10 years on and still going strong

Managed services

The pace of what we did was changing and this meant that our dependence on IT systems was increasing

In an age where everything seems disposable and replaceable, loyalty to service providers seems an unlikely event. Choice is certainly empowering, but when contracts are renewed year after year, the provider must be doing something right.

BC Partners, the private equity outfit, has just continued its show of commitment to the SAS Group, by renewing its managed services contract for tenth year running. The SAS Group, which provides managed network and professional services, has provided managed services to BC Partners for over ten years since first commissioning the company in 1999 to carry out a series of systems integration projects across its regional operations in Europe and the US.

“In 1999, we were entering a major phase of growth with the business and we needed to consolidate our IT operations to support it,” said Mike Pritchard, Group Financial Controller for BC Partners. “The pace of what we did was changing and this meant that our dependence on IT systems was increasing.”

After successfully completing its first project for the company, BC Partners invited the SAS Group to put forward a proposal for managing all of its IT systems. Today, the entire infrastructure is managed by a team of five engineering and support staff from the SAS Group whose time is divided between BC Partners’ London headquarters and the SAS Group’s West Sussex network operations centre.

As part of its services agreement, the SAS Group provides proactive 24/7 monitoring, management and support of all IP devices on the BC Partners’ estate, including the company’s WAN and local area networks, as well as its wireless technologies, operating systems and servers.

“Developing a strong and enduring relationship with clients is essential to the growth of any managed services provider,” said Charles Davis CEO for the SAS Group. “You are able to learn so much more about your client’s business and can be far more effective and give much better advice and support.”