Metro Rod modernises at pace

As a leading provider of drain clearance, repair and maintenance, Metro Rod is a franchise business with 42 depots and more than 400 engineers around the UK. In 2017, Metro Rod was acquired by Franchise Brands plc, and joined a portfolio of specialist franchise businesses that includes Willow Pumps, ChipsAway, Ovenclean and Barking Mad.

BCN’s Infrastructure-as-a-Service solution provides a solid, secure and flexible basis for bringing entire IT environments into the cloud. Once there, we are able to design and build a bespoke system within Microsoft Azure, which can include everything from SharePoint Online and Office 365 for a large and distributed workforce, to firewalling, data archiving, business continuity and legacy application support for full functionality.

Prior to 2017, Metro Rod had been outsourcing its entire IT infrastructure and support to EnServe, which carried responsibility for the franchise business’s datacentre. Following the acquisition by Franchise Brands plc, Metro Rod needed to vacate EnServe’s systems within a relatively short timeframe of six months. Rather than build its own datacentre and acquire new hardware, Metro Rod decided to move to a cloud-based infrastructure with a dedicated solution, and began looking for a provider with the necessary skills and capability to support them on a core legacy platform while spearheading a larger digital transformation.

BCN positioned itself as an IT partner who could getting them up and running with a new, future-proofed infrastructure within a strict six–month timeframe. 

Metro Rod’s legacy system and processes were inefficient and clunky.

The shared on-premise infrastructure meant the environment was complex, with information stored across several systems and bespoke applications delivered via other legacy systems.

To complicate matters, the legacy systems contained unreliable data, and many of the applications, including SharePoint 2007 and 2010 and Exchange on Premise for Email, required additional investment.

The legacy system was also expensive to run, requiring large servers. 

Consultancy, planning, and a full Azure migration – delivered in just six months

Migrating to Azure has transformed Metro Rod’s IT landscape.

The move has dramatically reduced complexity, giving the business complete visibility and management over its entire environment and data estate.

It has accelerated digital transformation and maximised ROI, through the adoption of addition of further cloud-based solutions and bespoke applications.

Today, both central operations and individual franchises benefit from an IT environment that is easier to manage, maintain, and scale.

With enhanced date, security, robust business continuity, and the full advantages of the cloud, Metro Rod now operates with greater confidence and efficiency every single day.

Metro Rod found the IT partner they were looking for in BCN, and we are proud to continue supporting them along their digital transformation journey. Since completing the initial migration project, we have developed a number of additional bespoke applications to further streamline workloads and processes, integrating them seamlessly with new software and an evolving environment.

We have also rolled out Azure Data Factory across the business, and have supported the deployment of a cloud-based telephony, communications and collaboration platform to speed up customer contacts, drive service efficiencies across franchises and reduce TCO. We look forward to supporting Metro Rod for many years to come.