1. CASE STUDY
FOSTERING SOLUTIONS HAD A SLOW AND OVER-
COMPLICATED NETWORK THAT LEFT STAFF
FRUSTRATED. THROUGH SIMPLIFICATION AND
MANAGED SUPPORT, ZEN HELPED FOSTERING
SOLUTIONS BUILD A BETTER FUTURE.
Established twelve years ago, Fostering Solutions
is one of the UK’s leading independent fostering
agencies in the UK.
Every day, its carers and staff work to ensure the
children and young people in their care enjoy a safe
and secure home where they are given every opportunity
to enjoy their childhood and reach their full potential.
The organisation provides a mix of emergency, short-term
and long-term placements, working closely with local
authority teams to achieve positive outcomes for every
child or young person, even when they have complex
needs or exhibit challenging behaviour.
FOSTERING
SOLUTIONS
BUILD A NETWORK
FOR THE FUTURE

2. Contactusformoreinformation:
01706902910 info@zen.co.uk www.zen.co.uk
THE SOLUTION
Lesley Davidson, the organisation’s ICT Manager,
decided enough was enough; her team therefore looked
at a number of providers for a more effective network
solution, but no-one amongst the competition reached
the high bar set by Zen. “We chose Zen” says Lesley,
“because, apart from the fact that we already used them
and had confidence in them as a provider, we felt they
fully understood what we were trying to achieve and
would work with us, not only for present requirements,
but future ones too.”
The new solution incorporates IP VPN with a mixture
of Ethernet and ADSL connectivity services plus,
centralised Network Security. Zen project managed
and handled the migration from start to finish.
“They were very organised in terms of managing
the project” notes Lesley, “and extremely patient.
THE BENEFITS
Zen’s simplified network design has created new efficiencies
for Fostering Solutions in-house IT team, freeing them up
to focus on other opportunities and challenges, rather than
troubleshooting network issues. With Ethernet circuits
backed up by SLAs at mission-critical sites, they can now
rely on sufficient bandwidth and 24/7 availability. In turn
this has led to happier staff, who can get their work done
speedily without the stress of a poor connection.
The solution has also made the work of managing and
securing the network much easier. With Zen’s Managed
Support team providing backup, Lesley and her team can
implement new security policies swiftly and confidently
through a centrally managed security platform that now
provides enterprise-grade protection, network wide. Branch
offices are supported remotely, while the need to travel to
set up new user accounts, has been eliminated, as the work
can be done over the IP VPN.
What’s more, the new solution is scalable. As Fostering
Solutionsgrows,socantheIPVPNtotakeinnewsiteswithout
the cost and complications encountered with IP SEC-based
VPNs. With Zen on board, Lesley said “we are able to utilise
expertise we don’t have in-house. If we have any ideas, we
knowwecanrunthembyZenandgetexperthelpandadvice.”
All in all, the move has been a triumph for Fostering
Solutions and Zen. The organisation now has a fast, reliable
and secure network that its staff and carers can rely on, plus
they’ve also got the ability to expand. It’s a win for Fostering
Solutions, the carers, children and young people it supports.
THE CHALLENGE
Fostering Solutions prides itself on its flexibility, quality of care, and outstanding support. Like any modern organisation,
it relies on IT systems. Until recently they used a mixture of connectivity solutions, including wireless, SDSL and ADSL.
Network security was handled discretely at each site, though managed by a central in-house team. Meanwhile, the
organisation’s Bolton head office acted as a hub, hosting the organisation’s key business applications.
Unfortunately, limited bandwidth at head office affected the performance of the entire network, hence the end-user
experience. Slow applications and long delays led to complaints from staff and nightmares for the ICT Team, who felt
uncomfortable telling their colleagues that they couldn’t do anything without more investment in the network infrastructure.
What’s more, securing the network was proving time consuming and expensive, while the existing solution wasn’t easily
scalable. The network was struggling to meet current demands, yet Fostering Solutions was actively growing.