Paperchase outsources datacentre management

Retailer hopes to cut costs and focus its internal IT team on business-critical projects

Paperchase's datacentre has been outsourced

Stationery firm Paperchase has outsourced the hosting of its datacentre to reduce operational risks and reduce costs.

The services provided by supplier Retail Assist will include round-the-clock monitoring and technical support, as well as looking after a disaster recovery facility and the retailer's server infrastructure - which includes an IBM i-Series system running a Merret supply chain platform.

Paperchase decided to hire a third party to run its datacentre as its own facilities did not conform to environmental controls. Disaster recovery setup and 24x7 monitoring was not possible and space allocation for the machines was too expensive.

“Our internal IT team had other strategic demands to meet,” said Neil Plaistowe, head of IT at Paperchase.

“We saw the benefit of not being burdened with day-to-day operational responsibility for our hardware platforms, at the same time as gaining a more stable environment."

The new facility is run from the supplier’s site in Northampton and supports the retailer’s two head-office locations, distribution centre and its 130-strong store network.

“The new infrastructure comes with a lower cost of ownership but delivers greater productivity. It’s scalable and flexible and makes us more agile as a business,” said Plaistowe.