from the project, Curtis explained that his new virtualised server environment freed him from expensive five-year server purchase and refresh cycles – making budgeting and forecasting far easier.
“We’ve saved money by maintaining high-quality, responsive IT support with the same-sized team, even though the company continues to grow,” said Curtis. “Reducing our physical server estate by around two-thirds – from 88 to 24 – means we don’t have to make as many site visits, which frees up a significant amount of our time. Eventually, that need will vanish entirely, but it’s already made our department far more productive.”
Looking to the future
When asked about how he thinks the project will evolve, Curtis explained that he’s keen to explore the potential for AI deployments. “I’d like to focus on areas that would benefit customers and improve efficiency. That might include scheduled and predictive vehicle maintenance,” he observed. “But we could also consider chatbot deployments that help customers get fast access to technical vehicle-related information. Whichever route we take, with centralised data in the VDC and the ability to practice good data hygiene, we’re paving the way for AI to run smoothly and deliver for the business.”
Final thoughts
“Node4 is the extra team member you can call on whenever you need them,” said Curtis. “The one who always has your back. Their technology is amazing, but the real difference is that it’s underpinned by helpful people who genuinely want our business to succeed. I know I can pick up the phone to speak with my account manager or meet in person at any time. They’re always happy to discuss new options and approaches. That direct connection, commitment and desire to build a genuine long-term relationship sets Node4 apart. It’s what makes their offering unique.”
