Strong Energy

Strong Energy chooses Microsoft 365

The heat is on! Strong Energy chooses GCC to supply and provide Microsoft 365 support

When Gloucestershire-based Strong Energy needed a new IT system, they wanted it fast. The biomass heating & renewables specialist was setting-up operations from scratch in an entirely new location and time was of the essence.

They had a pressing need for an entirely new IT system to be more accommodating of remote working and real time activities.

After speaking with a number of potential IT suppliers, Strong Energy chose GCC as their business partner to specify and support a new IT system and to manage the transition and transfer of records from the previous IT system which was deeply embedded within a large multinational organisation.

“In the end it was a simple decision.

Our expertise needs to be oriented towards being the best in wood heating systems and our business recognised as the University for biomass. For us to keep the focus in the right areas, we needed an IT business partner, not just a supplier, who would go the extra mile and have a “whatever it takes” approach.

It was clear that GCC had listened to us, understood our business, and provided a detailed review that met our needs. They also had all the expertise necessary to specify, install and support the best possible IT solutions.”
Jeremy Margetson, Group Financial Controller, Strong Energy

  • Challenge

    >  The company had plans to operate a nationwide operation from a new location in South Gloucestershire, which created a pressing need for an entirely new IT system to be more accommodating of remote working and real time activities.

    >  Strong Energy had ambitious growth plans and within the first year after the transition the business has doubled its sales. Having a new IT system that met its business needs was an important factor.

    >  50% of staff working remotely and their current IT infrastructure was not set up to accommodate this.

    >  Managing the transition and transfer of records from the previous IT system which was outdated and deeply embedded within a large multinational organisation.

  • Solution

    > Install and support Microsoft Office 365. This enabled access over the internet – or via the ‘cloud’ as this is often called – to well-known Microsoft Office tools such as Word, PowerPoint and Excel, with Outlook for email, SharePoint for document management and Skype for Business.

    > Email data was extracted from the outdated IT system at the offices of Strong Energy’s previous corporate owner and migrated to the new system.

  • Result

    >  The company is now fired up for growth and is delivering against its continued ambitious growth plans.

    >  Strong Energy now benefit from improved efficiency, collaboration and communications. It is now possible to share information across sites, to work remotely from any location on any device and from home.

    >  The move to ‘the cloud’ also has other benefits. As the business grows, it is easy and cost-effective to add new users or upgrade software. And importantly, the cloud provides a safe and secure location for all company data, with automatic back-up and guaranteed data security.

    “We’re not IT experts ourselves so we needed the reassurance that we had IT specialists readily available to support our operation, records and some sensitive data.”
    Jeremy Margetson, Group Financial Controller, Strong Energy.

Organisation details

Organisation:

STRONG ENERGY

Industry:

MANUFACTURING / WHOLESALE & DISTRIBUTION

Turnover:

£2-5 MILLION

No of Employees:

10+

No of Sites/Offices:

1

Location:

BRISTOL

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The GCC support service provided to Strong Energy includes the following benefits:

A helpdesk staffed by highly trained, accredited, and experienced IT professionals

Pro-active remote management and monitoring

Additional security through regular patching

Remote assistance via telephone and email

Online portal access – incident logging, tracking & management

Online portal access – FAQs, latest news, and user training

 

GCC support means we can relax, safe in the knowledge that our IT will always be stable, fully-functioning and up to date – without us having to do a thing.

And if there is a problem, or we just need hand-holding, we have expertise on tap.

It also means that I can get on with my day job.

Jeremy Margetson, Group Financial Controller

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