Case Study

William Lamb Group: Centralised VM and Backup Transformation

Industry: Retail & Manufacturing
Solution: Nutanix Hyper-Converged Infrastructure
Date: May 2026
Key Result
Backup Restoration Times Reduced from 20+ Hours to Minutes
The Challenge

The Operational Challenge

Prior to the intervention, the William Lamb Group IT network had not been updated for approximately 10 years. The existing IT environment suffered from daisy-chained switches, non-existent perimeter security, and a reliance on legacy tape-based backups.

The primary operational bottleneck was the restoration process, which took over 20 hours to complete and required active backups to be stopped. The organisation needed a consolidated, intelligent VM environment capable of dynamic resource allocation and robust disaster recovery.

Legacy Backups

Tape-based backups with 20+ hour restoration windows and no granular recovery.

Rigid Sizing

Inflexible "T-shirt" VM sizing models prevented dynamic resource allocation.

No DR Strategy

Non-existent disaster recovery with no ability to sandbox or forensically analyse threats.

Modern Data Technology Center with Server Racks in Big Storage with VFX Animation
Our Approach

The Contrac Approach

Contrac applied a Consult, Transform, Support methodology to modernise the entire virtualised estate.

01

Consult

We conducted a deep analysis of the IT core to move away from rigid "T-shirt" sizing models, focusing instead on a flexible, consumption-based resource plan.

02

Transform

We deployed Nutanix Clusters connected by a high-throughput resilient Mellanox switch stack. We integrated a Hycu cluster to manage VM backups, providing granular recovery capabilities.

03

Support

We enabled a self-serve backup portal, allowing the IT team to restore full VMs or individual files to specified locations instantly.

Results

Business Impact

Rapid DR

Malware-attacked VMs can now be restored in minutes, with sandbox environments for forensic analysis.

Centralised

Real-time visibility into VM performance and throughput via a unified dashboard.

Faster Resolution

Precise incident identification distinguishing infrastructure performance from application-level issues.

Dynamic

Resources flexed monthly based on usage, eliminating constant contract changes.

Find out how Contrac can help your business

Partner with Contrac to audit your infrastructure and deploy solutions that reduce costs, improve uptime, and empower your team.

GET IN TOUCH