IT strategy and advisory for small businesses in Lancashire
Before you renew a support contract, buy new software or accept a supplier's quote, we'll look at what you actually need and write down what we'd do, costs included.
- Review
- Usually 1 to 2 weeks
- Audit
- 2 to 5 days' work
- You get
- A written report
- Quote
- Fixed before we start
- Billing
- Never by the hour
- Commission
- None, from anyone
- Works with
- Your current IT company
- Area
- Lancashire and further
What is IT strategy and advisory?
It's independent help with the decisions around your technology: what to buy, what to keep, what to replace and who to buy it from. In practice that means audits, buying advice, choosing suppliers and security reviews. Every piece of work ends with a written recommendation, not a sales pitch.
Most small businesses don't need a full-time IT director. What they need is someone to look at it properly at the right moment, usually just before a big renewal, a big purchase or a big change. We price that by the job, not by the hour.
What a review can cover
01
IT audits
We go through everything you pay for: hardware, software, subscriptions and support contracts. We nearly always find a licence nobody remembers buying, or two tools doing the same job.
02
Buying something big
We work out the spec you actually need, which is usually less than the salesperson suggests. Then we get comparable quotes and read the small print before you sign anything.
03
Choosing a supplier
Support companies, software vendors and developers all write proposals that sound the same. We translate them, ask the awkward questions, and score each one against what your business needs.
04
Security reviews
A practical check of how exposed you are: passwords, backups, who can get into what, and what happens when a laptop goes missing. Most of what we find is cheap to fix.
How a review works
01
A first call
30 minutes
You tell us what's prompted this and we'll tell you if we can help. If we can't, we'll say so straight away and point you to someone who can.
02
The review
1 to 2 weeks
We go through the relevant parts of your setup: contracts, costs, systems and any quotes you've had. We do the digging, so you're not stuck in workshops explaining your own business to us.
03
A written report
What we found and what we'd do, in plain English, with our reasoning and the costs. We'll go through it with you on a call, and you can push back on any of it.
04
Your decision
Act on it yourself, hand it to your current IT company, or ask us to do the next bit. Either way, the report's yours to keep.
Why our advice is independent
A lot of IT advice comes from companies that also sell IT. The audit's free because the recommendation pays for it: more licences, a bigger support contract, or a move to whatever they resell. They might be perfectly decent people, but it's hard to stay neutral when you earn more from one answer than another.
You pay us for our time, and it costs the same whether we recommend a small fix or a big project. So 'leave it as it is for now' is a recommendation we can make, and so is 'the cheaper option's fine'.
Questions we get asked a lot
How much does an IT audit cost?
It depends how much there is to look at. For most small businesses an audit is two to five days' work, and we scope it after a first chat, once we know what's involved.
You get a fixed quote in writing before we start, and the invoice matches it.
We don't charge for advice by the hour. Hourly billing puts people off asking questions, and asking questions is the whole point.
Will you try to sell us something afterwards?
No. We don't take commission and we don't resell anything, so the report isn't a sales document. If something we recommend is a thing we could build, we'll say so, and you're free to take it to someone else.
How long does an IT strategy review take?
One to two weeks from the first call to the written report, depending on how quickly we can see the contracts and systems involved. We'll give you a date at the start and stick to it.
Do you work alongside our existing IT support provider?
Yes, that's common. We're not after their contract; we're a second pair of eyes. Quite often the result is a better arrangement with the company you've already got.
Do we need to be in Lancashire?
No. We're based in Preston and most of our clients are nearby, but reviewing contracts, comparing quotes and checking security can all be done remotely. If something needs us on site, we'll tell you whether the travel is worth it.
Tell us what's going on. We'll tell you what we'd do about it.
Tell us what's prompted this, whether it's a renewal, a quote or just a feeling that something's off, and we'll tell you whether a review would pay for itself. If you don't need us, we'll tell you that too.