For ease of day-to-day admin, I'd give Kerio nine out of ten, maybe even ten - and I'm not exaggerating. It took me a couple of days to get up to speed with the basic, everyday management of Kerio. The more detailed stuff took a while longer, but that was mainly to do with our own IT policies.

Asim Syed
IT Network Manager, Ryman Stationery


About Ryman

Ryman is the well-known stationery chain with over 200 stores that has worked its way into every aspect of UK business and personal life. Chances are, there's a pen, stapler, or stack of sticky notes somewhere in your home or office that came form this ubiquitous retailer.

If this high-street giant can help an entire nation manage its paperwork, what would it choose to support the key elements of its own admin? To manage communications and ward off cyber threats, Ryman relies on GFI KerioConnect and GFI KerioControl, two award-winning IT products that keep its systems secure, while being simple to use.

Ryman now uses GFI KerioConnect to manage all communications from email to group calendars and contacts. "It's great. We use it for everything," says Asim Syed, Ryman's IT Network Manager. "Everything including our HTCs and iPhones." Kerio offers huge flexibility. iPhone, iPad, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Phone, and Palm. Whatever the mobile device or Operating System, Kerio will almost certainly support it.

GFI KerioControl - Trusty Gatekeeper

Ryman's adoption of GFI KerioConnect marked the beginning of a long-lasting relationship. As GFI KerioConnect worked so well, the IT team were keen to take on GFI KerioControl to look after its internet security. GFI KerioControl is a complete UTM (unified threat management) firewall that protects organizations from hackers, scammers, and the never-ending stream of corporate network threats. It works quietly away in the background. It's a trusty gatekeeper that makes few demands on the time of system administrators.

When the chance came to upgrade GFI KerioControl software to the latest hardware appliance version, the IT team at Ryman were at the front of the queue. "GFI KerioControl software was working well, but we had a problem with our own underlying base units,” admits Asim Syed. “Upgrading to Kerio Control Box has given us a far better systems for our business."

Asim and his team took ten GFI KerioControl Boxes for distribution between various head office locations used by Ryman and a sister company, the fast-growing underwear retailer, Boux Avenue. “GFI KerioControl Box is very easy to manage,” says Asim. “The box just looks after itself. It’s definitely an efficient system.” Jeremy Fiddler adds: “No other UTM on the market is the same as GFI KerioControl Box.”

Kerio = 10 out of 10

Newcomers find Kerio solutions easy to learn. When Asim Syed joined Ryman, GFI KerioConnect and GFI KerioControl were already in place, so he had to master them quickly. “It took me a couple of days to get up to speed with the basic, everyday management of Kerio,” he says. “The more detailed stuff took a while longer, but that was mainly to do with our own internal IT policies.” Asim is extremely pleased with Kerio products. “For ease of day-to-day admin, I’d give Kerio nine out of ten, maybe even ten – and I’m not exaggerating,” he says. Jeremy Fiddler is delighted too: “Kerio solutions are easy to manage, flexible and great value for money,” he says.

For any business that wants to run as leanly and efficiently as Ryman, Kerio is irresistible. Simplicity, stability and low cost make Kerio the first choice for the IT Administrator as well as the Finance Manager. For everyone else in the organisation, Kerio provides business freedom. Kerio gets on with the job so they can get on with theirs.

GFI KerioConnect - Everything Covered

The relationship with Kerio began back in 2004, when Ryman needed a new communications tool to cope with the increasing demands of a rapidly growing company. “We were looking for an easy to manage email solution that we could buy off-the-shelf,” recalls Jeremy Fiddler, Head of Group IT at Ryman. “GFI KerioConnect is solid, secure and reliable – and that’s exactly what we wanted. For our 237 Ryman stores, it’s a cost-effective choice with a full range of features.”