Writing an IT budget you can defend
How to plan a year of spend when half of it is renewals and the rest is guesswork.
Resources / Guides
Longer reads for when you need to make a decision
Guides are the pieces you'd print out before a board meeting: what the options are, what they cost and what usually goes wrong. Free to use whether you work with us or not.
Available now
IT support14 min read8 chapters
Choosing an IT support partner
What to ask, how to compare proposals that look similar on price, and the contract terms worth reading twice.
Who it's for: Business owners, operations leaders and IT managers running a selection process, whether it's your first provider or your third.
Read the guideSecurity13 min read5 chapters
A sensible first-year security plan
Twelve months of practical security work, ordered by what reduces the most risk soonest - not by what sounds most impressive.
Who it's for: Owners, operations leaders and IT managers who know security needs attention but don't want a twelve-page risk register to get started.
Read the guideMicrosoft 36512 min read5 chapters
Microsoft 365 licensing without the headache
Which plan does what, where organisations end up paying twice, and how to run a licence review that actually saves money.
Who it's for: Finance leads, operations managers and IT managers who suspect the Microsoft bill is higher than it needs to be and want to check without becoming an expert.
Read the guideCloud13 min read5 chapters
Moving off an ageing server
The realistic options when the server in the cupboard is past its best, the disruption to expect, and how to sequence the move.
Who it's for: Organisations with an on-premises server nearing end of life who want to make the decision once, properly, rather than patch it for another year.
Read the guideSecurity11 min read5 chapters
Cyber Essentials, explained
What the certification actually asks for, how long it usually takes, and whether it's worth doing for your organisation.
Who it's for: Organisations being asked about certification by clients, funders or insurers, and anyone using it as a structure for getting the basics right.
Read the guideIT support11 min read5 chapters
Starters and leavers, done properly
A repeatable process for accounts, devices and access that doesn't rely on anyone remembering.
Who it's for: HR leads, office managers and IT managers who want new starters productive on day one and leavers properly offboarded the same day.
Read the guideGuides in progress
The first hour of a suspected breach
A one-page plan for the moment something looks wrong, before anyone panics.
Making hybrid working actually work
The setup decisions that decide whether remote days feel equal or second-class.
Getting your data ready for Copilot
Access reviews, oversharing and the tidying that has to happen first.
Switching IT provider without the disruption
What a good handover looks like, and the assets you must own before you move.
Backup and recovery, tested properly
How to run a restore test that tells you something useful about your real risk.
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