Knight Frank
Transforming the Workplace Experience
Founded in 1896 and headquartered in London, Knight Frank is one of the world’s leading independent real estate consultancies. With the need to address their printer estate, Aura worked to deliver an exception solution alongside dedicated service and training.
60+ UK locations transformed
Business Challenge
The existing print environment included a large number of devices across the business. As part of its modernisation programme, Knight Frank wanted to consolidate hardware, strengthen print security, improve visibility of print usage and reporting, and simplify ongoing management without disrupting day-to-day operations.
Following a competitive procurement process led by CDW, Aura was selected as the delivery partner due to its proven track record of delivering complex workplace technology projects for organisations operating across multiple sites. Aura’s customer-first approach and experience managing similar large-scale deployments made it a natural choice to support the nationwide rollout.
Working in close partnership with CDW, Aura combined its technical expertise with a shared commitment to putting the customer’s needs first, delivering a tailored managed print solution that balanced operational requirements, long term value and an exceptional user experience.
Aura’s expertise has helped us reduce costs, improve business efficiency and minimise our environmental impact. What truly differentiates Aura, however, is their partnership approach. They have taken the time to understand our business, provided flexible and tailored print solutions to meet our needs and consistently delivered an exceptional level of customer service.
Al Reid, Partner,
Product & Innovation Manager, Information Technology
Knight Frank
Solution
Aura designed and delivered a nationwide managed print transformation across more than 60 Knight Frank locations throughout the UK.
Rather than simply replacing like-for-like devices, Aura worked closely with Knight Frank to rationalise the print estate, reducing the number of multi-function devices from fourteen to eight across their head office while removing duplicate devices wherever possible. This created a simpler, more efficient print environment that reduced both operational costs and environmental impact without compromising availability for users.
The new Ricoh fleet was supported by the implementation of PaperCut Hive, replacing the legacy Equitrac platform with a modern cloud-hosted print management solution.
The serverless platform removed the need for on-premise infrastructure while providing secure print release, enhanced reporting capabilities and simplified administration across the estate.
The project presented a unique challenge. While the new solution had been agreed, contractual timings delayed the commencement of the deployment, meaning Knight Frank’s present Contract expired. Rather than leaving them unsupported, Aura assumed responsibility for maintaining the existing print estate beyond its support expiry, providing servicing, toner management and replacement parts until the new deployment could commence. This flexible approach ensured uninterrupted service for users while allowing the rollout to begin at the right time for the customer.
Training also formed a key part of the implementation. Aura’s Professional Services team delivered a structured adoption programme including branch training sessions, remote support, user guides and quick-reference materials. New user credentials were automatically issued via email, enabling a seamless transition to the new print environment with minimal disruption and very little end user intervention.
Business Outcome
The project has delivered a modern, simplified managed print environment that is easier to manage, more secure and significantly more efficient.
The project has delivered a modern, simplified managed print environment that is easier to manage, more secure and significantly more efficient. than the previous estate.
By consolidating devices across the organisation, Knight Frank has reduced print infrastructure while improving device reliability and increasing visibility of print activity through centralised reporting.
The introduction of PaperCut Hive has strengthened print security and removed the need for on-site print servers, creating a more resilient and future-ready platform.
Operationally, the transition proved remarkably smooth. Despite moving away from a traditional onsite engineering model, users experienced no reduction in service levels. Aura’s responsive service desk, proactive account management and rapid issue resolution ensured support remained consistently high throughout the rollout and beyond.
The collaborative relationship established during the project has continued long after implementation. Knight Frank continues to work closely with Aura on the ongoing management of its print environment, with discussions already underway to support the company’s future workplace at 1 Liverpool Street, where managed print, workplace technology and access control will again form part of the next phase of its workplace transformation.
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