How CPF Installation moved from a single-engineer server to SharePoint

The client

Bespoke joinery for offices, bars and restaurants

CPF Installation is a bespoke joinery business specialising in solid surfaces for offices, bars and restaurants. It has been trading since 2008, with teams who need to work both at the office and away from it.

Its previous IT arrangement depended on a locally based server and one engineer from a small independent provider. When the server failed, that engineer's limited availability could leave the business waiting more than a day for it to come back online.

The challenge

A local server that was difficult to reach away from the office

Remote access was another persistent problem. Staff had to connect to the server through VPNs, and those connections did not always work. For a business with people working on customer sites, unreliable access made files harder to reach and added avoidable delays.

Remedian initially continued supporting the local environment, then proposed SharePoint and explained what moving the files to the cloud would change. The client chose to proceed after seeing how it could remove the dependency on one server and make remote access more practical.

The implementation

Moving from the server to SharePoint

The move was completed quickly, with most of the time taken by syncing the large volume of files. There were some early syncing issues, but engineers attended site and resolved them rather than leaving the customer to work through them alone.

Once SharePoint was live, the previous VPN problems disappeared. Microsoft 365 and SharePoint changed how the team accessed and used its files, and the client described the new setup as a world apart from the old server.

Support continued after implementation. Questions were handled through the helpdesk, and when an issue needed escalation or an engineer on site, the client said it was dealt with quickly and effectively.

Beyond the migration

CCTV, proactive monitoring and tested file recovery

The relationship also covered problems outside the original server project. CPF's old CCTV system could not integrate with the new internet connection and routers. The issue was raised during an account meeting, a quote was supplied within hours and, once accepted, the replacement system was installed within a week. Remote viewing then worked as the business had wanted.

Proactive monitoring identified security risks on a director's desktop and gave the business confidence that devices were being watched rather than only checked after a fault. Backup also proved its value when an important folder was deleted and Remedian recovered it.

The outcome

Faster support, better remote access and stronger awareness

CPF said nine out of ten helpdesk issues were resolved within a couple of minutes, with effective escalation when more work was required. Urgent out-of-hours help was available, and engineers could attend the same day or within hours when remote support was not enough.

The business also became more aware of viruses and other threats. The client described the antivirus protection as a substantial improvement on the old setup and valued the close relationship with a team that could explain the risks as well as manage the technology.