Forecourt retailer Applegreen is implementing a major IT transformation programme with Irish-owned cloud-computing specialist Auxilion. The cloud-based investment of €500,000 is facilitating the retailer’s move from legacy IT systems across over 200 global sites and will support Applegreen’s expansion internationally.
The company, which reported revenues of €1.17 billion in 2016, has grown from 64 sites in 2009 to 243 forecourt sites across the UK, Ireland and the USA by 2016.
“Exceptional growth rates had placed strains on our existing on-premise technology. The need to rapidly incorporate new sites and scale seamlessly with maximum reliability led to a major review of our IT infrastructure in 2015,” commented Vincent Nolan, group head of Information Technology at Applegreen.
“It is business critical to ensure resilience, stability and scalability when your operations run on a 24/7 basis. Implementing such a major transformation programme without downtime is like trying to change the tyres on a Ferrari without a pit stop,” Nolan aded.
Working with cloud specialist Auxilion, which operates support centres in Ireland and the UK, Applegreen decided to implement a Microsoft Azure cloud computing solution which fits the three major requirements - resilience, stability and scalability.
“We had embarked on a significant IT transformation program over the last 24 months which has been delivered in partnership with our suppliers including Auxilion,” added Nolan.
“This was a huge task for the business. It was vital to find a partner like Auxilion that we could trust to provide us with strong Microsoft hosting, SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) and project management skills, as well as 24x7 support.”
Paul Schmitz, chief sales officer, Auxilion, commented, “In addition to meeting the key project requirements, the Azure cloud solution is an Opex rather than Capex model, so it also frees up valuable capital to help Applegreen fund future expansion.”
Schmitz said, “New sites can be now be added quickly and seamlessly and updates managed centrally with the elimination of costly downtime and upfront investment.”
Auxilion has worked in partnership with Applegreen to provide a total IT solution. “Auxilion is an award winning Microsoft partner and it was great to have the benefit of that experience in the implementation of such a business critical programme. We also have the reassurance of 24/7 support from Auxilion centres in Dublin and Sheffield,” concluded Nolan.
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