“With any large project out in our depots, we know that minimising disruption and delivering exactly what is promised is key – and Pacific achieved that for us.”

Long-term Pacific client, Howdens Joinery – in common with many large enterprises – have been preparing for the end of Windows 7 support for the last few years, migrating their systems onto Windows 10. For Howdens, this migration needed to add more than just an end to Windows 7 – it needed to deliver new services, new efficiencies, and new productivity to their network of depots.

After extensive testing of different hardware and software, and user acceptance testing in depots, the migration began. Many systems were re-imaged remotely, or replaced gradually, but with 3000+ systems still to be replaced across 600+ locations around the UK, Howdens needed a trustworthy partner to help.   

“It’s been a great project to work on with Howdens – they’ve trusted us to deliver and we took that trust seriously. The whole team has been helping to plan routes and minimise disruption, assist engineers, and communicate with depots, and we are really proud of the results.”

Chris Briggs – Pacific’s Head of Service Delivery

Pacific have worked with Howdens for over 20 years, meaning we were a great fit to deliver the project. We provided imaging and asset management services to ensure the systems were ready to be delivered ‘to desk’. We scheduled the installations with the depots, planning around their customer commitments, and communicated with the depots on what would be done and when. We backed up their old data remotely before visiting with our own engineers, installing their new PCs and restoring their data. Finally, we returned all of the old PCs back to HQ for recycling. Hundreds of PCs were replaced every week all around the country, with minimal effect on the depots’ daily work – careful planning and preparation from the Pacific team meant no failed visits.   

Consequently, Howdens depot staff have been provided with fantastic new tools to serve their customers, whilst Howdens IT are safe in the knowledge that they have secure, well-maintained and up-to-date endpoints in their business. Pacific have reported back to Howdens throughout the project, taking on the responsibility for project management to further free up Howdens’ internal resource.

“We chose to use Pacific for this project because of the end-to-end service – supplying, imaging, project managing, and installing the hardware around our estate – and they fully justified our decision. With any large project out in our depots, we know that minimising disruption and delivering exactly what is promised is key – and Pacific achieved that for us.”

Mark Witcomb – Howdens Head of IS Infrastructure

Looking for IT project deployment…?

Pacific are experienced in IT project deployment and IT managed services within the UK, providing our customers with the very best in IT support. To find out more, why not get in touch with our friendly team to discuss your requirements?