How Shiner Future-Proofed Global Operations with a Secure Infrastructure Strategy

Shiner Distribution is a prominent player in the international Lifestyle and Action Sports industry, with headquarters in Bristol, UK, and operations across Europe and the US. In recent years, Shiner faced significant challenges that tested their resilience and adaptability. The COVID-19 pandemic altered consumer habits, shifting engagement away from active outdoor sports to home-based activities. At the same time, Brexit introduced complex regulatory changes, necessitating a new EU warehouse to maintain efficient logistics and compliance. These external pressures were compounded by an ageing IT infrastructure neglected by their previous Managed Service Provider (MSP), leading to rising operational costs and security vulnerabilities.

In response to these challenges, Shiner Distribution partnered with Solace Cyber to embark on a transformative infrastructure and security upgrade. The existing, outdated IaaS environment was replaced with a state-of-the-art setup featuring a 3 x Host and SAN architecture housed in a modern Data centre colocation facility. This migration was carefully designed to optimise operational costs while eliminating legacy hardware that was undermining system performance and security.

To protect the organisation’s critical data and operations, Solace Cyber implemented an integrated suite of advanced security solutions. These included Ransomware Protect and Recover, Veeam Cloud Connect backup, and Zerto Disaster Recovery, all working together to safeguard against ransomware threats and enable rapid disaster recovery. The project also replaced obsolete on-premise firewalls with next-generation FortiGate Firewalls configured in a highly-available (HA) stack to provide continuous protection without interruptions.

Additionally, the introduction of the Secure Plus Managed Service leveraged Shiner’s existing Windows Defender licenses through Microsoft 365 Business Premium, complemented by FortiEDR for endpoint security across their server estate. This proactive security management framework not only improved threat visibility but also bolstered Shiner’s overall cybersecurity resilience.

The infrastructure overhaul delivered measurable benefits to Shiner Distribution. They now operate on refreshed, high-performance hardware that supports their growing business demands. Operational expenditures have been significantly reduced thanks to infrastructure optimisation and removal of legacy systems. Importantly, the security posture of the organisation has been enhanced, providing confidence against emerging cyber threats and ensuring business continuity through robust backup and recovery capabilities.

The deployment of Secure Plus Managed Service also gives Shiner Distribution real-time insights into their threat landscape, enabling faster response and mitigation efforts. Together, these improvements position Shiner to thrive in a challenging ecommerce and distribution landscape, supporting their international operations from the UK, EU, and US.

Shiner Distribution operates from multiple strategic locations, including their Head Office and UK warehouse in Bristol, a new EU warehouse in the Netherlands established post-Brexit, and a sales office in California, USA. Managing approximately 150 endpoints across these sites, their IT infrastructure is critical to supporting the company’s cross-border ecommerce and distribution activities.

For businesses looking to secure and optimise their infrastructure, Solace Cyber offers industry-leading services tailored to complex challenges like those faced by Shiner Distribution. Contact Solace Cyber using our contact form >>

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