In at present’s fast-moving hospitality sector, the fitting expertise partnership is extra essential than ever. At Cisco, we’ve witnessed first-hand how highly effective collaboration between skilled companions and visionary clients can unlock new alternatives. Our latest mission with Focus Group and Mitchells & Butlers (MAB) stands as a primary instance – a narrative of belief, innovation, and shared ambition throughout greater than 1,700 venues all through the UK.
Focus Group: A Trusted Cisco Accomplice with a Imaginative and prescient
Focus Group has constructed a repute as one among Cisco’s most forward-thinking companions within the UK and EMEA area. Their dedication to an automation-first strategy, deep funding in technical experience, and dedication to operational excellence have set them aside. Over the course of 18 months, Focus Group invested considerably in presales and technical sources to put the groundwork for the MAB mission. Their imaginative and prescient extends effectively past deployment, with specialised groups in place to handle operations, governance, and safety for the long run.
What distinguishes Focus Group is their capacity to see the larger image. They don’t simply ship Cisco options; they combine complementary applied sciences – resembling Microsoft Azure, M365, and managed backup and restoration providers – making them a real strategic accomplice for patrons in search of a holistic digital transformation.
““This collaboration with Mitchells & Butlers represents precisely what we try for at Focus Group, combining innovation with real-world affect. By bringing collectively the very best of Cisco expertise with our experience in automation, cloud, and safety, we’re not simply delivering a community — we’re constructing a digital basis that may empower MAB’s manufacturers, groups, and clients for years to come back.”– Neil Corridor, CEO, Focus Group
Mitchells & Butlers: A Hospitality Chief with Ambition
Mitchells & Butlers is likely one of the UK’s largest and most recognizable operators of pubs, eating places, and motels, representing 18 well-known manufacturers and supporting round 6,000 customers throughout the nation. As a enterprise, MAB is not any stranger to innovation. With a big and various property, MAB wanted a expertise refresh that may not solely modernise its infrastructure but in addition create a basis for development, safety, and distinctive visitor experiences in a quickly evolving market.
When it got here time to pick out a expertise accomplice, MAB sought an answer that would transcend connectivity. The aim was a seamless, safe, and future-ready digital setting that may empower their groups and delight their friends for years to come back.
“Partnering with Cisco and Focus Group marks a significant milestone in our journey to remodel the digital infrastructure throughout 1,700 Mitchells & Butlers places. By embracing next-generation Cisco applied sciences (Wi-Fi 7, SD-WAN, and Safe Join), and main with Focus Group’s automation-first strategy, we’re constructing a community that won’t solely be safe and resilient, however able to develop with us. The unified, cloud-first strategy is simplifying how we function, unlocking price efficiencies, and most significantly, empowering our groups to ship constant and excellent experiences to our friends. It’s a daring step towards future proofing our enterprise and staying forward in a fast-moving digital world.” — Andrew Benson, Mitchells & Butlers
Coming Collectively: How Cisco, Focus Group, and MAB Constructed the Future
The collaboration between Focus Group, MAB, and Cisco started with a easy ambition: to ship a next-generation digital platform at scale, with flexibility and safety at its core. What adopted was one among Cisco UK’s largest-ever industrial offers – a $17 million settlement that grew far past its unique scope because of the shared imaginative and prescient and arduous work of all three organisations.
A cornerstone of the mission was Focus Group’s automation-led strategy, which delivered important price efficiencies. As a substitute of pocketing these financial savings, Focus Group labored with MAB and Cisco to reinvest them into increasing the mission scope – including extra websites, customers, and superior options than initially deliberate. This spirit of partnership and transparency enabled everybody to goal greater and obtain extra.
Over the course of the engagement, the answer advanced from an preliminary give attention to Meraki SD-WAN and Wi-Fi to a complete digital platform, together with upgraded LAN infrastructure, Safe Service Edge (SSE), Endpoint Detection and Administration (EDM), and the transition to Benefit licensing throughout all Cisco product suites. Crucially, the answer additionally paved the way in which for an entire safety transformation, with plans to deploy Safe Entry and Entry Supervisor to strengthen MAB’s zero-trust posture.
All through, collaboration between groups has been key. Common communication, information sharing, and the involvement of Cisco’s technical and account specialists—resembling Ben Bodinham and Ben Jones—helped make sure the mission stayed aligned with MAB’s enterprise aims and delivered most worth.
“We’re thrilled to accomplice with Mitchells & Butlers on this transformative journey to futureproof their enterprise with next-generation Cisco applied sciences. This important funding marks an thrilling subsequent stage in our relationship, the place along with Focus Group, we’ll ship a safe, resilient, and scalable community that empowers their groups and enhances visitor experiences throughout 1,700 places. We’re grateful to Focus Group for his or her invaluable partnership in bringing this joint imaginative and prescient to life and sit up for driving continued innovation and success alongside Mitchells & Butlers.” – Ben Jones, Cisco Business Director UKI
Trying Ahead: Lasting Influence
Because the rollout continues, lots of of MAB websites are set to profit from a contemporary, safe, and versatile community. With Wi-Fi 7, multi-gigabit switches, and cloud-managed providers, MAB will be capable to adapt rapidly to trade adjustments, help new digital initiatives, and ship even higher experiences for friends and workers.
The success of this collaboration is already being acknowledged past the mission itself. Plans are in place for a hearth chat at Cisco Stay 2026, a long-form case research, and inner enablement supplies to encourage different Cisco groups and clients.
The partnership between Focus Group, Mitchells & Butlers, and Cisco is a testomony to what could be achieved when experience, innovation, and a shared dedication to success come collectively. As MAB’s transformation progresses, we sit up for sharing extra tales of how expertise helps to redefine hospitality for the longer term.
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