Brintons, a historic leader in carpet manufacturing since 1783, has embarked on a strategic digital transformation to support its global growth.
With production sites across Portugal, Poland, and India, and offices spanning the US and Australia, the company recognised the need to modernise its IT infrastructure. Following a comprehensive review, Brintons chose Node4 as its technology partner to implement a modern hybrid cloud environment and enhance security through continuous monitoring.
The challenge was clear: its legacy remote desktop environment was nearing the end of a three-year contract renewal, risking redundancy, and its existing hosting setup hindered rapid change — both barriers to supporting the company’s ambitious expansion plans. With a dispersed global workforce and multiple sites, reliable and flexible access to central systems was essential. Brintons’ leadership emphasised the importance of working with a partner that understood their business and could move swiftly to deliver solutions without disrupting daily operations.
Node4 responded by designing and deploying a phased, minimally disruptive transformation. The first step involved migrating approximately 350 users from Citrix to Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop, providing a stable, modern workspace accessible from anywhere in the world. This migration boosted user experience and confidence, with minimal operational impact. Next, Brintons’ core applications were moved onto Node4’s VMware-based Virtual Data Centre (VDC), offering a resilient, scalable foundation. The VDC was integrated with Azure Virtual Desktop, enabling secure, seamless access for employees globally.
To enhance operational oversight, Brintons adopted a continuous monitoring system through Microsoft Sentinel, providing real-time visibility and security insights across its estate. Regular reviews ensure the environment remains optimised, reliable, and secure.
The results have been significant. Staff worldwide now enjoy a consistent, responsive digital workspace that has greatly improved service stability — interruptions have been practically eliminated. The automation enabled by Node4’s partnership with Nerdio, an specialist in Azure Virtual Desktop solutions, has dramatically increased efficiency. Tasks like deploying new virtual machines, which previously took weeks, now happen in seconds, streamlining onboarding and software updates while ensuring consistent, fully configured desktops for users.
Moving to a consumption-based model allows Brintons to pay only for what it uses, providing greater flexibility and budget clarity. The entire project was completed within a tight five-week deadline and under budget, avoiding the need to renew a restrictive long-term desktop licensing agreement.
Security has also been strengthened through Node4’s Microsoft Sentinel SIEM and SOC services, providing continuous monitoring, actionable insights, and faster response times. This proactive approach allows Brintons to focus on strategic initiatives rather than chasing false positives, ensuring a safer environment.
Looking ahead, the flexible foundation established by Node4 enables Brintons to explore further digital innovations, including adopting Office 365, SharePoint, and Azure storage, aligning with its long-term growth roadmap. The company’s leadership praised the partnership, noting that the new environment offers room to evolve without overwhelming the organisation’s capacity.
“This technological shift has been a game-changer for us, and Node4’s support has been instrumental in making it happen smoothly,” said Nicola Davis, Company Secretary at Brintons.
