CASE STUDY
A privately owned Japanese manufacturing company is one of the largest sushi seasoning manufacturers in the world, operating as a truly international business with complex networking requirements. The group has a strong global footprint and currently operates two factories in the UK.
To strengthen its portfolio and presence in the food manufacturing market, the organisation acquired well-known British brands Sarson’s, Haywards, and Dufrais in 2012, followed by Branston in 2013. With ambitious plans to expand further into the EU and US markets, the business required a robust, scalable, and secure IT infrastructure to support continued growth.
To strengthen its portfolio and presence in the food manufacturing market, the organisation acquired well-known British brands Sarson’s, Haywards, and Dufrais in 2012, followed by Branston in 2013. With ambitious plans to expand further into the EU and US markets, the business required a robust, scalable, and secure IT infrastructure to support continued growth.
Challenge
Operating across multiple locations and geographies introduced significant complexity to the organisation’s network infrastructure. The business required an experienced partner with strong technical expertise to design and manage a solution spanning physical networks, multiple sites, and edge connectivity.
As the project progressed, it became clear that the originally proposed LAN and WAN architecture would not meet evolving business needs. A different approach was required, including a bespoke redesign of the network to align with the organisation’s growth plans and operational priorities.
Throughout project initiation, the organisation needed commercial flexibility while undertaking a major infrastructure transformation. The challenge was to deliver a future-ready solution without disrupting operations, while ensuring cost efficiency and long-term value.
Solution
VCG stepped in to redesign the LAN and WAN architecture to meet the organisation’s specific requirements. The solution was designed to provide the desired infrastructure across all geographical locations, ensuring scalability, performance, and resilience as the business continued to grow.
Working closely with the client, VCG adopted a flexible and collaborative approach throughout the project, ensuring commercial considerations and technical requirements were aligned at every stage of the transformation.
VCG delivered a carefully planned migration to Fortinet SD-WAN over a twelve-month period. Alongside this, the team provided Cisco Meraki expertise, including the supply of additional switches and access points to ensure reliable network performance and connectivity across all sites.
As a trusted partner, VCG now supports the manufacturing business under a fully managed service contract. This includes hardware and vendor support, proactive monitoring and alerting, and access to a 24/7 support desk. VCG’s strong security capabilities and deep understanding of endpoint security ensured all business locations were protected throughout and beyond the project.
“Everything is secure by design now. Security is everybody’s responsibility”
The new Fortinet and Cisco Meraki architecture provides a robust, scalable foundation that will evolve with the business. The organisation now benefits from improved network reliability and resilience across all enterprise networking environments.
Enhanced monitoring and reporting capabilities deliver greater insight across the network. This improved visibility allows the IT team to proactively manage performance, identify issues early, and maintain a consistently high level of service.
The new Fortinet and Cisco Meraki architecture provides a robust, scalable foundation that will evolve with the business. The organisation now benefits from improved network reliability and resilience across all enterprise networking environments.
Enhanced monitoring and reporting capabilities deliver greater insight across the network. This improved visibility allows the IT team to proactively manage performance, identify issues early, and maintain a consistently high level of service.
The transformation delivered measurable cost efficiencies, enabling a more flexible approach to IT consumption. These savings support wider business goals and allow technology investment to scale in line with growth.
Between February 2020 and June 2021, VCG successfully delivered a full migration using an agile, PRINCE2-based project management approach. Clear stages, goals, and deadlines ensured expectations were met throughout, reinforcing confidence in VCG as a long-term strategic partner.
The transformation delivered measurable cost efficiencies, enabling a more flexible approach to IT consumption. These savings support wider business goals and allow technology investment to scale in line with growth.
Between February 2020 and June 2021, VCG successfully delivered a full migration using an agile, PRINCE2-based project management approach. Clear stages, goals, and deadlines ensured expectations were met throughout, reinforcing confidence in VCG as a long-term strategic partner.
By redesigning the network architecture and delivering a secure, fully managed SD-WAN solution, VCG helped the organisation future-proof its IT infrastructure. The result is a resilient, secure, and scalable platform that supports growth, improves visibility, and delivers long-term operational and cost benefits.
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