Fellows Auctioneers Ltd

020 4524 5431

year partnership

IT users

Founded in Birmingham in 1876, Fellows Auctioneers are a family-run firm of auctioneers and valuers. Fellows is one of the UK’s most established auction houses, with a focus on luxury watches, designer brands and unique pieces of jewellery.

Technology is critical to Fellows Auctioneers day-to-day operations, an online bidding service, complete with live audio and video, enables their clients to participate in live auctions wherever they are, so it’s imperative that their IT strategy works effectively for all employees across both locations.

Approx.
70+

Head office & sale room in
Birmingham

with an additional office in London

fellows.co.uk

“We have a positive working relationship with Air and we hope to continue that in the future!“

Key Outcomes

Uninterrupted operations
IT support ensures smooth auction days

Enhanced security
firewall and managed backups protect data and systems

Scalable IT environment
with Microsoft 365

Proactive support & guidance
ongoing IT strategy aligned to business objectives

Ben Griffiths

Former Operations Director, Fellows Auctioneers

"Working with Air has been a great partnership; they’ve allowed us to grow the business in line with our sales. We started working with Concise back in 2011 with approximately 30 employees, and we’re now around 70, which places a significant demand on our IT framework and support. Air have developed solutions for each challenge we’ve faced. As a business, Air recognise that we operate in a niche market and understand the unique pressures of our auction days. They know these challenges will only increase in frequency and complexity as the types of sales we hold evolve. They also appreciate that we are constantly striving to stay ahead of the competition and respond accordingly. We have a positive working relationship with Air and look forward to continuing it in the future.""

The Challenge

Fellows Auctioneers is totally reliant on IT, so finding a reliable IT provider who could proactively support their infrastructure and users was a huge priority for them.

As an auctioneer, Fellows have a massive priority on sale day, which is where they get the majority of their income, so it’s imperative that the company has working IT infrastructure to prevent downtime, and storage solutions so customers can view the sales.

Like any business, day-to-day and general IT problems occur, such as printers malfunctioning and laptops not working. Fellows needed an IT Provider that recognises the importance of their operational requirements when it comes to IT.

Key Requirements

Data security & compliance

24/7 IT support

Strategic guidance & scalability

The Outcome

Air IT Group carried out an initial consultation to better understand and identify areas of immediate and future improvement based on Fellows Auctioneers requirements. A full report was then produced with detailed recommendations which aligned to the strategy of the client’s growth plans.

We also recommended access to remote and onsite IT support for end users, with 24/7 network monitoring and management of their systems and infrastructure to take care of essential maintenance during the client’s operational schedule for live auctions, with a comprehensive security package that provide reassurance to the client due to their line of business.

Since partnering with Air, Fellows Auctioneers now benefits from 24/7 IT support, adding to internal resources and driving efficiencies on their most important sale days. Keeping in line with Fellows’ evolving needs, we provide ongoing strategic guidance and assists with setting up IT systems and provide full support during office expansions.

Furthermore, Fellows can rest assured knowing their network, data and users are best protected from outside threats. A new managed firewall package monitors incoming and outgoing network traffic, on site and for remote users, providing an important part of their security system.

In addition to this to safeguard data integrity we introduced managed backup solutions to support their growing needs for data protection and growing storage requirements. Migrating their existing email exchange to Microsoft 365 has improved end-user experience, security and compliance and scalability across office expansions.

Services used