J.O. Sims Enhances IT Infrastructure with Seamless Server Migration
Client Overview
J.O. Sims is one of the UK’s leading suppliers of fresh produce and fruit ingredients, managing complex operations that require a robust and reliable IT infrastructure to support daily business activities. To maintain operational efficiency and ensure their systems could support future growth, J.O. Sims needed to modernise their server environment. They turned to PSP’s CTO to oversee a critical server migration project that would optimise performance and secure their data.
Challenge
J.O. Sims’s existing servers were approaching the operating system being unsupported, risking potential issue of not receiving the latest security patches. To address these challenges, the project required the migration of multiple essential services - including Active Directory Domain Services (ADDS), Domain Name System (DNS) and Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) - to new servers on the latest operating system. Additionally, the migration involved moving Certificate Authority (CA) servers, reconfiguring shared storage and folder redirection. With so many interconnected components, the project demanded meticulous planning and execution to avoid disruptions to J.O. Sims’s operations.
Solution
PSP’s CTO led a comprehensive server migration strategy, starting with a detailed assessment of J.O. Sims’s existing infrastructure and a thorough review of each service’s dependencies. The team developed a structured migration plan that prioritised minimising downtime and maintaining data integrity throughout the process, completing out-of-hours due to their processing schedules.
The migration began with the transfer of ADDS, DNS and DHCP services to the new servers, ensuring that core network functions remained intact and fully operational. This was followed by the seamless migration of the CA servers to the new infrastructure provided by J.O. Sims, ensuring that all security certificates were preserved and continued to function correctly post-migration. Next, the shared storage shares and folder redirection configurations were set up pointing to the new servers, providing users with uninterrupted access to their files and maintaining established data management protocols.
PSP completed the work outside of working hours, working with the on-site IT team to allow productions lines to keep moving.
Results
The server migration was completed successfully, with no data loss and minimal disruption to J.O. Sims’s day-to-day activities. By transitioning their core services to modern servers, J.O. Sims now benefits from enhanced performance, increased reliability and a more scalable infrastructure that can support future growth. The reconfiguration of shared storage and folder redirection has streamlined data management, improving accessibility and efficiency for users across the organisation.
Conclusion
PSP’s expert handling of J.O. Sims’s server migration project delivered a smooth transition to a modernised IT environment, optimising both performance and scalability. With the migration of core network services, the project was executed with precision and care. This partnership demonstrates PSP’s capability to manage complex server migrations with minimal disruption, providing clients like J.O. Sims with a stable, future-ready infrastructure that supports their long-term business objectives.