Case Study: ESP

Organizing a move and upgrading an IT infrastructure.

About ESP

Since their inception in 1988, ESP manufactures premium energy intelligence and power protection solutions to help businesses lower service costs and improve the reliability and profitability of critical equipment. From the Hubble Space Telescope to the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium, industry leaders have relied on ESP’s patented technology to reduce downtime, manage services and enhance the operations of their business.

"Ricoh mapped out and delivered an excellent solution that enabled us to make a seamless move to our new headquarters with the IT infrastructure and support we needed to allow us to continue to rapidly expand our business."
Dave Perrotta
VP, Business Manager
ESP

Challenge

Business was going so well for Knightdale, North Carolina-based ESP that they had to move to a larger facility. Since they couldn’t afford a lot of downtime, they needed all of their things moved and all IT-related services and solutions up and running over a four-day period.

Since Ricoh already provided ESP with multifunction printers (MFPs), we had a good working relationship with the company. When they learned about our teams dedicated to IT and audio/visual solutions, ESP asked us to help support the move.

During the initial planning, we also looked at their existing IT infrastructure. We discovered that their setup was slow, expensive to operate and didn’t allow employees to access the information they needed, when and where they needed it.

Solution

We developed a multi-phase strategy to upgrade their IT infrastructure, addressing everything from how they answered calls to how they managed their network:

Phase One

Upgrade the company’s existing analog phone system to a robust Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) solution.

Phase Two

Design, build and install the new facility’s IT infrastructure, which included state-of-the-art A/V equipment, plus relocate any devices that weren’t going to be replaced.

Phase Three

Design and implement a virtualized network environment and disaster recovery solution.

Phase Four

Outsource IT management to Ricoh.

Result

Cropped shot of a IT technician working and checking if all the servers are up and running

Thanks to all of the diligent planning, we were able to get everything set up on time, and our new solutions had an immediate and positive impact on ESP's operations.

VoIP not only helped ESP save on equipment and operating costs — it also drastically improved their ability to collaborate and communicate. With it, employees can conduct all phone functions from their desktops, and even use their smartphones the same way they use office phones when on the road.
The new network was faster, had more capacity and also provided wireless connectivity for greater worker mobility. Plus, we installed cutting-edge A/V equipment in all of their conference rooms.
The virtualized server environment provided scalability, redundancy and lower operating costs. To extend server life and allow for future expansion, the new IT design moved the company’s data completely to a Storage Area Network (SAN).

Since their previous IT staff consisted solely of one tech engineer who doubled as an IT person, our management has helped provide needed support. ESP was so pleased with their new network, we’re now helping them on additional projects such as upgrading their enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, which will expand their IT capabilities even further.

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