Secure, reliable IT supporting production critical manufacturing
How ECS Computers supports G T Bunning & Sons Ltd with proactive IT support, cyber security, monitoring, backups and business continuity for a manufacturing environment where downtime directly affects production.
The challenge
G T Bunning & Sons Ltd is a manufacturing business where IT is central to day-to-day operations. Their production systems, accounts function and CAD design work all depend on reliable technology.
Both production and office function are now completely dependent.
If IT systems go down, production grinds to a halt. Accounts activity stops. CAD design work is interrupted. For a business like Bunning’s, IT downtime is not just inconvenient. It can directly affect productivity, output and operational continuity.
Like many businesses, Bunning’s has also become increasingly aware of cyber security risks. ECS worked with them to explain the areas of importance, identify what needed addressing, and implement improvements that strengthen the whole IT environment.
The ECS approach
ECS has supported Bunning’s since 1998. Over that time, the relationship has been built on trust, responsiveness and making sure issues are fixed properly.
Rather than treating cyber security as a separate add-on, ECS integrates protection across the full IT environment. This includes devices, users, Microsoft 365, backups, monitoring, firewall security and response.
What mattered most
- Keeping production systems available
- Reducing cyber security risk
- Protecting accounts, CAD and office operations
- Improving confidence in systems and resilience
- Ensuring IT can scale as the business grows
How ECS supports Bunning’s
- Ongoing IT support
- Proactive monitoring and alerts
- Patch management
- Cyber security controls
- Backup and recovery testing
Security built into the IT environment
Bunning’s is supported by a layered security and support model designed to improve reliability, reduce exposure to cyber threats and help prevent disruption before it affects the business.
Proactive support in action
ECS does not wait for users to report every issue. Monitoring and alerting help identify problems early, so action can be taken before downtime affects the business.
Results and outcomes
The result is a more reliable, secure and resilient IT environment that supports Bunning’s manufacturing operation and gives the business greater confidence in its systems.
Issues are monitored and acted on proactively, helping prevent disruption before it affects users.
Layered protection including EDR, MDR, SOC, MFA, email security, firewall security and cyber awareness training.
Off-site backups, Microsoft 365 backup and recovery testing help protect the business if recovery is ever needed.
The business has more confidence in its systems because security, monitoring and recovery are actively managed.
The IT environment has scaled with Bunning’s and continues to support the business as it grows.
Cyber awareness training helps users recognise threats, with SOC and MDR in place if something gets through.
What Bunning’s said
How would you rate the service you have received since working with ECS?
Excellent
Why would you recommend ECS to other companies?
Hardware / Software issues and requirements are all taken care of seamlessly by a supportive, patient, knowledgeable and friendly team. The help system is great, can either phone up for immediate help (and never a problem if you need someone in particular) or if it’s a non urgent routine job, just e mail and is always addressed within an hour or so. ECS have also helped us in the past with IT systems not installed / covered / maintained by them and we’ve been confronted with the usual problems of not being able to get support, the “not our problem” reply etc. Another major selling point for me is that you can describe an IT problem in plain English, admit that you know nothing about the issue or why it isn’t working, and they work out what’s wrong without the usual embarrassing grilling where the “help” desk demonstrates that they are very clever and you are not! It’s a refreshingly flat organisation, where anybody, regardless of position will help if they can or arrange for the right person to assist, thus avoiding the requirement for an intimate knowledge of structure in order to get to the right person.
Are there any significant issues ECS have helped to resolve or services that we have put in place that have helped Bunnings?
A huge help with the changeover from Windows 10 to Windows 11, both in terms of alerting us to the requirement and identifying assets on site requiring upgrade only and those requiring replacement. A huge help with the replacement of my own PC and the transfer of non standard software onto the new machine – some of this software being critical to production and time dependant. This was no simple task, and this is something you don’t see very often, several technicians from ECS shared knowledge, planned the job and were on standby to support the onsite technician if required. In addition, the on site technician spoke directly to the provider of some of our specialist software to get direct support in the transfer without any involvement from me and the usual horrible experience of trying to translate a load of technical babble you don’t understand from one company and attempting to update another company with whatever you’ve just been told – they spoke directly to them and sorted it!
Reliable IT. Integrated security. Confidence to keep manufacturing moving.
For G T Bunning & Sons Ltd, ECS provides more than responsive IT support. We help protect production critical systems, reduce cyber risk and keep the business running with proactive, security led IT support.