“In projects like these, you need a partner you can trust, a partner with deep industry knowledge who are prepared to go the extra mile, which we certainly found in Nolan.”

Softcat

Case Study: Softcat

Nolan Business Solutions are a proud partner of the number one IT Reseller in the UK: Softcat.

Hear from Softcat and Nolan as they discuss what was the largest NetSuite partner deal in EMEA at that time and learn why Softcat chose Nolan as their ERP partner.

The implementation was a huge success for Softcat and delivered many benefits to the company associated with increased performance, greater automation and a system that will support Softcat’s growth in the future.

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The Customer

Softcat are the #1 IT Reseller in the UK with customers ranging from small and medium businesses to large corporations and public sector organisations.

Their services include IT infrastructure, products and services including asset management, business intelligence & analytics, collaboration, commodity sourcing, data centre, end-user computing & mobility, networking & security, software licensing and IT services.

With headquarters in Marlow, they now have offices all over the UK with additional international satellite offices. Big on culture and community, Softcat are ferociously people- and customer-led, abiding by their values of Fun, Intelligence, Community, Responsibility & Passion.

Relationships are at the very core of Softcat’s growth, and their employees and customers are at the heart of everything they do.

The Challenge

Over the last few years, Softcat experienced phenomenal quarter-on-quarter growth, to the extent that their legacy systems couldn’t keep up.

Having used the same core system for more than twenty years, with more and more functionality added along the way, Softcat had a ‘hairball’ of different programmes which limited them in efficiently scaling with the growth of the company.

Softcat required moving to a new sustainable system that was supported and could integrate with other contemporary systems and wasn’t so heavily customised using outdated technology with inconsistent data tables.

The new system would need to be able to scale up, automate more processes, and have the flexibility to add functionality as and when needed.

“We had outgrown our existing software and needed a more flexible scalable solution that would future-proof our business for years to come”

The Solution

Following a rigorous RFP process, NetSuite stood out to Softcat for its ease of use, ability to configure to their needs, and flexibility to add new functionality to support their future growth.

However, with other strong offerings in consideration, for Softcat it came down to finding a partner that they could work well with, one that aligned with their values, who knew how they operate, and what success means to them.

Softcat opted for their long-term partner Nolan Business Solutions as their preferred partner of choice and work was soon underway on what was the biggest NetSuite deal in EMEA at that time.

“Nolan were side by side in the project with us. We were respectful of each other and each other's talents, making sure we put the best people on to this on all fronts, as well as being fully transparent.”

Long-term partnership

Nolan started working with Softcat in 1998 and supported their growth through their IPO and multinational expansions, building a strong relationship in the process. Nolan were the incumbent support partner at Softcat for their on-premise ERP system Microsoft Great Plains where they undertook a vast range of customisations to enhance the way Softcat operated.

Nolan also have a strong track record of delivering successful implementations elsewhere in the IT Resellers space with a number of customers in the CRN 100.

Their ‘eInteract’ SuiteApp would integrate Softcat’s back office systems with their supply chain, bringing benefits of significantly reduced cost-per-transaction, automatic product data updates, live pricing and stock availability from NetSuite, sales and purchase order processing and electronic transaction exchange with distributors.

But above all, it was the value-aligned partnership that assured Softcat that Nolan could deliver a personalised ERP system that really worked for them.

A project of this size, which would comprise of over 100 people from Softcat, Nolan and other partners, meant finding a partner they could work well with, who shared the same values, and who could be trusted to deliver success.

Learn more about how eInteract delivers IT Resellers a real competitive advantage by connecting the #1 Cloud ERP solution, with IT VAR’s supply chain.

“Through the combination of NetSuite and Nolan’s eInteract SuiteApp, we’ve been able to reduce our cost per transaction.

Up to 60% of all hardware transactions we process are now purchased automatically by our system without any human intervention.”

The outcome

In the first year of operation, the new NetSuite system has processed a colossal amount of orders and brought automation to several areas to help their staff spend more time on value-adding tasks.

Combining NetSuite’s strengths in providing pertinent information, through features such as related records and a powerful global search, with Nolan’s eInteract SuiteApp, means that Softcat spend less time working with the system and more time interacting with their customers and suppliers.

Up to 60% of all hardware transactions Softcat process are now purchased automatically by their system without any human intervention.

NetSuite’s OneWorld solution provides Softcat with financial and operational visibility both domestically and internationally.

The project has brought immediate benefit in supporting their multinational growth aspirations- making expansion overseas scalable, while still providing a consolidated view of their business.

Year-end would often mean Softcat needing additional support with their legacy system, this year it came and went seamlessly- the system was stable and they had no issues.

Softcat’s growth continues at pace. Being able to support this growth with systems that would scale appropriately was a big part of what the NetSuite implementation was about.

“In projects like these, you need a partner you can trust, a partner with deep industry knowledge who are prepared to go the extra mile, which we certainly found in Nolan.”

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