Pictured above: Andrew Baxter
Branston Ltd has appointed a new IT Manager to give its computer
systems a complete 'virtual' overhaul.
The UK's largest supplier of potatoes has appointed Andrew
Baxter, 34, to oversee and update its IT function at all three of
its sites, in Lincoln, Somerset and Scotland.
Andrew has been set quite a challenge by Branston and his
immediate task will be to 'virtualise' the IT environment at the
company.
Andrew says: "Virtualisation is a route that a lot of companies
are now opting for as it can save them money, energy and space. The
system that I am currently implementing at Branston is one where we
will run virtualisation software on high powered server machines.
This means we can host multiple server operating systems and
applications on fewer physical servers. This sounds complicated,
but it simply means that rather than having 30 boxes in a room,
there will be three instead.
"This will be beneficial to Branston for a number of reasons and
really fits in with the company's ethos in terms of how
environmentally efficient it will make the system. Virtualisation
reduces the number of servers you have to run, which means there
will be savings made on hardware costs for a start. Virtualisation
is a green technology through and through and it will mean a
reduction in the energy used to power and cool the hardware.
Andrew, who is originally from Woodhall Spa in Lincolnshire,
joins Branston with a wealth of experience in the IT field having
previously worked in similar roles at a variety of companies
including Sheffield-based Gripple Ltd, where he was responsible for
the company's worldwide IT function. Andrew also previously worked
for Sentor Electrical, based in Dubai, where he was responsible for
the company's finance and IT functions and also implemented the ISO
9001 quality system.
"I was immediately drawn to the role at Branston as when I
looked into the company's background I was amazed at how forward
thinking the organisation is. I was particularly impressed with its
stance on energy efficiency and reducing its environmental
footprint - which is where a lot of other similar sized companies
are still playing catch up. I am excited about making my mark at
Branston and implementing virtualisation at all of its sites. IT is
central to any successful company and I strongly feel that this is
the way forward for the organisation."
Vee Gururajan, projects director at Branston, says: "We are
delighted to welcome Andrew to Branston and are excited about the
changes that he has already begun to make. We are always looking at
ways to streamline our operations at our three sites and IT plays a
key role in all our factories. We have recently updated some of our
software so that a large proportion of our finance function is now
run centrally, and with Andrew's expertise, we hope to further
update our systems and also make them more energy efficient."