Empowering Growth: Shepherd Electric Supply's IT Transformation
See how Shepherd Electric improved IT operations with TierPoint's solutions. Learn more.
Introduction
Shepherd Electric Supply, headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, and established in 1892, distributes wholesale electrical equipment to large electrical contractors in the Mid-Atlantic region. As their business grew with additional branches, Shepherd needed a reliable and secure solution to manage their critical business applications, particularly their Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system.
Challenges
Shepherd's on-premises ERP system, housed at their Baltimore headquarters, was becoming difficult to manage. Maintaining redundant power, network, and HVAC infrastructure solely for the ERP posed a significant challenge, especially with expanding branch offices. They lacked dedicated IT resources to maintain an enterprise-grade data center. Plus, the occasional outages they were experiencing started to become more expensive in terms of lost revenue.
The company aimed to mitigate downtime risks for geographically dispersed branches, but they didn’t want to move to a public cloud infrastructure due to a recent significant investment in a hyperconverged infrastructure solution. Shepherd also preferred the familiarity and control offered by their existing VMware environment. Due to these factors, the client was interested in a colocation solution that would help them modernize while retaining control of their infrastructure.
Solution
Shepherd Electric Supply partnered with TierPoint to implement a colocation solution that addressed their specific needs, which involved primary ERP deployment at the Baltimore-BWI data center. Shepherd chose this location mainly due to its proximity to all branches, allowing the internal IT team to manage infrastructure when necessary. TierPoint provided Shepherd with a secure and reliable environment containing robust redundancies that minimize downtime risks. Remote hands services are also available if no one on the Shepherd team happens to be available, offering additional peace of mind.
Results
The colocation solution implemented by TierPoint has significantly improved Shepherd Electric Supply's IT operations, providing enhanced reliability, predictable operational costs, and the support that the company needs to continue to provide positive customer experiences. “Once we laid out the game plan, it was such an easy sell to management,” said Tom Shock, Director of Information Technology at Shepherd.
Even when Shepherd experiences power outages at their Baltimore headquarters, they can continue business as usual by accessing TierPoint’s infrastructure from remote work environments. This improved reliability assists customers who are looking to order products from Shepherd at 3 p.m. for a project that is starting at 6 a.m. the next day.
One of the most important parts of Shepherd’s business is centered on relationships. All of the inside sales representatives at the company have close relationships with customers, and most of the business is built on these established connections. Minimizing downtime has ensured that Shepherd can consistently deliver exceptional customer experiences, and it frees up the IT staff to focus on more core business initiatives. Additionally, they appreciate the personal connections they've established with the TierPoint team, elevating their interaction to a partnership rather than merely a vendor relationship.
Shepherd also valued that costs were predictable in a colocation environment compared to a pay-as-you-go model often found in public cloud environments. The company felt their needs were far better suited for going into a private data center like TierPoint, “where we can absolutely predict and know to the penny what our monthly expenses are going to be and project them into the future,” said Shock.
Companies that have specific on-premises and scalability needs may benefit from a colocation approach similar to Shepherd Electric Supply. Teams can bring their own skills or rely on the expertise of TierPoint to enable the colocation or other hybrid solution that works best for them. Learn more about our secure solutions that help businesses modernize while retaining control over their core systems.
At A Glance
Industry
Distribution
Technology
Colocation, bandwidth, space, and power in the BWI Data Center
Challenges
Shepherd Electric Supply was facing resource constraints from their growing business and wanted to find a new home for their on-premises ERP system and new investment in hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI). They were looking for a modernized solution that offered a combination of reliability and control.
Solution
The client partnered with TierPoint to implement a colocation solution, deploying their ERP system in TierPoint’s Baltimore-BWI data center. This secure, reliable environment also offers business continuity benefits.
Results
Colocation with TierPoint significantly improved Shepherd’s IT operations, enhancing reliability, maintaining predictable costs, and enabling continued focus on customer experience.
Website
https://www.shepherdelec.com/
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