Empowering High Speed Training’s Remote Workforce with GCPW

Who are High Speed Training? 

High Speed Training is one of the UK’s leading online training providers. We serve large organisations right through to individual learners around the world and deliver high-quality training courses built in-house that engage and empower learners. We offer over 180 different online courses on subjects including: Food Hygiene, Health & Safety, Asbestos Awareness, Safeguarding, and many more areas of compliance and development. The organisation has experienced substantial growth, reaching 110 staff members, driven by the shift to fully online training during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

What Sets High Speed Training Apart? 

High-Speed Training’s commitment to quality by offering free training materials, partnering with charities, and providing excellent support. High Speed Training takes their core values seriously and are passionate about leaving things better than they found them and being a true force for good. They understand the importance of giving back to local communities and promoting practices that support each other, their learners and our environment.

The Issue

High Speed Training faced a significant challenge when the majority of its staff transitioned to remote work. Will Hughes, the IT manager, highlighted the hurdles of managing a remote workforce, especially concerning the limitations imposed by their local Microsoft Active Directory server. The inability to lock down computers, change passwords, and enforce policies created operational inefficiencies.

The Solution

Will, and High Speed Training, were recommended, by their Google Account Manager, to get in touch with a partner to help them solve their issue. This is when Will contacted Pablo Savva, Devoteam’s EMEA Google Workspace CSS Lead based in the UK.

Will explored available 3rd party solutions, however, Pablo introduced High Speed Training to Google Credential Provider for Windows (GCPW) included with their GWS licences and initiated a series of discussions to understand its potential benefits for High Speed Training’s unique challenges.

The decision to implement GCPW was fueled by the need for secure and efficient remote access to computers, allowing High Speed Training to handle login issues, change passwords, lock accounts, and enforce policies for a dispersed workforce. The transition from traditional Group Policy to a remote work scenario was seamless with GCPW, the benefit of this is a lowered technical debt by sticking with a Google toolset.

How the Solution was Implemented

To facilitate the implementation, Will and Pablo engaged in quarterly workshops as part of their Customer Success Services (CSS) plan with Devoteam. The workshops provided a structured approach, ensuring that High Speed Training could gradually adopt GCPW without disruptions. Pablo emphasised keeping the implementation simple and avoiding unnecessary complexities, resulting in a smooth deployment.

The quarterly touchpoints allowed for detailed discussions, addressing specific needs and concerns related to the implementation.

The Result

After the successful deployment of GCPW, High Speed Training experienced visible improvements in day-to-day operations. High Speed Training gained confidence in managing computers remotely, streamlining processes such as password resets and account lockouts without requiring physical presence. The solution proved crucial in maintaining efficiency for the IT team, eliminating the need for extensive travel to address user issues.

The financial aspect was also considered, with Will confirming cost savings by avoiding the purchase of additional third-party tools for password resets and remote management. GCPW, being part of their existing subscription, presented a cost-effective solution.

Looking ahead, High Speed Training expressed the desire to explore more features of their Google account, considering options like Google Chat to replace Slack and enhancing email security through Devoteam’s guidance. They emphasised the ongoing partnership with Devoteam, praising their support and consultation on various aspects beyond GCPW, such as email security and overall IT infrastructure.

To Conclude

In summary, High-Speed Training’s adoption of GCPW, facilitated by Devoteam’s expertise, exemplifies a successful collaboration resulting in enhanced remote workforce management, operational efficiency, and cost savings.