Client: Shepherd Neame

OVERVIEW

Britain’s oldest brewer, Shepherd Neame, established in 1698, has been working with Sota for more than 15 years. The company required a robust connectivity and business continuity strategy for its brewery operations and across its estate of public houses and hotels.

BACKGROUND

Shepherd Neame has been based in the market town of Faversham, Kent for over 300 years. Perhaps best known for great British classic ales, such as Spitfire, which carries the Royal Warrant, its diverse portfolio includes Five Grain Lager, Bear Island East Coast Pale Ale, and Bear Island Triple Hopped Lager, and the Whitstable Bay Collection. It also brews international lagers under licence including Samuel Adams Boston Lager. The independent family business boasts an award-winning visitor centre, and more than 300 pubs and hotels throughout London and the South East.

CHALLENGE

As Shepherd Neame’s operations evolved, its existing network capability became insufficient, and the need for a future-proof solution became more critical. A higher capacity, scalable connectivity solution was required, as well as an updated business continuity plan.

SOLUTION

The relationship between Shepherd Neame and Sota stretches back over a decade. During this time, Sota has implemented both a scalable, cost-effective connectivity solution, and a fully resilient business continuity solution. Shepherd Neame now uses Sota to provide:

  • High availability connectivity
  • Managed IT support
  • Private colocation

Moving from a basic network design to a complex solution required significant technical knowhow. Sota provided Shepherd Neame with a dedicated team to manage the project, with specific expertise in network infrastructure design and implementation. The team worked closely with Shepherd Neame to ensure the solutions met all of the customers’ needs, on time, and within budget. Sota provided the strategic direction and guidance at every stage of the project from design, through to implementation and testing. It also managed the relationship with Openreach, coordinating the entire provisioning process, which encompassed complex civil engineering works. By taking control of the vital-elements in the technology supply chain, Sota was able to reduce the risk of unnecessary disruption by ensuring issues didn’t fall in the gaps between different suppliers. Implementation of a high availability network design allowed the Shepherd Neame business continuity plan to be transformed.

RESULT

The long-term partnership has enabled Sota to gain a deep understanding of Shepherd Neame’s business requirements, responding to challenges throughout its engagement, resulting in a transformed network environment and enhanced business continuity.