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Environmental Engineering Partnership
5th March 2007
Even before the takeover, EEP’s ageing server had been creaking slowly towards an obvious demise. With the absorbing the new, Farnham-based business, the two offices needed to be linked. It was time to look for a solution.
"Our existing IT support company had been falling short on its promises for some time", said Nigel Bowater, Director, EEP. "Maybe my expectations were too great, but it was clear that the service we were getting wasn’t a particularly proactive one. What we needed was an IT support service which would work with us and anticipate our needs. Our provider didn’t do this, a symptom of which was that our overloaded server collapsed without warning."
| "Once on board, Riverbank quickly helped us specify our new network and the links between the two offices, and installed our new system" |
Growing discontent coincided with the takeover of the new company which, according to Bowater "was a bit Mickey Mouse technically, so it was crucial that we find someone who could advise us on a system that would provide us with consistency."
As luck would have it, an EEP colleague knew of an Oxfordshire company which was providing a focussed and hands-on IT service to firms in the region. As a result, Riverbank IT Management’s MD, Malcolm Newdick, was asked to pitch for the account and Bowater and his colleagues thought that they had finally found an IT support service which would meet their requirements.
"When Riverbank came to see us, we saw that we might well get the support we were looking for", Bowater says. "We were at a crucial point; not only were we struggling with an out-of-date system, but our existing server had no coverage in Farnham."
"Once on board, Riverbank quickly helped us specify our new network and the links between the two offices, and installed our new system."
According to Bowater, the proactive, one-to-one service provided by Riverbank during the past 20 months has helped contribute to the confidence EEP now has in its IT platform. "I have a great deal of confidence in Riverbank and what they’re doing for us. I’m no IT expert and neither are my colleagues, but the relationship we have with our account manager is a good one. He doesn’t talk down to me and always tries to deal with my aspirations in a positive and use-friendly way."
Malcolm Newdick continues: "In addition to linking EEP’s West Wycombe and Farnham sites, we were also able to provide them with better facilities for flexible working and now several people have connections to the office network from home. They also have better protection, with improved anti-spam and anti-virus systems, as well as a reliable back-up system."
| "I have a great deal of confidence in Riverbank and what they’re doing for us" |
Whilst Bowater isn’t a fan of home working he does admit that the home-office links can make life easier and communications more efficient.
Set up in 1978 by two of the five current directors EEP now has 35 staff, 28 at West Wycombe and seven at Farnham, servicing clients in the UK and in Europe.
"EEP is a relatively small company which embraces a policy of slow expansion", explains Bowater. "We have no aspirations to be huge, for the main reason that we are engineers who like practising engineering. Become too large and you’ll soon find yourself pushing bits of a paper around a desk. We like and understand smaller companies and the can-do, hands-on attitude they often aspire to, which is why we are happy working with Riverbank. If Riverbank was to become too big and its current ethos changed, we’d probably be looking for someone else."
Despite the rapidly changing business environment, EEP’s market has been relatively consistent since day one. And although Bowater recognises the opening up of new opportunities in Europe, he also understands that new opportunities bring with them a new set of challenges.
He explains. "Many companies working in Europe are increasingly facing problems caused by changing regulations. Legislation is becoming tougher and building regulations more severe, which makes increasing demands on people like us.
"The changing working climate has created a need for a more holistic approach in our industry", he continues. "We now need to look at the whole building, which has created the need for more modelling programmes upfront."
Despite the additional work, Bowater is optimistic and sees the changes as opportunities.
"There is a positive side", he says. "A holistic approach means that we have to be involved earlier and, as a result, we are increasingly taking over some of the areas previously dealt with by architects. The future, as far as we are concerned, is very positive. Having a reliable IT backup is crucial to remain competitive in an increasingly competitive environment."
