Case Study · Professional Services
Managed IT for a Christchurch professional services organisation
When we first met this Christchurch publishing and advocacy organisation, there was no obvious operational failure driving the change. The organisation had roughly 30 staff, its systems were broadly doing what they needed to do, and day-to-day support was available through a large national IT provider.
The concern was the relationship around that support. Account management had largely disappeared, which meant the senior leadership team had very little visibility of the environment beyond issues that happened to surface through support tickets. There was no regular discussion about upcoming technology work, changes elsewhere in the organisation, or whether the controls already in place still reflected what the organisation now required.
Around the same time, one of the organisations they worked with began placing greater compliance expectations on them. That prompted a more detailed review of the technology environment, including the controls already in place, the way it was being managed and where further work was required.
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Establishing where things stood
Before taking responsibility for a managed client's environment, ITstuffed carries out a pre-onboarding systems review. It gives us a factual starting point rather than relying entirely on existing documentation, assumptions or the fact that staff are not reporting problems.
In this case, the review identified work across security and governance that had not been apparent from the organisation's normal day-to-day use of its systems. We have deliberately kept the detailed historical findings out of this case study, but there was a clear programme of work to get through.
The initial uplift was completed through ITstuffed's Security and Productivity Kick Start, which forms part of onboarding clients to our managed services. It is designed to bring the environment to a comfortable baseline before ongoing management begins, dealing with the areas requiring more immediate attention while giving us a structured starting point for the work that follows.
For this organisation, the remaining changes were discussed with the senior leadership team, prioritised and implemented over time rather than being treated as a disconnected list of technical recommendations.
The organisation was onboarding to ITstuffed's Advanced managed IT package, so the Kick Start and the ongoing service were part of the same deliberate process: establish the environment properly first, then continue managing it against an agreed standard.
A full year's technology programme
We now maintain a full year's technology work programme with the senior leadership team.
It brings together planned work across security, device lifecycle, licensing, infrastructure and larger projects, with an indicative budget so the organisation can see what is coming and plan for it financially.
We review the programme during our regular catch-ups, updating it as work is completed and as the organisation's priorities change. That gives the SLT a practical basis for deciding what should happen next and when expenditure should be allowed for.
Those conversations are not limited to technical recommendations. We provide the context around the environment, explain the dependencies and risks involved, and work through the available options with the people responsible for making the wider business decisions.
Over time, that has created a much clearer planning rhythm than the organisation had previously. Technology work is visible before it becomes urgent, and upcoming decisions can be considered alongside budget, compliance requirements and other changes happening across the organisation.
Day-to-day support through dedicated channels
Alongside the planning work, staff have access to ITstuffed's dedicated support channels whenever they need assistance.
They do not need to diagnose the cause before contacting us. They can explain what is happening or what they are trying to achieve, and our team investigates from there, including coordinating with another supplier where the issue crosses into a system outside our direct control.
That has developed into a relaxed working relationship with the wider team while still giving them a clear and consistent way to get support. We receive a high volume of positive CSAT feedback from their support interactions, which gives us useful visibility into how that day-to-day service is being experienced.
The regular SLT catch-ups operate alongside that support function, giving us a separate forum to review progress on the work programme, discuss changes in the organisation and make sure planned work still reflects where the business is heading.
The relationship extends beyond the systems we provide
As we have got to know the organisation and its plans, our conversations with the SLT have also extended beyond the systems and services ITstuffed offers.
Where another technology company has specialist expertise that would be useful, we make the introduction. The same applies where we know people or businesses that could contribute to something the organisation is considering more broadly.
We are also comfortable knowing where our own expertise ends. When another specialist is better placed to help, we make the introduction and stay involved where their work intersects with the environment we manage.
That becomes particularly useful when a new system or service touches existing identities, licensing, permissions, devices, security controls or work already sitting elsewhere in the annual programme. We can help make sure those dependencies are understood and that the technical pieces within our remit are coordinated properly.
Over time, that has made the relationship broader than support alone. Staff have a clear route for day-to-day assistance, while the senior leadership team has regular access to people who understand the environment, know what is planned for the year and can contribute when technology intersects with a wider business decision.
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You can also read more about managed IT support for professional services.