Greyhound Recycling
Telcom brings digital transformation project to life for leading waste management company
Greyhound Recycling
Business Challenge
Greyhound Recycling embarked on a digital transformation project in early 2020 and the move was fortuitous with the outbreak of Covid-19 just a few short months later.
The move of core server infrastructure to Microsoft’s cloud-based Azure service and the replacement of a legacy telephony system with Microsoft Teams, gave Greyhound the flexibility to continue providing high levels of back-office functionality and customer service during multiple lockdowns and periods of severe business disruption.
However, cloud-based services are only as efficient and productive as the telecoms infrastructure they are running on, and this is where Greyhound faced their biggest technology challenge.
Unreliable telecoms connectivity from a previous supplier wasn’t sufficiently robust to support the day-to-day IT needs of the business.
"People look at our business and think we just pick up bins. There's a lot more to it than that. From the technology in our trucks that records every bin lifted to our data science team that analyse that data for better decision-making, reliable access to all of our core business applications is mission-critical."
Industry:
Waste Management
Solution:
Direct Managed Fibre with Seamless, Resilient Failover
Secure Firewall Technology
Full Managed Service
Business Outcomes:
More Reliable Connectivity Resulting in Higher Staff Productivity
Enhanced Security at the Network Core
Higher Levels of Customer Service
Improved Business Reporting and Decision-Making
High-Performance Distributed Fibre Connectivity Across the Campus
Recognising that resilient telecoms connectivity was the primary challenge, the Telcom team set about reviewing the IT requirements and right-sizing a solution that would meet the demands of a business, heavily reliant on accessing cloud-based applications for its voice and data services.
With its servers sitting in Azure and its call-centre, sales and support teams using Microsoft Teams for VoIP telephony, Greyhound needed enterprise-grade fibre connectivity with a high level of reliability and at a price-point that would represent solid return on investment.
Shane Tully, Chief Commercial Officer with Telcom recommended commissioning a 200Mbps dedicated fibre connection to cover the main office and three other buildings located on site. With business continuity top of mind for Greyhound’s executive team, a 100Mbps fibre connection was also deployed which serves as automatic failover should the primary connection become unavailable. Right-sizing the internet connectivity was a critical element of the project.
To protect the network at the edge, two Juniper Networks’ SRX firewalls were supplied and configured. Security is something that Greyhound were very conscious of, given the sensitive nature of the data it holds for its 165,000 customers.
"Businesses need robust communications delivered by a partner that understands the demanding environment they operate in. Telcom takes a deep dive into their IT operations to ensure that solutions are tailored to meet their needs. It's not a 'one-size-fits-all' approach."
Peace of Mind with a Full Managed Service
Greyhound’s line of business applications are the lifeblood of the business. As trucks enter the weighbridge, their SIM cards are synchronised with Greyhound’s waste management and logistics software across the Telcom network.
Data on weights are matched to customer accounts which generate appropriate statements and billing. The data science team also run reports on costs of disposal and GPS vehicle tracking to ensure that waste collection routes are optimised and carbon footprint is kept to a minimum.
"Getting dedicated fibre connectivity from Telcom was the pre-cursor to our digital transformation journey. In reality, if we didn't have that in place, everything else wouldn't be working as well."
The mission-critical nature of Greyhound’s telecoms connectivity is clear and that’s one of the reasons why Paul Mulhall opted for Telcom’s full managed service, which provides continuous monitoring on the availability and performance of the Telcom wide area links.
It is a multi-vendor solution that provides proactive support for Greyhound’s WAN, routers, switches, firewalls and supported by a defined service level agreement on initial response to faults, repair metrics and overall availability levels.
A managed service gives Paul Mulhall the peace of mind that business continuity remains front and centre of the Greyhound business and reinforces the company’s committment to excellence in customer service.
"We have a strong relationship with Telcom over a long period of time. We get a great level of service from the commercial and technical teams and that reinforces the confidence we have in Telcom as a trusted partner to our business."
Spotlight on Telcom's Enterprise Connectivity Solutions
Direct Managed Fibre
Primary connectivity consists of a high-performance 200Mbps direct fibre connection, right-sized with sufficient speed and bandwidth for Greyhound's IT requirements. This services four individual buildings at Greyhound's HQ including the main office, weighbridge, logistics centre and a smaller office.
Resilient Connectivity with Seamless Failover
A 100Mbps Active VDSL link provides resiliency and seamless failover in the event of primary link failure. Business continuity is secured for Greyhound's operations.
Secure Firewall Technology
Firewall technology based on Juniper Networks' SRX series of devices consolidates switching, routing and security into one appliance.
Managed Service
Our managed network service monitors the availability and performance of Greyhound's enterprise network. The service encompasses the following:
* Pro-active management of all device types (routers, switches, firewalls)
* Automatic problem and incident notification
* Configuration and change management
* Data collection and network performance reporting
* Intelligent event correlation
* Full problem and incident resolution
