A hybrid modern workspace topped with spoonfuls of cost-savings

The ‘crème de la crème’ of cream for five generations, Rodda’s has seen a lot of developments in technology over the years. So they knew when it was time for an infrastructure refresh.

The Rodda family have been crafting Cornish clotted cream for five generations from the same site Eliza Jane started making the famous delicacy all those years ago in 1890. Fast forward to 2023, and Rodda’s is still sharing their cream with the nation across supermarkets like Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose (to name a few) and worldwide.

Where tradition meets modern

Just because the Rodda’s family recipe hasn’t changed over the years, it doesn’t mean their technology strategy shouldn’t. Modernising their approach to tech was a vital next move for Rodda’s, so they could continue doing what they do best – providing their delicious clotted cream to the nation.

As with all our clients, we knew Rodda’s would need a unique modern strategy, tailored to the needs of their business. This turned out to be a reliable mix of on-prem and cloud technology. So that’s what we provided.

But how we got there wasn’t the most conventional approach. An emergency was brewing…

“Kascade truly understands our 24/7 operation. With their expertise and guidance, we feel safe and supported. They work around our business needs seamlessly”.

Wayne Glanville
IT Manager, A.E. Rodda & Son

Relationship building turned rescue mission

When IT Manager, Wayne Glanville, joined Rodda’s, he inherited an Azure hybrid environment that was eating up their budget. Naturally, he was worried about the costs and questioned whether it had been optimised properly. Wayne had worked with Kascade at a previous employer, so, trusting our well-established relationship, he reached out to us.

We started to build a relationship with the rest of the Rodda’s team, exploring the potential of some strategy sessions to dig down into what a refreshed modern workspace infrastructure could do for them.

But before we got to the stage of officially working with Rodda’s, along came the emergency curveball – and we responded double-whip… we mean double-quick!

Putting us through our paces

At 5pm on a Wednesday, we received a call from Wayne saying their Storage Area Network (SAN) had failed. They needed help, and Wayne knew he could rely on Kascade. Our expert team jumped into action without delay, gearing up for an evening of helping Rodda’s get back on their feet. Within a few hours, we got them to a stable position. But it was clear to Rodda’s that their environment was no longer fit for purpose.

Now we’d been put through our paces and cemented our new-found relationship with the wider team, they were ready to embark on a modern workspace journey with us.

“I’ve been in IT for 19 years and worked with many managed service providers. Yet, Kascade stands out. First, Kascade tends to get it right the first time, even down to the quotation process. Secondly, they don’t pressure us on the sale in any shape or form. Their team is interested in building a line of communication and a relationship with us. They don’t cram things down your throat. They get to know what’s important for the business and my team. Then our Account Manager is close enough to know where Kascade fits in and how they can help us. That relationship really does make the difference”

Wayne Glanville
IT Manager, A.E. Rodda & Son

Cloud smart, not cloud first

Our strategy sessions made it clear: Rodda’s needed an infrastructure refresh. While they had taken steps into the cloud with Azure, elements of their infrastructure was still firmly rooted on-prem. That’s why we recommended a hybrid-cloud strategy moving forward.

So we refreshed their on-prem environment and optimised their cloud, creating a robust hybrid infrastructure to provide a modern workspace to meet their business needs. We then spent time making sure everyone knew exactly what was in Azure and how to use it effectively.

But here comes the best bit…

A refreshed hybrid world with 40% reduced costs

A large part of the work we did with Rodda’s was based on a cost optimisation assessment of their Azure environment. This highlighted how they could make Azure work better for them, while reducing costs. And reduce costs, we did – by a whopping 40%!

Thanks to this, Rodda’s wanted us to take over their Azure subscription. Bonus! So we handled all the nitty gritty handover processes with their old Azure provider while Rodda’s enjoyed a seamless transition and concentrated on their business operations.

Once we had Rodda’s subscription, we immediately implemented the cost savings, and within three months, the cost benefits were clear. Wayne’s team now has the benefit of predictable spending when it comes to the cloud, and it has freed up their budget so they can invest in other areas of technology.

“Like many food manufacturers, costs across all areas of the business, from packaging to energy, have risen significantly. Being able to reduce our cloud costs by 40% through Kascade’s cost optimisation, didn’t just help the IT department with setting up predictable cloud expenses, but it helped save costs across the business.”

Wayne Glanville
IT Manager, A.E. Rodda & Son

An ongoing journey of modern working

Although our first project together wasn’t the most conventional way of meeting, Rodda’s is now on a journey towards truly embracing modern working, with Kascade right beside them. We are working as their hybrid cloud partner to ensure both on-prem and cloud environments are future-proofed and meet their business needs. Their team is confident we can enable their best modern business practices while saving them a large chunk of money.