Just Recruitment is a recruitment agency specialising in the provision of permanent and temporary workforces throughout the East of England. With a head office in Ardleigh, Essex, and subsequent offices located in Ipswich, Haverhill, Sudbury, and Witham, the company was looking for a managed IT service who would be able to comprehensively support more than 60 employees.
Although the company had previously worked with another IT supplier, they were looking for a change. They specified that they needed a team who was able to take a proactive approach to system management. Simply put, they wanted to feel confident that any disruptions or technical failures would be minimised and that they had a fully-managed system which was being effectively monitored to prevent any issues from occurring.
The Challenge
At Lucid Systems, one of our strengths is providing a seamless experience for clients who are transitioning from one IT supplier to another. When we began working alongside Just Recruitment, we needed to migrate their existing servers from their previous supplier’s data centre into Lucid System’s dedicated Ipswich data centre. Throughout the transition, we needed to repair any existing server problems and provide them with a comprehensive roadmap of upgrades which would ensure that they had a secure and stable system. Future planning was also of great importance, and we knew we needed to implement a stringent disaster recovery system.
The client was looking for stability and standardised desktop experience for all users across each location. In a fast-paced environment such as recruitment, they needed to feel confident that each of their recruitment consultants was able to provide an efficient service for both candidates and clients. They had previously felt that their existing system wasn’t experiencing the level of up-time and security processes that were needed for their growing business. They needed to have a system in place which was not only reliable and robust but could adapt and grow with their business.
An additional challenge was that because of the nature of Just Recruitment’s work, they consistently hold large volumes of personal identifiable data for each candidate. Therefore, it was vital to them that their solution provider was ISO 27001 certified to meet GDPR. We listened to their requirements and within a year of working alongside Just Recruitment, we achieved our own ISO 27001 certification which shows our capability and commitment to security and customer care
Our Approach
Our immediate priority was to take control of the server hardware and relocate it to our Ipswich data centre. This allowed us to undertake a comprehensive assessment of the reoccurring IT problems which had been plaguing the client. This assessment allowed us to prioritise and plan. We were able to fix the most serious issues which were causing significant problems and prepare a plan for how we could redevelop the entire system to further improve user productivity and system reliability.
Our assessment allowed us to make a variety of recommendations and we met regularly with Just Recruitment to explain what options were available, including the technical and financial pros and cons of each solution.
The final solution which was agreed in collaboration with the client was to change from a multi Remote Desktop Services (RDS) server environment to a clustered RDS server environment. This meant that we could utilise virtual servers to ensure that all hardware resources were available to all users throughout each office location. We knew that any investment into IT solutions needed to have longevity, therefore, we replaced the server hardware to ensure that any new system would have capability far beyond the initial requirements. This allowed us to build a platform in which they could expand. We also installed new firewall hardware and software; this allowed us to ensure that all network security adhered to GDPR. To assist with performance and reliability, we migrated Just Recruitment from an Exchange Server to Microsoft Office 365 which has far greater scope to meet Just Recruitment’s needs.
The client was clear that they needed a system that provided proactive management from their external IT supplier. We set up our fully-managed Protected Backup Solution which allows us to provide disaster recovery drills and ensure that any vulnerabilities are spotted and resolved, preventing issues from occurring.
The Timescales
As this was a comprehensive transition, the scope of the project was huge.
Our initial analysis allowed us to resolve the pressing technical issues within the first eight weeks; this ensured that Just Recruitment wasn’t being adversely affected by unnecessary downtime. It allowed them to improve the services for their clients and candidates.
The redesign and implementation of the IT infrastructure took much longer. For two years, numerous changes took place and we held fortnightly meetings with the senior management team at Just Recruitment. This allowed us to continually assess the impact of the new IT systems and Office 365 migration upon the business at every stage and gain valuable client feedback. This allowed us to fine-tune the IT solution, allowing us to provide the most appropriate system which meets Just Recruitment’s immediate and long-term priorities.
The Results
The client has been extremely satisfied with the transition from their previous IT supplier to Lucid Systems. Thanks to our immediate prioritisation of issues, we were able to ensure that Just Recruitment had much better access to their system servers. Reoccurring technical errors were fixed which meant that the client’s recruitment consultants were able to experience greater productivity and easier access to internal information regardless of where they were located. Each employee has also built greater confidence in their IT system because they know that it meets their needs and helps them to work effectively.
Looking to the long term, Just Recruitment will see a significant return on their investment. Not just because there are fewer technical issues impacting productivity, but because they have the flexibility to adapt to any changes that may occur through organic business growth. Also, having an external managed IT service with ISO 27001 certification means that Just Recruitment can confidently provide demonstrable proof to both clients and candidates that they take data protection seriously. This has the potential to have positive knock-on effects, which could lead to the client winning new business.
The Statistics
The recruitment sector is extremely fast-paced; commission is only paid when candidates are placed into roles, so a recruitment agency must be able to work efficiently at all times.
Since Lucid Systems resolved Just Recruitment’s reoccurring technical issues, the amount of time that the systems weren’t functioning effectively has been reduced by an estimated 85%. We’re also thrilled to note that consistency has been significantly improved since the installation of the new system. Just Recruitment now benefits from server up-time of close to 100%. This shows that the new system has met its objective of improving functionality and reliability.
Just Recruitment was conscious that any new investment into IT systems needed to emphasise security. Since the implementation of GDPR, it has become more important than ever before for the client to demonstrate their ability to hold personal data securely. We’re pleased to note that since the new server was installed, Just Recruitment has achieved Cyber Essentials Certification. This means that they can feel confident in demonstrating to their clients how secure their systems are, as well as having additional resilience against security threats.
