Hickorys case Study
About Hickory SmokeHouse
Influenced by the Southern States of the USA, Hickory’s Smokehouse dares to be different. Bringing the tastes, smells, sights and welcome of the founders many trips to the ‘Deep South’ to places in the UK that many others would avoid. Hickory’s Smokehouse really is a unique dining experience.
The Challenges
Many years ago Neil McDonnell, founder of the Hickory Smokehouse chain was facing issues in his two original venues BarLounge and Upstairs at the Grill, as well as 3 branches of Hickory’s. Intermittent, unreliable wi-fi was causing huge operational issues on a daily basis. Enter Cirrus Technology Solutions.
After a thorough review of the venues and the problems being experienced with wi-fi, Cirrus made two bold recommendations
- Remediation work would not be carried out. Rip out and Replace was the best way forward
- Replacing the wifi networks would cost no more than any remediation work.
The Solution
Replacing the equipment, configuring the network and monitoring performance did the job, Hickory’s and their teams were ecstatic. Day to day headaches had disappeared and reliability ensured that business operations and more importantly the guest experience was much improved.
Further Services
Off the back of the success of the wi-fi solution, Hickory’s approached Cirrus Technology Solutions to manage all their IT requirements.
Working hand in glove with Hickory’s, Cirrus Technology Solutions began a step by step project to
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Migrate O365
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Create Cloud Backups (previously tape)
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Standard Laptop Build and uniform User Profiles
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Management of Networks/Compliance
Working closely with the team at Hickory’s and becoming part of the fabric of the business allows Cirrus to focus on the requirements of the business and operate as Hickory’s IT Department. Cirrus manages all aspects of technology for both new and existing venues, liaising and project managing all 3rd party activities, such as audio visual, CCTV etc.
Conclusion
Moving quickly was imperative for One CIC, growing rapidly and with many additional services in the planning stages, worrying about their IT was the last thing they wanted to do. Cirrus Technology Solutions provides One CIC with a one stop shop for all their technology requirements, more than that however is the reassurance that the team is well taken care of and queries or issues are responded to in a timely manner.