Netstar support Argonaut through their transition to IT independence and relocation to new premises

The Customer

London based investment boutique Argonaut Capital was founded in 2005 as a joint venture with Ignis Asset Management.

In July 2012 Argonaut became operationally independent of Ignis and as a result appointed a new Chief Operating Officer and sales and marketing team to focus on the UK market. In addition to the personnel adjustments, Argonaut were faced with the challenging task of demerging their entire IT Infrastructure from Ignis.

The right IT support partner to enable a smooth transition

To ensure a seamless changeover with no disruption or downtime, Argonaut embarked on a rigorous evaluation process to identify possible IT support partners. Following a stringent assessment, Argonaut chose Netstar to execute the crucial project.

Once selected, Netstar developed a robust plan to ensure a painless migration to a fully independent state-of-the-art IT infrastructure. The project included:

• Full provision and installation of virtualized Microsoft Hyper–V server environment including hardware, software and licensing
• Setup of PCs on Argonaut’s new domain with Microsoft Office 2013
• Installation of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services
• Migration of email data to cutting-edge hosted Exchange server with increased mailbox storage and online archiving
• Set-up of a managed print solution – enabling Argonaut to dramatically reduce their print-related costs and environmental impact
• Installation of antivirus, SonicWALL firewall and malware protection, patch management, anti-spyware and spam management
• Provision and optimisation of Blackberry mobile working devices

Netstar installed a comprehensive Back up and Disaster Recovery (BDR) solution to ensure Argonaut’s network was safe, secure and backed up at all times. In addition to 1000GB off-site storage space, the solution provided the following key benefits:

• Server Virtualization – In the event of a physical or virtual server failure, Argonaut can use Netstar’s BDR server like a standby server
• Offsite Replication to Datacenter – Netstar’s servers are all fully backed by the cloud.
• Business Continuity– In the event of a disaster – failover to a virtual office in the cloud would give Argonaut continuation of business as usual

Once Argonaut’s transition to IT independence was complete – they enjoyed Netstar’s proactive monitoring and network administration services ensuring minimal downtime and maximum productivity.

On time, on budget and hassle free office move

In July 2013, Argonaut made the decision to relocate to new premises and understanding the importance of minimizing downtime during this turbulent time, engaged Netstar to manage the project.

Netstar identified the steps needed to execute this task in a timely manner. They moved all PCs, servers and network equipment to Argonaut’s new offices, created new firewall protection and VPN connections and re-setup Disaster Recovery and Remote Desktop Services.

Argonaut’s Chief Operations Officer Matthew Bond comments: ”Not only did Netstar take care of the technical side of the move, they also organized vehicle and teacrate hire!”

The physical “move” was swiftly followed by a comprehensive “testing” phase; ensuring applications and email were functioning properly and optimum connectivity was being achieved.

Netstar Managing Director Mit Patel comments: ”Working closely with Argonaut over the past two years to facilitate a smooth transition to IT autonomy and a painless move to new premises have been rewarding projects. We continue to provide them with proactive IT support and are on hand to assist them 24x7x365. We look forward to a thriving working relationship with Argonaut in years to come.”

Argonaut’s Chief Operations Officer Matthew Bond adds: “Netstar made the transition to an independent IT infrastructure a painless experience. More recently, their management of our office move has solidified Netstar’s position as a truly strategic IT partner. We look forward to Netstar proactively monitoring our IT strategy to ensure our business is operating in an efficient and cost effective way.“

For more information on how Netstar IT Support can support your transition to IT independence or relocation to a new premises, call our London-based team today.