iTEK manage seamless transition of Porsche Centre Kendal IT infrastructure to new dealership
ABOUT
Parker & Parker Ltd. began selling Porsche from their Kendal base in 1957. The showroom is said to be the UK’s oldest Porsche garage and has been a huge part of the Kendal community over the last 60 years. In July 2021, Parker & Parker moved their Cumbrian dealership from Kendal to a £5 million state-of-the-art facility by the M6 junction 35 near Carnforth.
The showroom now boasts ultra-fast chargers, a direct diagnostics bay, specialist handover bay and much needed larger showroom and workshop facilities.
iTEK COMPUTER SOLUTIONS (part of the inTEC GROUP) have supported the IT infrastructure at the family-owned Porsche Centre for 5 years and were the obvious partner to work with to assist with the dealership relocation. In early 2020, Parker & Parker contacted iTEK to brief them on this exciting development. The long-lasting relationship coupled with complete trust in iTEK’s high standard of service meant that the project did not go out to tender. iTEK were the natural choice and perfect fit. Ben Mitchinson, iTEK’s Managing Director, commented:
“Porsche simply trusted us to do the job right, first time, without any issues.”
BUSINESS REQUIREMENTS
The Porsche Centre’s relocation requirements included the complete transition of their IT infrastructure from Kendal to the new Carnforth facility. Initially, Ben and his team met with Simon Parker (one of the directors of Parker & Parker Ltd.) in a technology consultancy and planning role. Ben established excellent working relationships with other key parties involved in the showroom build including architects, building contractors and project managers. This ensured that, from day one, the correct specifications were in place from a physical cabling perspective.
Ben and his team also consulted with Simon regarding their internet connectivity, IT security, Wi-Fi, VoIP telephony, audio and visual systems, computers and all related IT equipment; the full package. Ben said:
“The IT and audio-visual aspect of the Porsche Centre South Lakes project was a pleasure to be managing and responsible for. The scale and duration of the project made this a significant piece of work for iTEK to undertake. The team and I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of the project, from planning to final commissioning of all the systems and I have to say that the finished Porsche Centre South Lakes centre is simply incredible!”
When the physical project got underway, iTEK worked alongside the electricians to install all the fibre and copper data cabling throughout the building of which there was approximately 15km. In addition, iTEK performed the installation of the Wi-Fi and telephone systems, all the relevant testing, setting up the desktop computers and laptops, managing and installing all of the audio-visual requirements and the provision, configuration and installation of all security infrastructure including firewalls and perimeter security.
OUTCOMES & BENEFITS
The entire infrastructure relocation project took just over a year to complete. Despite the many complexities of a large IT project like this and the fact that all of this took place during the Covid-19 pandemic, iTEK completed the task ahead of schedule and were fully Covid compliant throughout.
On completion of the new showroom, Simon Parker, Director at Porsche Centre South Lakes, said:
“We trusted iTEK to come up with the solutions and they did. Everyone is delighted with the results. The solutions that iTEK put into our business have been instrumental in us providing better customer service. We are more obtainable, we’ve got better phone systems, we’ve got better IT systems, the whole business just works on another level. We are able to deliver a better customer experience. The staff are happier at work – they can work more efficiently. Ultimately, that means the customer is happy too!”
iTEK continue to manage and provide on-going support around every element of the IT infrastructure at the new Porsche Centre South Lakes dealership including:
- IT security
- E-mail & data collaboration systems
- Hosted voice VoIP telephony
- Internet connectivity
- Wi-Fi
- Servers and networking infrastructure
- IT support & maintenance
Delighted at the outcome of the year-long IT project, Ben also commented:
“I have to say that the finished centre is amazing, and we are absolutely delighted with how the project has turned out. The ‘Go-Live’ date on 12th July went smoothly without issues and all IT systems continue to operate as required. Porsche and the Parker family were fantastic to work with and it goes without saying that this has been by far our favourite project to date!”
Simon concluded:
“We highly recommend iTEK’s services. We have built a relationship based on trust. They provide us with exactly what we need, whether that be a new solution or something that we already have in place but need to improve. If you require very quick response times, they are always there to support you if you have an issue – you can guarantee you have got someone you can trust at the other end of the phone or email. Ultimately, they keep our business working efficiently and effectively.”
CONTACT US
> Call us: 0345 565 1767
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> Visit us: inTEC BUSINESS, Queens Chambers, 5 John Dalton Street, Manchester M2 6ET
*iTEK are part of the inTEC Group