In right this moment’s fast-moving hospitality sector, the fitting know-how partnership is extra essential than ever. At Cisco, we’ve witnessed first-hand how highly effective collaboration between professional companions and visionary clients can unlock new alternatives. Our latest challenge with Focus Group and Mitchells & Butlers (MAB) stands as a first-rate 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 fame as one in every of 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 challenge. 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 – equivalent to Microsoft Azure, M365, and managed backup and restoration companies – making them a real strategic companion for patrons in search of a holistic digital transformation.
““This collaboration with Mitchells & Butlers represents precisely what we attempt for at Focus Group, combining innovation with real-world influence. By bringing collectively the most effective of Cisco know-how with our experience in automation, cloud, and safety, we’re not simply delivering a community — we’re constructing a digital basis that can empower MAB’s manufacturers, groups, and clients for years to return.”– 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 inns, 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 numerous property, MAB wanted a know-how refresh that will 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 know-how companion, MAB sought an answer that would transcend connectivity. The aim was a seamless, safe, and future-ready digital atmosphere that will empower their groups and delight their visitors for years to return.
“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 value efficiencies, and most significantly, empowering our groups to ship constant and excellent experiences to our visitors. 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 in every of Cisco UK’s largest-ever business offers – a $17 million settlement that grew far past its unique scope because of the shared imaginative and prescient and laborious work of all three organisations.
A cornerstone of the challenge was Focus Group’s automation-led strategy, which delivered vital value efficiencies. As a substitute of pocketing these financial savings, Focus Group labored with MAB and Cisco to reinvest them into increasing the challenge scope – including extra websites, customers, and superior options than initially deliberate. This spirit of partnership and transparency enabled everybody to goal larger 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 best way for a whole 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, data sharing, and the involvement of Cisco’s technical and account specialists—equivalent to Ben Bodinham and Ben Jones—helped make sure the challenge stayed aligned with MAB’s enterprise targets and delivered most worth.
“We’re thrilled to companion with Mitchells & Butlers on this transformative journey to futureproof their enterprise with next-generation Cisco applied sciences. This vital 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
Wanting Ahead: Lasting Impression
Because the rollout continues, tons 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 companies, MAB will be capable of adapt rapidly to trade modifications, assist new digital initiatives, and ship even higher experiences for visitors and workers.
The success of this collaboration is already being acknowledged past the challenge itself. Plans are in place for a fireplace chat at Cisco Reside 2026, a long-form case research, and inside enablement supplies to encourage different Cisco groups and clients.
The partnership between Focus Group, Mitchells & Butlers, and Cisco is a testomony to what may 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 know-how helps to redefine hospitality for the longer term.
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