Fostering Solutions
Fostering Solutions had a slow and over-complicated network that left staff frustrated. Through simplification and managed support, Zen helped Fostering Solutions build a better future.
Fostering Solutions
Established twelve years ago, Fostering Solutions is one of the UK’s leading independent fostering agencies in the UK
Every day, its carers and staff work to ensure the children and young people in their care enjoy a safe and secure home where they are given every opportunity to enjoy their childhood and reach their full potential. The organisation provides a mix of emergency, short-term and long-term placements, working closely with local authority teams to achieve positive outcomes for every child or young person, even when they have complex needs or exhibit challenging behaviour.
The challenge
Fostering Solutions relies on IT systems to help it provide outstanding care and support, but its solution was unwieldy and increasingly out of date. It was made up of a mixture of connectivity solutions, including wireless, SDSL and ADSL. Network security was handled discreetly at each site, though managed by a central in-house team. Meanwhile, the organisation’s Bolton head office acted as a hub, hosting its key business applications.
Unfortunately, limited bandwidth at head office affected the performance of the entire network, leading to a frustrating end-user experience. Slow applications and long delays led to complaints from staff. What’s more, securing the network was proving time consuming and expensive, while the existing solution wasn’t easily scalable. The network was struggling to meet current demands at a time when Fostering Solutions was actively and consistently growing.
The Solution
Lesley Davidson, the organisation’s ICT Manager, decided enough was enough, and her team talked to a number of providers about a more effective and suitable network solution.
Lesley says: “We chose Zen because we felt they fully understood what we were trying to achieve and would work with us, not only for present requirements, but future ones too.” The new solution we proposed incorporates IP VPN with a mixture of Ethernet and ADSL connectivity services plus centralised Network Security. We project managed and handled the migration from start to finish. “Zen were very organised in terms of managing the project” notes Lesley, “and extremely patient.”
The benefits
Zen’s simplified network design has created new efficiencies for Fostering Solutions’ in-house IT team, freeing them up to focus on other opportunities and challenges, rather than troubleshooting network issues. With Ethernet circuits backed up by SLAs at mission-critical sites, the organisation can now rely on sufficient bandwidth and 24/7 availability. In turn this has led to happier staff, who can get their work done quickly without the stress of a poor connection.
The solution has also made the work of managing and securing the network much easier. With our Managed Support team providing backup, Lesley and her staff can implement new security policies swiftly and confidently through a centrally managed security platform that now provides enterprise-grade protection, network wide. Branch offices are supported remotely, while the need to travel to set up new user accounts has been eliminated, as the work can be done over the IP VPN.
What’s more, the new solution is scalable. As Fostering Solutions grows, so can the IP VPN to take in new sites without the cost and complications encountered with IP SEC-based VPNs.
With Zen on board, Lesley says Fostering Solutions “are able to utilise expertise we don’t have in-house. If we have any ideas, we know we can run them by Zen and get expert help and advice.”
Fostering Solutions now has a fast, reliable and secure network that its staff and carers can rely on, with capacity for easy expansion. It’s a win for Fostering Solutions, its carers, and the children and young people it supports.