Perrys, one of the UK’s largest independently owned automotive dealer groups, operates 51 dealerships across 30 locations nationwide. With customer satisfaction and manufacturer expectations at the heart of its business, Perrys understands the importance of staying ahead of the technology curve.
Today, IT systems are critical to Perrys’ daily operations, from contact centres and workshops to showrooms. Any system outage can directly impact productivity and customer experience, ultimately leading to lost revenue. Recognising the need for a robust and modern infrastructure, Perrys partnered with Forge Technologies to begin a digital transformation journey, starting with an upgrade to its legacy email environment.
From Email Upgrade to Network Transformation
Initially, Forge were engaged to modernise Perrys’ email systems and address immediate security risks. The existing infrastructure, hosted in a co-location facility and managed in-house, was running on outdated server hardware and unsupported operating systems. A comprehensive audit revealed deeper dependencies and vulnerabilities, prompting a broader roadmap for digital overhaul.
Building a Future-Proof Network
As part a wider transformation, Forge Technologies focused on modernising Perrys’ network infrastructure to support evolving business needs. With the rise of VR-based vehicle sales, cloud collaboration tools, and large software downloads for modern vehicles, Perrys required a high-performance, high-bandwidth network that could scale without escalating costs.
To meet these demands, Forge implemented a Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) solution using Fortinet SD-Branch technology. This included multi-carrier Direct Internet Access (DIA) circuits, FortiGate Firewalls, and a Unified Threat Protection (UTP) bundle, delivering comprehensive cybersecurity and improved connectivity.
Seamless Migration and Significant Gains
Forge Technologies executed a seamless migration by establishing resilient site-to-site VPN connectivity between the legacy WAN and new FortiGate firewalls hosted in Microsoft Azure. This approach reduced risk and cost while enabling Perrys to leverage the new network infrastructure immediately upon circuit activation.
Most sites transitioned to dual 1Gbps fibre circuits, with bandwidth upgrades to either 1Gbps or 100Mbps, resulting in a tenfold increase in capacity. Forge coordinated the installation of over 70 WAN circuits, managing everything from surveys and wayleave applications to commissioning and optimisation.
The Fortinet infrastructure was configured with precision, from zero-touch provisioning templates to advanced routing protocols, SSL deep packet inspection, web filtering policies, and branded guest portals.
A Stronger Digital Foundation
Thanks to Forge Technologies, Perrys now operates on a secure, reliable, and high-capacity digital foundation. The network transformation has significantly improved employee productivity and collaboration across all departments, from mechanics in workshops to sales teams in showrooms and customer service agents in contact centres.
With a 10X bandwidth increase and enhanced network resilience, Perrys is better equipped to meet the demands of modern automotive retail and deliver exceptional experiences to both customers and manufacturers.
