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Customer Story

GT Wings: Propelling Maritime Innovation

How Vivid Adapt partnered with clean-technology pioneer GT Wings to secure invaluable intellectual property, implement robust High-Performance Computing, and deliver a modern,
fully managed IT workplace.

Founded by engineering visionary George Thompson, GT Wings operates at the bleeding edge of maritime decarbonisation. With the commercial shipping industry under strict regulatory mandates to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, GT Wings has developed a highly advanced wind propulsion system known as the AirWing™.

This technology adapts complex boundary layer airflow control mechanisms – principles originally refined in aerospace, Formula 1, and the America’s Cup – to generate exceptional forward thrust from a compact, rigid wingsail.

Designed to be retrofitted onto existing commercial vessels or integrated into new builds, the AirWing™ empowers shipowners to reduce their fuel consumption and carbon emissions by up
to 30%.

Backed by over £6 million in public and private funding, and preparing for global commercial installations on massive cargo vessels, GT Wings operates in a high-stakes, fast-paced engineering environment. In such a setting, the reliability, security, and performance of their underlying technological infrastructure are intrinsically linked to their commercial success.

Construction Workers Handling Large Gear

Engineering Excellence Powered by Pragmatic IT Optimisation

Summary

  • Cost Efficiency: Migrated complex simulation workloads away from public hyperscalers, achieving a 26% reduction in total monthly IT expenditure.
  • Accelerated Development: Deployed a bespoke High-Performance Compute (HPC)
    environment that increased the processing speed of CFD simulations by 16%.
  • Fortified Security: Engineered a robust, Zero Trust security perimeter, empowering
    remote engineering teams without compromising intellectual property, and ensuring
    readiness for ISO27001 and Cyber Essentials Plus certifications. Cyber Essentials already achieved.
  • Unrivalled Support: Provided a fully managed service desk capable of resolving critical issues during and out-of-hours, allowing GT Wings to focus entirely on maritime innovation.

The Challenge

For an engineering firm operating at the forefront of naval architecture, proprietary blueprints and fluid dynamics schematics represent the company’s entire commercial valuation. The protection of this Intellectual Property (IP) is paramount. GT Wings required a highly secure, frictionless ecosystem where their global workforce could collaborate remotely without jeopardising sensitive data.

Simultaneously, perfecting the aerodynamic efficiency of the AirWing™ requires vast,
computationally intensive simulations. GT Wings initially relied on Google Cloud for these HighPerformance Compute requirements. However, as their simulation demands scaled, they encountered a common hyperscaler dilemma: unpredictable, escalating monthly expenditures that strained pragmatic IT budgets, coupled with compute performance that failed to align with their aggressive commercial development timelines.

The Solution

Vivid Adapt initiated the partnership with a comprehensive, fully funded onboarding
programme, seamlessly assuming total ownership of GT Wings’ IT infrastructure. To address the computational bottlenecks, Vivid Adapt executed a strategic “cloud repatriation,” migrating GT Wings away from Google Cloud and into a bespoke private datacentre. This transition provided highly tailored, cost-effective High-Performance Computing that easily outperformed hyperscaler equivalents in price, performance, and budgetary predictability.

To safeguard IP, Vivid Adapt architected a comprehensive “Zero Trust” modern workplace. This involved the secure, intricate deployment of Microsoft Intune for mobile device management, Entra ID for robust identity verification, and Microsoft Purview for strict data governance. This perimeter was further reinforced by endpoint detection via Sophos and advanced email security through Mimecast. Crucially, Vivid Adapt enveloped this technology with a proactive, fully managed support service, ensuring end-user issues are resolved rapidly.

Proven impact

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16 %

Faster CFD & aerodynamics completion rate

26 %

Reduced cloud expenditure across critical infrastructure

6 days

Streamlined procurement, provisioning and configuration of new devices

“Vivid Adapt have transformed the way we manage IT at GT Wings. They have taken full ownership of our systems, making everything more efficient, reliable, and importantly, much more cost-effective. We feel we really have a safe pair of hands looking after IT. Their level of service consistently exceeds expectations. Response times are very impressive, with issues often resolved late at night or at weekends when needed, well beyond what we would normally expect. The team are proactive, highly capable, and genuinely invested in keeping our business running smoothly and in helping us grow. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Vivid Adapt to any growing business looking for a trusted IT partner.”

George Thompson, Founder & CEO

GT Wings is an award-winning maritime engineering firm dedicated to the decarbonisation of the global commercial shipping fleet through advanced wind propulsion technology


What we did

Fully Managed IT Services High-Performance Compute (HPC) Migration and Support Zero Trust Cyber Security Architecture Compliance Enablement (ISO27001 & Cyber Essentials)

Industry

Customer stories

“As a financial services firm, system reliability and cost control are fundamental to our operations. Before working with Vivid Adapt, our IT approach was largely reactive, with inconsistent costs and limited visibility into long-term planning. Since partnering with them, we’ve adopted a more strategic and proactive model that has brought stability to our IT environment, reduced operational risk, and delivered much greater predictability over spend – helping us avoid the kinds of disruptions that can carry serious financial and reputational consequences in our sector. Vivid Adapt has also strengthened our internal capabilities by streamlining our Azure infrastructure, enhancing our network and security posture, and providing continuous support alongside advanced threat management. Their input goes well beyond day-to-day support; they actively help us make better-informed decisions around performance, security, and cost efficiency. What truly sets them apart is their responsiveness and depth of expertise – direct access to senior engineers from the outset, combined with their ability to deliver quickly and effectively, makes them a trusted extension of our team.”

Alex Viktorov, IT Director

“Before we partnered with Vivid Adapt, IT was always a difficult challenge – something we only dealt with when it broke. As we began to scale, the lack of a strategic roadmap became a major liability. Vivid Adapt didn't just fix our immediate issues; they provided the long-term vision we needed to modernise our infrastructure and cyber security requirements via Cyber Essentials. Since they took over, our team's productivity at System Hygienics has soared, and I no longer worry about whether our systems can handle our next phase of growth. Vivid Adapt's strategic advisory and cost-optimised approach to IT has become a critical part of our leadership team's decision making.”

Mark Poultney, Owner & Managing Director

“We engaged Vivid Adapt to extend our internal know‑how, and the quality of service has been exceptional. They simplified our MDR security operations and integrations, giving us round‑the‑clock peace of mind. Beyond day‑to‑day support and Veeam backup engineering and management, their expert guidance was instrumental in helping us secure our Cyber Essentials Plus accreditation. I highly recommend them for their speed of delivery and technical expertise, and you won’t find their approach to IT service management anywhere else with access to high‑level engineers from the first call.”

Karl Proctor, IT Manager

“We engaged Vivid Adapt to extend our internal technical capabilities, and the quality of service has been exceptional. They conducted a security audit of our Microsoft 365 environment and established a continuous Managed Service Agreement for our network equipment, providing us with consistent reliability and peace of mind. Their team was instrumental in reorganising and reimplementing our on‑site infrastructure and backup systems, ensuring our operations are now both secure and resilient. I highly recommend them for their speed of delivery and technical expertise — their approach to IT service management is unique, providing direct access to high‑level engineers from the very first call.”

Myles Kingsnorth, IT Manager

“We view Vivid Adapt as a strategic partner rather than just an IT vendor. Their speed of delivery and service quality are top‑notch, and the collaborative approach with our leadership is what sets them apart. They understand our operations and proactively offer solutions that improve our business efficiency.”

James Fay, Founding Partner

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