About Allfix

Allfix was first established in 1988 and has since grown successfully from a small, local independent fastener, fixing, tools and sealants distributor to a large nationwide supplier. Since implementing prof.ITplus back in 2001, Allfix has reported an increase in their operational speed and performance. 

Number of Employees: 36

Partnered with OGL since: 2001

Company Location: Dorset

Company Website: www.allfix.co.uk

Nationwide distributor praises OGL software, IT support and cyber security services. 

Having worked with Allfix for several years on multiple software, IT and cyber security projects, we spoke with the Systems and Operations Manager to find out how they have been benefiting from OGL’s breadth of services.

Why did you choose prof.ITplus over other software systems?

“prof.ITplus offered many more features for a distribution company than our existing Sage software. Sage didn’t have a very good solution for a company like ourselves (i.e. in distribution), so when OGL came along and had many more features that were in line with our company needs it was an easy choice.”

How have the specific modules within prof.ITplus helped your business?

“SalesVision has helped massively, before this we were using paper call/record cards that our sales reps hand wrote out, these cards were also used to plan daily/weekly call routes. If management ever wanted to access a sales rep’s performance, the cards had to be manually gathered together and read. SalesVision now does this for us digitally and in a far more efficient way. It also allows our sales reps to instantly access any information they want on a customer while out and about.

“The new ROAD (remote ordering) app takes this one step further and allows the reps to load their own orders, see stock and check prices without having to take up valuable time from our telesales.”

Both SalesVision and ROAD are available for Android and iOS giving remote staff total flexibility in accessing and updating vital information whilst out on the road.

What challenges were you looking to overcome by hosting prof.ITplus in the cloud rather than on-premise?

“There are a number of things we were looking for including, increased security and removing the worry of having a physical server in the building which could be at risk from fire, theft etc. As well as the security factor, the old server we had was due for an upgrade, and the cost to buy a new server with the upgraded hardware we needed was similar to the cost of a hosted solution. We were also looking for an easier way to have access to our data in multiple locations as we have staff working at both our branches as well as working from home.

“Having prof.ITplus hosted on private cloud infrastructure has helped our business greatly increase the speed of running reports. Where, previously, some reports might have taken 10 or more minutes to complete, they now take less than 1 minute.”

OGL’s cloud infrastructure offers state-of-the-art security including 24/7 CCTV coverage which is monitored by on-site security staff as well as controlled access requiring advance notice and formal identification. OGL has invested heavily in our data centre infrastructure in recent years to ensure customers benefit from the latest technology delivering greater speed and accessibility, as well as complete peace of mind that their data is backed up and always available in the event of any unforeseen failure.

What are your future plans for the business and how do you envisage OGL playing a role in them?

“We plan to continue expanding our sales counters in which OGL will be integral, with connections to the hosted server allowing various sites to seamlessly connect to one another. The second way in which we see business growth is in eCommerce; this will entail working closely with OGL to develop the existing website to embrace new and upcoming technologies within this sector.”    

What motivated you to work with CyberGuard to achieve your Cyber Essentials certification?

“We have a number of military and defence contracts that have started showing an interest in their supply chain with regards to cyber security, so in order to retain this business as well as potentially better our own cyber security (which seems to be more and more important in today’s society) we decided to achieve the Cyber Essentials certification.”    

CyberGuard Technologies is an independent company within the OGL Group, boasting both Cyber Essential Plus and IASME Gold certification. CyberGuard’s team of consultants work closely with customers throughout the whole certification application process to ensure they have a solid foundation for their IT security and comply with the UK Government’s best practice guidelines and GDPR regulations.