IT Projects Update

Dear All

With lots happening in 2024 and more coming this year, we thought it would be good to update you on IT changes, including:

• New initiatives coming in 2025
• Key projects that have been implemented over the last 10 months.

Coming Soon

Group Telephony Deployment

 This will allow for better collaboration and mobile working across the group and will introduce a soft phone concept whereby you will use your Teams app on your laptop as your When you require inbound and outbound dialling you will get a Dialpad in Teams and your own assigned phone number. If you are visiting any other office or working remotely your phone number will always remain the same.

If you have the Teams app on your Mobile phone the landline number will also be picked up in Teams. There will be some physical handsets deployed for the receptionists where required.

•  Phase 1 – Migration to Teams Telephony in Colchester, Ipswich & Chelmsford – Q1
  • Due to rollout  week commencing 10^th March
  • ‘How To’ guides and ‘End User’ instructions will be provided in advance of the rollout.
  • There will be onsite engineers on the go live date who will provide support and additional training.
  • Once you are happy with your new service the engineer will ask you to complete a User Acceptance form.
  • Post-go live – Any issues can be reported to the Utilize service desk or if you are not sure how to do something in particular you can contact the Utilize Just Ask team.
• Phase 2 – Migration of the remaining offices.
  • This will happen following IT integration in – Q2
  • Further details and dates will be sent out in due course.

Group Mobile Migration to O2

We are migrating and consolidating our current Mobile contracts to a single provider, realising a cost saving of circa £88k over 3 years.

• A new O2 Sim will be provided to all current corporate mobile users
• New Sims and instructions to be sent out soon
• Any issues can be reported to our new mobile partner NGN – contact details will be provided

Acquisition IT Integrations x 6

The IT team is working diligently to complete the planning, testing and implementation of IT integrations for all of our recent acquisitions so that we can realise synergies and collaborative working principles across the whole of the Affinia group locations.

• Audit
• Phase 0 – Support onboarding – Q1
• Phase 0.5 – ManagedServices roll out – Q1
• Phase 1.0 – Rebranding, mail migration & device onboarding – in progress
• Phase 2.0 – Line of business application migration – TBC -Q1/Q2
• Teams telephony deployment – Q1/Q2

Continual Service Improvement

As part of our IT service improvement programme, we are investigating several new initiatives to improve the end user experience, improve services, and enhance our cyber security perimeter:

• Enhanced scanning solution across the group
• Managed follow me print solution
• New joiners, movers and leavers workflow
• Change control process
• Published service catalogue so it can be selected from the Utilize portal and  passed through the approval workflow process.
• End user cyber awareness training
• Service provider KPI’s

Key IT achievements over the past 10 Months

 Migrating Support Services to Utilize

 Rollout of MFA (Multi Factor Authentication) with Conditional Access to enhance security

• Deployment of Microsoft M365 backup solution
• Managed email security
• Migration of Microsoft Licensing to Utilize
• SOHPOS Security Suite rollout
• Rollout of SOPHOS Device Encryption
• Migration from on premises servers
  • Creation of Windows domain/identities
  • Deployment of Azure Virtual Desktop technology
  • Migration of all lob apps and server roles to Azure
  • Decommission of legacy on premises hardware where required
• Device Management project
  • Entra ID join devices
  • Intune for Windows devices
  • Windows Autopilot deployment
• Colchester Office Refurb
  • Remove existing structured cabling
  • Install new CAT6 structured cabling
  • Desk moves
  • New desktop hardware installation
• Chelmsford Office Refurb
  • Remove existing structured cabling
  • Install new CAT6 structure cabling
  • Desk moves
  • New desktop hardware installation
• Stratford Office Relocation
  • Implement new managed switch infrastructure
  • Deliver new leased line circuits
  • Remove existing structured cabling
  • Install new CAT6 cabling
  • Desk moves
  • New desktop hardware installation
• Acquisition Audits
• Laptop Procurement process
• Cezanne HR integration
• Dark Web and Bullphish rollout
• Exclaimer Email Signature Management Solution
• Affinia rebranding project
• Azure Data Factory & Synapse Analytics
• Teams Voice rollout in the new Stratford office

Any questions, please do let us know.

Colin Perkins and David Edwards