Ulster Carpets transforms with Vodafone and Centrality collaboration tools

Overview

• Northern Irish business, Ulster Carpets, designs and manufactures custom-made luxury carpets for hotels, cruise ships, casinos and private residences.

• The company wished to enhance its IT infrastructure by utilising more cloud-based resources.

• Using Vodafone Business and Centrality, Ulster seamlessly transitioned to Microsoft 365 to provide a robust and secure service, meeting and exceeding customer expectations.

Meet Ulster Carpets 

Founded in 1938 in Portadown, Northern Ireland, Ulster Carpets designs and manufactures custom carpets for the world’s leading hotels, casinos and cruise ships that include the Queen Mary 2, the world’s largest and only transatlantic ocean liner. It also offers an extensive residential range that can be found in homes across Europe.

Thanks to outstanding design capabilities and the high level of service offered, prestigious clients continue to work with the company, project after project. Ulster’s quality work was also recognised on the highest levels; in 2022, the company was granted a Royal Warrant by the late Queen Elizabeth II.

The challenge

From on-premises to cloud

The demand for access to specialised systems in geographically disparate locations increases – as does the need for structured, strategic digital solutions. Ulster Carpets recognised this need in its own business, which is why it sought to enhance its IT infrastructure with more cloud-based resources.

The prime objective was to find not just a supplier, but a partner that inspires, supports, improves and underpins the company’s business strategy with innovative technology that drives efficiencies. Ulster Carpets needed a move to cloud services worthy of a business granted the prestigious Royal Warrant.

The solution

Combining Vodafone and Centrality services

Recognising the challenges Ulster Carpets faced, Vodafone Business brought in Centrality, a top Microsoft Solutions Partner and specialist IT support and technology services provider.

Together, they proposed an end-to-end Microsoft 365 solution that allowed Ulster to transition away from their existing client-server-based setup. Thanks to a gradual migration, all existing functionalities could be integrated into Microsoft 365 before shutting down the old application.

Additionally, Ulster Carpets upgraded all computers to ensure compatibility with new software, while Centrality delivered staff training to aid adoption and ensure zero disruption to daily operations – all of which were performed remotely during COVID lockdowns.

The benefits

Enhanced communication and collaboration

With Microsoft Teams already in use, Microsoft 365’s cloud-based software was an intuitive integration for Ulster Carpets workers. “Now we can easily collaborate with staff and external partners. And disaster recovery has also been strengthened,” says Kim Lucas, the company’s IT Director.

Kim also praised the more robust infrastructure offered by cloud-based software, that “provides on-demand access to information, allowing us to accommodate company growth while also building operational technology that supports our existing business structure.”

Ulster also leveraged the automation capabilities of Microsoft 365 via an in-house app for their headquarters’ gatehouse, helping them to manage people coming in and out of the premises more efficiently.

Always-on expert support

In addition to Vodafone Business’s own support services and implementing Microsoft 365 into their processes, the company also signed up for Centrality’s technical assurance programme. This way, Ulster’s in-house IT team can access Centrality’s diverse pool of technical experts on a needs-only basis, allowing them to save costs and still get the support they need when expertise is required.

No matter how they proceed with their cloud journey, Ulster Carpets can now rest assured that they are in the position to successfully transition into the next phase of their company’s growth – and beyond.