IT in the Poultry Industry
Following our previous article on how a company in the wine industry makes use of technology, we thought it may be interesting to find out how a company in the poultry industry would benefit from technology. This time we showcase Elgin Free Range Chickens (Pty) Ltd.
Once again, I have decided to keep this article short and sweet by interviewing one of our Solution Consultants, Clifford Retief, who talks about what aspects of technology are important for a company in this industry to function optimally.
NK: What in your opinion would be the most important technology aspect for a business operating in the poultry industry?
CR: Definitely uptime! Firstly they need to be able to have access to all their line of business applications, and secondly connectivity is a critical factor. This is because they have strict time schedules that they have to adhere to for their clients.
NK: With technology not being 100% reliable, what are some of the ways which we could alleviate the problem of their line of business application from going down?
We usually start off by stabilising the environment – often a fairly simple project. The next step would be to ensure there are proper backups for the line of business applications. When the equipment becomes old and out of warranty, an equipment refresh may be necessary, this could include: networks, switches, cabinets, servers etc. This would provide a stable platform to operate effectively for at least the next 3 to 5 years.
Microsoft’s Hyper-V virtualisation technology also provides a cost-effective disaster recovery solution. For companies with a Microsoft Small Business Server solution, a separate security firewall is advised, which helps to monitor and protect the company from the Internet.
NK: How would these technologies benefit a company in this industry?
CR: A stable infrastructure is necessary for reliable internal processing and system uptime. This will enable the company to maintain on time delivery of their product to their clients. Properly implemented and stable technology contributes towards ensuring high staff productivity. Unreliable systems will result in people having to work long hours to honour their delivery commitments - especially in this industry.
When companies do not invest properly in their IT infrastructure, the result is almost always a loss of productivity, missed deliveries and reduced customer satisfaction. Because these “costs” are not visible in the financial statements, the value of investing in IT is often difficult to justify in terms of return on investment (ROI).
Natalie Kowalik.
