Founded in 2004, First Mile aimed to revolutionise waste and recycling for businesses. Since then they have grown significantly and now have 150 drivers and over 100 environmentalists in the London HQ. They are passionate about using the latest technology and innovation to ensure that their waste is recycled as much as possible.
First Mile were classified as an essential business during the COVID-19 lockdown in the UK which meant that the pressure for them to deliver business-as-usual was never greater.
The Challenge
First Mile experienced frequent outages, some caused mainly by firewall configuration and others coming from their server infrastructure. This caused major disruption to the business and prevented the First Mile workforce from being able to support the recycling needs of their local communities to the desired standard. Deemed an essential business during the COVID-19 pandemic, a strong and continuous service is crucial to the success of First Mile.
Prior to approaching Infinity Group, First Mile outsourced their IT Support to an incumbent supplier. It was agreed that whilst the existing company provided good telephone and remote support, they were unable to provide the specialist expertise and technical leadership required to migrate them from the traditional on-premise infrastructure to the Microsoft Cloud. Furthermore, their existing supplier was based outside London and First Mile believed that a more local supplier may enable them to digitally transform more rapidly.
The challenge was focused around increasing connectivity and guaranteed up-time for First Mile to provide their workforce with the ability to stay connected to local communities with minimal disruption to the essential work that they were carrying out across the UK.
Prior to approaching Infinity Group, First Mile outsourced their IT Support to an incumbent supplier. It was agreed that whilst the existing company provided good telephone and remote support, they were unable to provide the specialist expertise and technical leadership required to migrate them from the traditional on-premise infrastructure to the Microsoft Cloud. Furthermore, their existing supplier was based outside London and First Mile believed that a more local supplier may enable them to digitally transform more rapidly.
The Approach
Initial 3 Site Audit: The objective for the audit was to gather as much information on the existing First Mile configuration and create a multi-year roadmap, in order to carefully manage the project moving forwards
Service Desk Onboarding: The Infinity service desk provides unlimited telephone and IT support to the 100+ First Mile users, providing reassurance as users transition to new services
Cabling & Switching: The physical infrastructure was made strong enough to support the growing workforce. A cabling refresh was conducted in order to remediate the frequent outages that First Mile experienced
The Cloud: Documents were migrated to the Cloud using the Microsoft Modern Workplace solution which combines Microsoft SharePoint, OneDrive and Teams to create robust file management systems that are backed up and secure
Firewalls and Antivirus: A security review revealed that some configuration factors were preventing First Mile from realising the true potential of the platform they had available to them. These were configured to better support the business
User Training: Infinity empowered the First Mile workforce with the skills and tools needed to maximise the return in the investment they had made in technology, giving them the confidence to adapt to a new and more efficient way of working
Our Solution
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck in March 2020 First Mile were ahead of the game when it came to file access and collaboration inside the organisation. The move towards the cloud that Infinity Group facilitated meant that the business was able to keep the lights on for the duration of the lockdown. Deemed an essential business, First Mile were armed with the agility to utilise the power of the cloud in order to keep the recycling process in operation, keeping Britain’s’ streets green.
The broadcast storms that were being felt across the network were quickly diminished as the transformation project progressed. A cabling refresh alongside a thorough review of connectivity and security allowed First Mile to feel the benefits of a smooth and stable network. The improvements in physical infrastructure provided a foundation for the business to embrace digital transformation and adapt to a new, modern way of working. Better use of file management via SharePoint facilitated a more collaborative way of working, with a reduced need for sharing files via email and other mechanisms which increase network pressure.
Microsoft Teams kept the workforce in constant communication; a real advantage when the pandemic struck in March. Able to quickly share information on the move, the team mobilised to keep the customers at the heart of their operations.A licensing review revealed that cost savings could be made by making use of functionality that was being invested in but not utilised by the existing supplier. Finally, Infinity combined IT Support and User Training to provide First Mile with the safety and security of a reliable and stable technology platform, enabling them to maximise their recycling potential and support us all through the first wave of the COVID-19 lockdown in the UK.
What’s next for First Mile?
First Mile are now fully migrated to the Cloud; this alone has drastically improved their productivity and streamlined their operations. On the back of the success of the initial projects at their Headquarters and the Operations Department, Infinity were commissioned to install the networking equipment and leased line at their newly opened office in Birmingham, providing a dedicated, secure fibre internet connection.
Infinity Group continue to work with First Mile on a long-term basis helping them achieve their IT strategy to further improve business operations.