Case StudiesECOPOWER

Supporting an energy company as they move to a new Managed Service Provider (MSP).

Client Overview

Energy development company with a particular interest in on-shore wind energy developments. Ecopower operates windfarms in Counties Kilkenny, Mayo and Donegal and continues to develop new windfarms and solar projects. Ecopower Supply is their electricity trading company – offering clean & green electricity to customers in the Irish electricity market.

Challenge

Ecopower had concluded, due to the shifting technological landscape in which they were operating, that it was time for them to consider changing their MSP. As Ecopower’s business was expanding rapidly, they needed an MSP partner capable of supporting that growth but without compromising security. Protecting sensitive customer data was paramount; even a single data breach could have devastating consequences for their reputation and operations.
However, changing MSP is a big decision for a business to make – and not one to be taken lightly.

Ecopower were well aware of the risks inherent in such a move – risks such as service disruption, downtime, and security vulnerabilities. There was also the potential loss of institutional knowledge from the previous MSP.

These factors often slow down businesses from changing MSPs. Their common perception? The pain of change may well be greater than the pain of remaining the same.
If Ecopower were to change MSPs, they needed strong assurances that any new MSP would be hyper-focussed on minimising all such risks and on partnering with Ecopower as seamlessly as possible throughout and following the transition.

Ecopower could not afford significant disruption and would also require top-drawer service after the new MSP was in place.

The Solution

BITS rose to the challenge.
The process began with a comprehensive security audit, which immediately reassured Ecopower. They felt that BITS understood their challenges – setting a foundation of trust from day one.
After the audit, BITS drafted a proposal of works that recommended addressing all Ecopower’s concerns in a phased approach. This further reassured Ecopower, who actually then decided to have BITS do all the works together as a large project.

BITS had a flexible solution with a clear roadmap of how they were going to get to the endpoint. Ecopower were told and understood the risks at each stage of the project. This gave them the knowledge and confidence to make informed decisions as to what was of highest priority to them.
BITS coordinated directly with the incumbent MSP to ensure a smooth handover of credentials and system access. The process was handled professionally and respectfully — a standard practice when BITS is onboarding new clients.

The completed project has transformed Ecopower’s IT setup into a standardised infrastructure with significantly enhanced security:

There is now a full Disaster Recovery Solution in place.

Ecopower are now fully aligned with security best practice, including the use of the Zero Trust model within the Microsoft Tenant – a model that assumes data breaches happen, and which therefore requires additional layers of verification at all times.

The deployment of the BITS security framework, called Everest, now means that there is extremely tight security over the whole IT estate.

Usernames, device configurations and access controls are now standardised – a security measure that has also led to simplified logins for staff and to comprehensive IT management & monitoring.

BITS also upgraded servers during the onboarding phase.

Benefits

Scalability:
Ecopower is growing and now has, in BITS, an MSP with  the capacity to support that growth.

Technology:
Ecopower can now leverage newer tools, platforms, and  infrastructure offered by BITS.

Enhanced Security:
Full transition to the Zero Trust model within the   Microsoft Tenant:  Ecopower’s Microsoft Secure Score, a measurement of IT security, increased from 54% to 85%.

Business Continuity:
Full Disaster Recovery system now in place.

Proactive Support:
24/7 IT monitoring and response from the BITS  team.