{"id":170832,"date":"2026-08-19T07:04:02","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T06:04:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/eu\/2026\/08\/19\/aprolis-uk-trades-ageing-servers-for-a-smarter-centralised-setup-with-node4\/"},"modified":"2026-08-21T16:04:33","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T15:04:33","slug":"aprolis-uk-trades-ageing-servers-for-a-smarter-centralised-setup-with-node4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/eu\/2026\/08\/19\/aprolis-uk-trades-ageing-servers-for-a-smarter-centralised-setup-with-node4\/","title":{"rendered":"Aprolis UK trades ageing servers for a smarter, centralised setup with Node4"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Marcus Curtis, IT Manager, Aprolis\u00a0UK, explains how moving 90 ageing, scattered servers into Node4’s Virtual Data Centre cut the company’s physical estate to 24, while giving his team the fixed pricing and direct control it needed to win board approval.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aprolis UK specialises in the sale, rental and ongoing support of materials handling equipment and industrial solutions. This includes forklift trucks, industrial doors and warehouse equipment. Part of the global Monnoyeur Group, Aprolis UK has expanded through acquisitions and now serves over 500 customers, including B&M Retail.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, such growth presented significant IT challenges. \u201cWe had around 90 ageing servers at locations across the country,\u201d said Marcus Curtis, IT Manager, Aprolis UK. \u201cWe couldn\u2019t manage them centrally and had to schedule in-person site visits to resolve issues. On paper, a public cloud solution seemed like the obvious choice, but it was overly complicated and lacked transparent pricing.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The solution<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While assessing his options, Curtis discovered Node4\u2019s Virtual Data Centre (VDC) offering. \u201cIt was refreshingly simple,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s a fixed monthly price with no hidden charges for networking, data transfer, or micro-transactions. It finally allowed me to present a solid business case to the board and demonstrate a costed pathway towards cloud and virtualisation.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a first step, Node4 established a centralised network backbone by deploying secure MPLS connections from one of its data centres to each of Aprolis UK\u2019s depots. From there, server migration was straightforward: new servers were provisioned in the VDC and ageing on-premises machines were gradually decommissioned. \u201cIt\u2019s so easy to spin up new servers and transfer the data,\u201d he said. \u201cIt means we can respond quickly and bring new machines online at a moment\u2019s notice.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crucially, Curtis and his team maintain direct control of their virtual environment. \u201cWe still prefer to deploy our own servers and retain responsibility for them \u2013 we\u2019re a very tech-savvy team, so that suits us well,\u201d he commented. \u201cBut there\u2019s always the option to transfer more control to Node4 if, for example, we are short-staffed for any reason. The VDC offers both options and that flexibility is invaluable.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The results<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Improved Disaster Recovery <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the outset, Curtis was impressed with the redundancy and resilience built into Node4\u2019s VDC. But, he admits, visiting the Northampton data centre was still a real eye-opener. \u201cWe saw the physical redundancy for ourselves \u2013 extra generators that would keep our servers running even if the power failed, secured access areas and perimeter protection. Our Disaster Recovery capabilities had kept me awake at night, but I could finally sleep easily. The visit also underscored the fact that our data is physically stored in the UK, which is key to retaining data sovereignty.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking ahead, Curtis is considering whether to back up his virtual servers to Node4\u2019s Wakefield facility. \u201cPresenting options like this to the board demonstrates I\u2019m always thinking a step ahead and offering new ideas to improve our redundancy.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simplified, unified security <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Node4\u2019s VDC also makes it easy to establish and control default security settings. \u201cThat matters because our parent company has its own security team and it passes those policies to us for implementation,\u201d said Curtis. \u201cWhen that happens, we can roll out security updates to existing machines as they\u2019re needed and update templated security settings for new virtual servers.\u201d   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stronger security and improved MPLS-based connectivity also make remote working more viable. \u201cAprolis UK has a distributed workforce,\u201d Curtis noted. \u201cBut we were tethered to our desks. The VDC and supporting connectivity changed that. Now, you don\u2019t need to be in Doncaster to work on files from the Doncaster server; you can access them quickly and securely from anywhere in the country just by connecting to the VPN. This makes for a much more efficient and agile workforce.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Faster integration of acquired companies <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ability to quickly bring new virtual servers online has made it easier for Curtis and his team to integrate newly acquired companies into the Aprolis UK group. \u201cIt used to take around three to six months,\u201d he recalled. \u201cHowever, now that Node4 provides the connectivity and the centralised VDC, migrations are completed in a matter of weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s where centralised policies, firewalls and security settings all really come into play. But integration isn\u2019t just about systems and processes; it\u2019s so much better for everyone if this procedure happens quickly and new employees can start to feel they\u2019re part of the company,\u201d he said.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cost and efficiency savings<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asked to identify cost savings from the project, Curtis explained that his new virtualised server environment freed him from expensive five-year server purchase and refresh cycles \u2013 making budgeting and forecasting far easier.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve saved money by maintaining high-quality, responsive IT support with the same-sized team, even though the company continues to grow,\u201d said Curtis. \u201cReducing our physical server estate by around two-thirds \u2013 from 88 to 24 \u2013 means we don\u2019t have to make as many site visits, which frees up a significant amount of our time. Eventually, that need will vanish entirely, but it\u2019s already made our department far more productive.\u201d    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking to the future<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When asked about how he thinks the project will evolve, Curtis explained that he\u2019s keen to explore the potential for AI deployments. \u201cI\u2019d like to focus on areas that would benefit customers and improve efficiency. That might include scheduled and predictive vehicle maintenance,\u201d he observed. \u201cBut we could also consider chatbot deployments that help customers get fast access to technical vehicle-related information. Whichever route we take, with centralised data in the VDC and the ability to practice good data hygiene, we\u2019re paving the way for AI to run smoothly and deliver for the business.\u201d   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Final thoughts <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNode4 is the extra team member you can call on whenever you need them,\u201d said Curtis. \u201cThe one who always has your back. Their technology is amazing, but the real difference is that it\u2019s underpinned by helpful people who genuinely want our business to succeed. I know I can pick up the phone to speak with my account manager or meet in person at any time. They\u2019re always happy to discuss new options and approaches. That direct connection, commitment and desire to build a genuine long-term relationship sets Node4 apart. It\u2019s what makes their offering unique.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Marcus Curtis, IT Manager, Aprolis\u00a0UK, explains how moving 90 ageing, scattered servers into Node4’s Virtual Data Centre cut the company’s physical estate to 24, while giving his team the fixed pricing and direct control it needed to win board approval. Aprolis UK specialises in the sale, rental and ongoing support of materials handling equipment and industrial solutions. This […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":170833,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[205,4,23513,55,22074,140,93,427,2122],"tags":[26495,26496,7975,25,26497,8382,26498,8313,11600,26499,19334],"class_list":["post-170832","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-case-studies","category-cloud","category-cloud-computing","category-data-centres","category-hot-topic","category-networking","category-top-stories","category-trade-logistics","category-transport","tag-ageing-servers","tag-aprolis-uk","tag-case-study","tag-cloud","tag-forklift","tag-industrial","tag-marcus-curtis","tag-node4","tag-servers","tag-vdc","tag-virtual-data-centre"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170832","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=170832"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170832\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":170857,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170832\/revisions\/170857"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/170833"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=170832"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=170832"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=170832"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}