25+ Years of Experience
Fixed Service Pricing
24/7 Monitoring
2500+ Fully Managed Users
25+ Years of Experience
Fixed Service Pricing
24/7 Monitoring
2500+ Fully Managed Users
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Riviera Produce is one of the UK’s leading growers of brassicas such as cauliflower and other vegetables including courgettes. They supply the major supermarkets across the UK 12 months of the year from their family farm.
They are based near Hayle on the north Cornwall coast which is not too far from our head office in Exeter, allowing us to offer direct support.
In partnership with a small IT provider, there arose opportunities for improvement in their networking infrastructure, which, when addressed, could significantly enhance the efficiency and growth of their business. Seeking a Managed Service Provider (MSP) with proven expertise and capabilities, they aimed to leverage technology effectively to optimise their operations and streamline workflows.
Rivera Produce’s network infrastructure presented an opportunity for enhancement, with various switches and an outdated server in need of reconfiguration to better align with their business needs. Additionally, there was an opportunity to bolster their resilience against potential risks by implementing robust disaster recovery plans and solutions, thus safeguarding their operations from potential breaches.
On top of this, improvements in Wi-Fi performance were identified as beneficial, as intermittent signal interruptions hindered staff productivity. Strengthening the Wi-Fi reliability across the site would enable seamless workflow execution for the team.
Before delving into the individual IT refresh projects, Riviera Produce came on board as a new managed services client, benefitting from our proactive and professional day to day IT support for all of their users. We then went onto work on the specific issues one by one.
We carried out a thorough network infrastructure review, which involved several projects including; documenting the current network configuration, removing legacy switches, installing new equipment as per the redesigned network layout, configuring VLANs, implementing DHCP scopes, firmware updates, static IP assignments, and cable installation.
Replacing all of their switches ensured they benefited from unified equipment. Unified and upgraded switches offered better performance and reliability compared to their older and disparate equipment. This led to faster data transfer speeds, reduced latency, and fewer network outages and bottlenecks, ultimately enhancing overall network performance and their user experience. This change also resulted in centralised management, making it easier for administrators to oversee the network infrastructure.
An update of equipment also meant they benefitted from advanced security features to help protect their business from cyber threats.
We then migrated their server from Hyper V to VMware. VMware’s virtualisation platform offers greater flexibility and agility in deploying and managing virtual machines (VMs). This allows Riviera Produce to quickly adapt to changing business requirements, spin up new VMs as needed, and allocate resources more efficiently. It also enables features like live migration, which allows VMs to be moved between physical servers with minimal downtime.
To further enhance their efficiency, we rolled out Microsoft Intune. This meant new computers can be pre-configured and provisioned remotely before being sent to their sites. When new users join the organisation, their devices can be set up with all necessary configurations, applications, security settings, and access permissions beforehand. As a result, their new staff can start using their devices immediately upon receiving them, saving time that would otherwise be spent on manual setup and configuration.
Any disruption in the farm’s operations, whether due to a breach or other unforeseen circumstances, can jeopardise its ability to meet these commitments. Nexus Cloud Connect Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery (NCC-BDR) provides the farm with a resilient infrastructure that can quickly recover from disruptions, ensuring that cauliflower supply to supermarkets remains uninterrupted. This helps maintain strong relationships with their supermarket partners and preserves Rivera Produce’s reputation for reliability and consistency. The solution also helps Rivera Produce demonstrate compliance with relevant standards and regulations, reducing the risk of penalties or legal issues.
We carried out a full Wi-Fi review of their site, using our heat map to locate signal black spots, and then re-configured their access-points based on our findings. This new, robust Wi-Fi network ensures reliable connectivity for the systems Rivera Produce rely on, allowing staff to access real-time data, make informed decisions, and optimise operations efficiently. It also means that wherever their staff are working on site, they can quickly communicate via email and messaging apps, improving productivity across the farm.
“… a game changer …”
” Working with Nexus has been a game-changer for Riviera Produce. Their expertise and dedication to improving our IT infrastructure has truly transformed the efficiency and productivity of our operations.
From overhauling our network with unified equipment to implementing cutting-edge solutions like Microsoft Intune and Nexus Cloud Connect, Nexus has not only addressed our immediate challenges but also future-proofed our business against potential disruptions. The Wi-Fi review was particularly insightful, allowing us to pinpoint and resolve connectivity issues that were impacting our staff’s productivity. Thanks to Nexus, our team can now rely on a robust network to access real-time data, communicate seamlessly, and optimise our farming processes.
We’ve also had a dedicated account manager on hand throughout all of these projects and their communication and support has been invaluable. We’re grateful for their partnership and look forward to many more happy years working together.
Peter Willis
Finance Director, Riviera Produce
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