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‘Responsive and reliable’ DMS aids Rollins’ UK growth

THE CLIENT

Established in 1986, Safeguard Pest Control is in the top five (and one of the largest), pest control companies in the UK. It specialises in all forms of commercial and residential pest control, bird control and specialist environmental services and enjoys a first class reputation for the service it provides.

Rollins Inc.
In 2016, US based Rollins purchased industry veteran Safeguard, via its subsidiary pest control brand Orkin, to enter the UK market. Rollins, a premier global consumer and commercial services company, was already providing essential pest control and protection to over two million customers worldwide from more than 700 locations.

Partnership with DMS

Existing partnership with DMS
DMS had developed and managed the Safeguard IT infrastructure since the early noughties, so was on the scene when Rollins took over.

Rollins’ growth continues
For a year after acquisition, Rollins continued to observe the Safeguard operation and the UK market with little involvement. Then, Rollins began a series of further UK acquisitions (which is ongoing), rebranding most of the companies with the trusted Safeguard identity. As of July 2023, the companies in the Rollins UK portfolio numbered 13, with over 300 staff serving nearly 8,000 clients across the country.

DMS and Microsoft chosen
DMS had already established Microsoft at the heart of the Safeguard IT infrastructure, ensuring that it not only remained efficient and secure, but also kept up to date with appropriate Microsoft developments. Rollins was pleased with the Microsoft platform and wanted every newly acquired company to mirror the Safeguard set up; comfortable with the work they had done for Safeguard, Rollins appointed DMS to make this happen.

Measured migration from existing IT arrangements

As each new acquisition is made the DMS team audits the new companies IT set-up, making few changes in the short term, focussing on security and standardising backup procedures. Existing processes are allowed to continue until, as appropriate, Office 365 is introduced for administrative productivity, integration is made with the single domain and the Safeguard service management application is employed.

Simplified management and economies of scale

Most existing on-site servers are replaced with cloud hosting in Microsoft Azure. This saves the cost of powering the servers and the associated air conditioning and allows server rooms to be repurposed. With DMS providing cyber security measures and managed services with 24/7 monitoring, Rollins avoids the need for IT management overhead at each site. The single domain integration gives Rollins’ management team visibility across all offices, enabling fast and informed decision making.

MS Office 365 benefits

The Office 365 solution not only provides powerful common use tools such as Word, Excel, Outlook and  PowerPoint, it also enables free video and telephony communication via MS Teams with a host of presentation, screen sharing and meeting features too. With more staff working from home, the Teams application is fast becoming the standard for keeping workers in touch with one another and their customers.  

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    Telephone system integration

    In addition to managing the network, DMS integrated the different companies telephone systems too. Often a new acquisition brings a specialist service that is new to the group. With the integrated phone system, calls to any of the switchboard numbers are diverted through a series of service options to the team with the appropriate specialism, regardless of where the company is based. The client doesn’t know where the call is being answered, only that they are getting through to the exact service they require.

    Rollins’ staff free from IT burden

    DMS’ continuous monitoring means technical issues can be picked up early and dealt with, and cyber threats are intercepted before they can wreak damage. This remote, ‘behind the scenes’ work ensures the IT runs smoothly and seamlessly between locations, allowing companies in the Rollins UK group to focus on developing their core business”. 

    Responsive and reliable

    Malcolm Stowell, one of the directors at Safeguard UK, summarised his view of the DMS service “It’s like having our own IT department, the DMS team is part of the family! All the engineers genuinely delight in helping us and are highly responsive and reliable; nothing is too much trouble. And they go the extra mile too, sensitively helping staff who are fearful of change to adapt to the Safeguard way. DMS’ has now been appointed as MSP to carry out first, second, and third-line support as well as project consultancy for all Rollins’ UK operations.