Case Study
Modernising the core
About the client
Cooper Paul are a well-established chartered accountancy practice based in Loughton, Essex, providing accounting, tax planning, audit, and business advisory services to both businesses and individuals. They focus on helping clients achieve their financial objectives through proactive support, compliance expertise, and tailored advice.
As a professional services firm, they rely heavily on fast, reliable access to internal systems, financial data, and hosted applications, which makes network performance and stability essential to day‑to‑day productivity.
Challenges faced
Growing reliance on on-premises systems
Like many growing professional services firms, Cooper Paul were increasingly reliant on their on-premises systems for core business applications and data processing, placing mounting demand on existing infrastructure.
Internal network performance constraints
Growth in data volumes and application usage was putting pressure on internal network performance, particularly when accessing locally hosted systems — creating a bottleneck that threatened productivity.
Limited visibility into network health
There was limited visibility into network health, making it harder to proactively identify issues or optimise performance before they had a tangible impact on staff and operations.
Risk of disruption during any change
Any infrastructure change carried a clear risk. As a client-facing organisation, even minor disruption during working hours could have a direct impact on staff productivity and customer service.
Our process
1
Assessment of the existing environment
Following a thorough assessment of the existing environment, a targeted infrastructure upgrade was designed to address both performance and visibility challenges without introducing unnecessary complexity.
2
Enterprise switch deployment with 10Gbps fibre link
Two new enterprise-grade network switches were deployed, forming the foundation of a modernised core network. These were interconnected using a 10Gbps fibre link to remove any bottlenecks between switching layers.
3
10Gbps network adapter installed on key server
To maximise the benefit of this upgrade, a 10Gbps network adapter was installed within a key on-premise server, ensuring that server-side throughput could take full advantage of the enhanced network capacity.
4
Scheduled out-of-hours delivery
All work was carefully scheduled and carried out outside of business hours. This approach ensured a seamless transition with zero disruption to users or client-facing operations.
Enterprise switching infrastructure installed at Cooper Paul
The solution
High-performance 10Gbps connectivity
The introduction of 10Gbps connectivity significantly increased the available bandwidth between critical infrastructure components, eliminating previous constraints and improving data transfer speeds.
Resilient core network infrastructure
The solution delivered a high-performance, resilient internal network designed to support both current workloads and future growth, with two enterprise-grade switches at its core.
End-of-support hardware replaced
We recommended replacing the existing switches as they were approaching end of support — ensuring the client maintained access to critical security updates and manufacturer support from a cyber security perspective.
Full business continuity maintained
Importantly, the solution was implemented in a way that aligned with the client’s operational requirements, maintaining full business continuity throughout the entire upgrade process.
+ Proactive monitoring
Enhanced visibility into network health & performance
The new switching platform introduced enhanced monitoring and management capabilities, providing greater visibility into traffic flows, device health, and overall network performance. This enables a more proactive approach to support and troubleshooting.
Key outcomes
Noticeably faster access to applications & data
Users experienced noticeably faster access to locally hosted applications and data, particularly for file-intensive or system-driven workflows — improvements felt from day one.
Significantly increased internal network throughput
Internal network throughput was significantly increased, removing bottlenecks and improving application responsiveness across the entire business.
Improved network visibility & issue resolution
The introduction of enhanced monitoring tools has improved visibility of network activity and health, allowing for quicker identification and resolution of potential issues.
Project completed with zero downtime or disruption
From an operational perspective, the project was completed with zero downtime or disruption, reinforcing confidence in future infrastructure changes.
Measurable productivity gains across teams
While exact figures can vary depending on workload, similar upgrades typically deliver performance improvements such as reduced application load times and improved data transfer speeds, contributing to tangible productivity gains across teams.
