Cambridge builders’ merchant lays digital foundations for growth across the UK with ntl:Telewest Business

Published 3rd September 2008

- Leading independent builders merchant Ridgeons deploys next generation network from ntl:Telewest business to connect 29 sites and improve information sharing
- £2.1 million deal improves the resilience of its day-to-day operations, increases security, and enables the business to improve efficiency
- Advanced communications infrastructure solution offers flexibility to scale in line with the business as it grows

Ridgeons, a leading independent builders merchant, has invested £2.1 million over five years in an advanced digital communications network from ntl:Telewest Business, part of Virgin Media. The network connects Ridgeons’ 29 sites and is helping power the company’s growth by improving access to data, and the speed of information sharing, throughout the company.

The investment is being driven by the company’s ambitious growth targets and a need to optimise its operations in order to compete at a national level. The ntl:Telewest Business next generation network is enabling business-critical applications to be adopted and rolled out across Ridgeons, including a new stock control system that enhances organisational efficiency by centrally managing the allocation of resources across its multiple branch outlets from its headquarters in Cambridge.

ntl:Telewest Business’ Internet Protocol Virtual Private Network (IPVPN) also delivers improved resilience by linking data traffic from each of Ridgeon’s sites directly back into its headquarters. This resilience will be enhanced further in October 2008 when Ridgeons’ new Disaster Recovery (DR) centre goes live. The DR centre will be fully connected to the advanced network to prevent data loss and ensure the company is able to operate with minimal disruption in the event of an outage or problem at its main Cambridge site. To ensure resilience during the migration to the DR centre, ntl:Telewest Business has provided a high-speed National Ethernet connection to Ridgeons’ current data centre.

Established in 1911, Ridgeons is a private family-run timber & builders merchant. The company has multiple branches and depots throughout East Anglia and has expanding its operations to service other parts of the UK. With a £130 million turnover, the company continues to supply building materials to the trade market, but also increasingly directly to consumers through its larger retail locations.

“Ridgeons is a massively ambitious company and we’ve got a very stretching growth plan. It is therefore vital that our next generation network allows us to innovate and compete at a national level" said Jason Dear, Technical Services Manager, Ridgeons.

All internet connectivity will be provided via a 40 Megabits-per-second (Mbps) managed connection from headquarters, improving security by enabling access to be managed centrally. Ridgeons is also utilising ntl:Telewest Business’ Managed Security Services, which delivers robust protection for the network by providing round the clock management by the company’s dedicated Security Operations Centre engineers.

“Many people wouldn’t traditionally think of a timber & builders merchant as being at the forefront of business communications, but Ridgeons is utilising technology to help drive business growth,“ said James Nicolson, Business Sales Manager for ntl:Telewest Business in East Anglia. “The next generation network will make it easier to share information between sites quicker, enabling staff to make more informed business decisions.”

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About ntl:Telewest Business

ntl:Telewest Business has the most technically advanced of the UK’s two national networks. Its vast nation-wide Next Generation Network provides businesses, public sector organisations and service providers across the UK with a complete portfolio of advanced data, internet and voice services. The £13billion network is flexible, scalable and is already built out to more than 38,000 street cabinets across the UK.

As part of a commitment to deliver superior customer service, ntl:Telewest Business sales and support teams are located in close proximity to its customers in over 40 centres across the UK.

ntl:Telewest Business is trusted to provide critical communications to high profile customers including: Birmingham City Council, Yorkshire Water and EasyJet.

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For further information go to http://www.ntltelewestbusiness.co.uk


ntl:Telewest Business press contacts:
Tara Flanagan
ntl:Telewest Business
T: 01256 753101
E: tara.flanagan2@virginmedia.co.uk

Sam Grace, Press Office
Rainier PR
T: 020 7494 6570
E: sgrace@rainierpr.co.uk