The Challenge
The firm had outgrown their original IT support arrangement — a one-man IT consultant who handled tickets reactively, with no documentation, no monitoring and no security tooling.
Key pain points included:
- Staff couldn't reliably access files remotely — the on-premise file server was only accessible via VPN, which frequently disconnected
- Passwords were reused across accounts, with no multi-factor authentication
- Two phishing-related incidents in 18 months had resulted in compromised email accounts
- No patching regime — workstations were running months-old software versions
- IT costs were unpredictable, billed by the hour with frequent "urgent" callouts
The firm's three offices (London, Manchester, Bristol) operated as isolated islands with no centralised IT management.
The Solution
Wanzo took over as the firm's managed IT provider and executed a phased transformation:
Phase 1: Audit and documentation — Complete estate audit. Every device, user, application and network connection documented. This alone identified several security vulnerabilities and three unused software licences.
Phase 2: Microsoft 365 deployment — Exchange Online migration (from on-premise Exchange), SharePoint architecture for document management, Teams rollout for internal communications, and Intune for device management. Staff could now access files securely from any device, anywhere.
Phase 3: Security hardening — MFA across all applications, endpoint protection on all 45 devices, email security via Mimecast, and a managed firewall at each office. Security awareness training delivered to all staff.
Ongoing: Managed service — 24/7 helpdesk, monthly reporting, quarterly service reviews with the firm's operations director.
The Results
Within 60 days of full deployment:
- 94% helpdesk ticket satisfaction score — up from no measurement under the previous arrangement
- Zero security incidents in 14 months post-implementation
- 38% reduction in IT cost compared to the previous per-hour billing arrangement
- All three offices connected and centrally managed for the first time
- Staff productivity improved measurably, with remote working fully supported for the first time
The firm's operations director noted: "We went from dreading IT issues to genuinely not thinking about IT at all. That's exactly what we wanted."