Case study

The Challenge

A West Yorkshire-based care provider operating across two locations with 40 staff members found themselves outgrowing their existing IT support arrangement. As their business expanded, the cracks in their IT infrastructure became impossible to ignore. Their previous IT provider simply couldn’t keep pace with their needs. Response times had become painfully slow, and on several occasions, staff couldn’t reach anyone for support at all. When you’re running a care business where technology underpins everything from staff rotas to care records, unreliable IT support isn’t just frustrating – it’s a serious operational risk. The final straw came when their franchise group imposed a tight deadline for a Microsoft 365 migration. They needed an IT partner who could not only provide day-to-day support but also handle complex projects under pressure.

Our Approach

When the care provider approached Cactus IT, we knew that rushing straight into reactive support would be a mistake. Instead, we took a methodical approach to understanding their environment before making any changes.

Getting the Foundations Right

Our onboarding process began with a comprehensive audit of their IT setup. We documented every aspect of their environment – their network configuration, software applications, security measures, and how their two locations connected. This wasn’t just paperwork; it gave us a complete picture of what was working, what wasn’t, and where improvements could be made once they were safely onboarded.

Securing Their Devices

We enrolled every computer into our Device Management Platform, giving us the ability to monitor, maintain, and secure their entire fleet remotely. Each device also received our Endpoint Security solution, protecting their systems from modern cyber threats – something particularly important for a care provider handling sensitive personal data.

Taking Control of Microsoft 365

Their Microsoft 365 environment had grown organically without proper structure or governance. User accounts, permissions, and settings had been added piecemeal over time, creating a confusing and potentially insecure setup. We systematically reorganised their Microsoft 365 tenant, implementing proper user management, security policies, and backup procedures.

Delivering Under Pressure

With the foundations secure, we turned our attention to the urgent franchise migration deadline. Working closely with their team, we managed the entire Microsoft 365 migration process, ensuring minimal disruption to their daily operations. What could have been a stressful, business-disrupting event was handled smoothly and completed on schedule.

The Results

The care provider now has IT support they can genuinely rely on. When staff encounter problems, they get prompt responses from our team rather than being left waiting or unable to reach anyone. Their IT infrastructure is no longer a patchwork of ad-hoc solutions. Everything is properly documented, secured, and managed proactively. Our Device Management Platform allows us to spot and resolve potential issues before they impact staff, while our Endpoint Security keeps their systems protected around the clock. The structured Microsoft 365 environment we implemented has made it easier for them to manage users, maintain security, and ensure compliance with care sector regulations. And perhaps most importantly, they met their franchise group’s migration deadline without the chaos and stress that might have occurred with their previous provider.

Why It Matters

This case study demonstrates what business-led IT support really means. It’s not about fixing problems as they arise – it’s about understanding your business, implementing proper foundations, and being there when you need us most. Whether you’re outgrowing your current IT support or simply need a partner who treats your technology as seriously as you treat your business, Cactus IT delivers the proactive, responsive support that growing Yorkshire businesses deserve.

Ready to experience the difference proper IT support makes? Contact us today to discuss your requirements.

The Challenge

A Yorkshire-based manufacturing business with 70 employees across their main headquarters and warehouse began experiencing mysterious network issues that threatened their productivity. Staff reported brief network disconnections – just fractions of a second – but enough to cause serious problems. Open documents would become corrupted, and their SolidWorks users were particularly affected. When you’re running CAD software for manufacturing design, even momentary network interruptions can mean lost work and missed deadlines. The sporadic nature of these issues made troubleshooting incredibly difficult. Adding to the challenge, their communications cabinet had become chaotic over time. Well-meaning staff had swapped cables themselves when moving desks, creating a tangled mess that made tracing problems almost impossible. Then one morning, the intermittent issues escalated into a complete network failure just as employees were starting their day. Production ground to a halt.

Our Response

We arrived on site within 20 minutes of the emergency call. A full switch reboot brought the network back online, but we knew this was just a temporary fix. The real work was understanding why it had failed in the first place.

Detective Work

Analysing the pattern of failures revealed the crucial clue: problems only occurred during periods of heavy network load – typically when staff arrived in the morning and fired up their workstations simultaneously. Combined with the age of the equipment, we identified that one of their three core network switches was failing under pressure. The switches were ten years old. They’d served their purpose, but modern businesses demand more from their networks than equipment of that age was designed to handle.

A Comprehensive Solution

Rather than simply replacing the failing switch, we designed a complete network refresh. New managed switches, an updated internet gateway, and modern WiFi access points would transform their infrastructure from a liability into an asset. We proposed rolling out the entire installation on a Saturday to avoid disrupting their working week. The manufacturer couldn’t afford downtime during production hours, and we weren’t prepared to compromise on the quality of the installation by rushing it.

Bringing Order to Chaos

On installation day, we didn’t just swap old equipment for new. We completely re-cabled the communications cabinet using colour-coded cables and implemented a logical, documented system. Every port was clearly identifiable, and every cable had a purpose and a place. The new managed switches gave us capabilities the old equipment simply couldn’t provide. We could now see exactly which PC connected to which port, making future troubleshooting faster and more precise. Perhaps most importantly, the switches could be managed remotely. No more emergency site visits just to reboot equipment or check configurations.

The Results

The manufacturer hasn’t experienced a single network outage since the upgrade. Those frustrating micro-disconnections are gone, and their SolidWorks users can work without fear of corrupted files. When network issues do arise – as they inevitably will in any business – we can diagnose and often resolve them remotely. The organised cabling and managed switches mean we can identify problems in minutes rather than hours, saving both time and money. The business now has a network infrastructure that’s ready for growth. Whether they’re adding new staff, implementing new software, or expanding their operations, their network can handle it.

Why Prevention Beats Reaction

This case study highlights why proactive IT management matters. Aging infrastructure doesn’t fail all at once – it gives warning signs. The challenge is recognising those signs and acting before a minor inconvenience becomes a business-critical emergency. When we partner with businesses, we don’t just fix problems. We design solutions that prevent them from happening in the first place, and when issues do occur, we respond quickly with the expertise to resolve them properly.

Is your network infrastructure ready for the demands of modern manufacturing? Contact Cactus IT to arrange a network health check.

The Challenge

A Leeds-based online training provider with 145 employees – most working remotely – faced a problem that kept their management awake at night: over 10TB of irreplaceable video content sat on individual videographers’ computers with no backup whatsoever. Their remote videographers captured and produced training content from home, working with enormous file sizes that made traditional backup solutions impractical. Each videographer held over 5TB of original footage and production files on their local machines. If a hard drive failed or a laptop was lost, thousands of pounds worth of professionally produced content would vanish instantly. The videographers weren’t being careless – they simply didn’t have a viable backup solution. Cloud storage was too slow for working with large video files, and external hard drives created their own risks. They needed something that could handle massive files, provide reliable backups, and still allow them to work efficiently from home. The training provider needed a solution that was both cost-effective and, crucially, easy enough for their creative team to use without disrupting their workflow.

Understanding the Requirements

Before proposing any technology, we met with the customer to understand exactly how their videographers worked. We discussed their production workflow, file sizes, editing requirements, and what “disaster recovery” actually meant for their business. This wasn’t about finding the fanciest solution – it was about designing something that met their specific needs without breaking the bank or creating unnecessary complexity.

The Solution: A Three-NAS Architecture

We designed a distributed Network Attached Storage (NAS) system that balanced performance, protection, and practicality.
Home NAS Units: Each videographer received a high-performance NAS at their home location, connected via 10GB LAN for maximum speed. These weren’t just storage devices – they became the videographers’ primary working environment. They could edit 4K video content directly from the NAS without any performance lag, just as if the files were on their local machines.
Headquarters NAS: At the company’s Leeds office, we installed a large-capacity NAS configured to automatically synchronise with both home units. Every file the videographers created was copied to headquarters without them lifting a finger. This headquarters NAS featured snapshot technology, creating point-in-time versions of files. If a videographer accidentally overwrote an important edit or needed to recover a previous version, it was readily available.
Cloud Backup Layer: Following the industry-standard 3-2-1 backup rule (three copies, two different media types, one offsite), we connected the headquarters NAS to the customer’s existing Azure tenant. Critical folders automatically replicated to cloud storage, providing protection even if the entire on-premise NAS infrastructure experienced catastrophic failure.

The Results

The training provider now has complete peace of mind. Over 10TB of irreplaceable video content is protected by multiple layers of backup, and the videographers don’t need to think about it – the system works automatically in the background. The high-speed home NAS units actually improved workflow. Videographers can access their entire content library instantly, collaborate more easily, and work with large files without performance bottlenecks. File versioning through snapshots has already proven valuable, allowing the team to recover previous edits and restore accidentally deleted content without panic or data loss. Most importantly, the business is protected. Content that would cost thousands of pounds to reshoot is now safeguarded against hardware failure, accidental deletion, and disaster scenarios.

Why Proper Backup Design Matters

This case study demonstrates that effective backup solutions aren’t about the most expensive technology – they’re about understanding how your business works and designing protection that fits your workflow. For businesses working with large files, remote teams, or irreplaceable content, the cost of implementing proper backups is always less than the cost of losing critical data.

Is your business data properly protected? Contact Cactus IT to discuss a backup solution designed around how you actually work.

The Challenge

A Yorkshire construction company had experienced impressive growth over recent years, expanding from a small operation to a business employing 20 staff and managing dozens of contractors. But their IT infrastructure hadn’t kept pace with that success. The company operated as three separate legal entities, each with its own Google Workspace Business setup. What might have made sense in the early days had become an administrative nightmare. Three separate email systems, three sets of user accounts, three billing arrangements, and three disconnected storage environments created confusion and inefficiency. Their managers – hired to run construction projects, not IT systems – found themselves spending increasing amounts of time wrestling with technology issues. Password resets, user access problems, file sharing between the entities, and basic system maintenance were eating into time that should have been spent on their core business. After years of rapid growth, they’d reached a breaking point. They needed professional IT support from a team who understood both the technical challenges and the practical realities of running a construction business.

Finding the Right Partner

Cactus IT came recommended, but the construction company didn’t make their decision lightly. We met several times on site to understand their complex setup, discuss their priorities, and explore different options for moving forward. They needed confidence that we could handle the technical complexity of merging three Google Workspace environments, but also that we understood the importance of minimising disruption to a business that couldn’t afford downtime. After those initial meetings, they chose Cactus IT to take on both the immediate project and their ongoing IT support needs.

The Migration Project

Consolidating three separate Google Workspace environments into a single Microsoft 365 tenant was never going to be straightforward, but careful planning made it manageable.

Phased Approach

We broke the project into carefully planned phases, ensuring that no part of the business lost access to critical systems while the migration progressed. Each phase was scheduled around the company’s workflow, avoiding particularly busy periods and giving staff time to adjust.

Workstation Onboarding

Following our established onboarding process, we enrolled every workstation into our Device Management Platform and implemented our Endpoint Security solution. This gave us visibility across all their devices and ensured consistent security standards across the entire organisation.

System Consolidation

The migration itself involved moving emails, documents, calendars, and contacts from three fragmented Google environments into a single, properly structured Microsoft 365 tenant. Users who previously struggled to share files between the three entities now worked seamlessly within one unified system.

Handover to Professional Management

Once the technical migration was complete, we took over all ongoing IT management. Password resets, user account management, system updates, security monitoring – everything that had previously fallen to managers who had better things to do.

The Results

The construction company has now been a satisfied Cactus IT customer for over a year, and the transformation has been significant. Their managers no longer spend hours each week on IT issues. Instead, they focus on what they do best – managing construction projects and growing the business. The unified Microsoft 365 environment has improved collaboration across all three entities. File sharing is seamless, communication is clearer, and there’s no confusion about which system holds which information. Our Device Management Platform provides the security and control their growing business needs, while our ongoing support means issues are resolved quickly by qualified professionals rather than becoming frustrations for busy managers. Perhaps most importantly, we continue to make improvements to their systems. IT support isn’t just about maintaining what exists – it’s about identifying opportunities to work smarter and supporting continued business growth.

Why Professional IT Support Matters

This case study illustrates a common challenge for rapidly growing businesses: the IT that worked when you were small simply doesn’t scale. DIY IT management might save money initially, but it costs far more in manager time, inefficiency, and missed opportunities. When you hand IT over to professionals who understand your business, your team can focus on what actually drives revenue and growth.

Has your business outgrown DIY IT management? Contact Cactus IT to discuss how we can take technology off your plate.

The Challenge

A Yorkshire-based financial services firm with 12 remote employees came to Cactus IT with concerns that many businesses in their sector were beginning to face: evolving cyber security regulations. The financial services industry was introducing new cyber security requirements, and the firm needed to understand what compliance meant for their business. With all staff working remotely, they faced additional complexity in securing their infrastructure and demonstrating adherence to industry standards. As an existing support customer, they trusted us to provide honest, practical advice rather than simply selling them the most expensive solution. They needed guidance on what was actually necessary, not what was theoretically ideal.

Our Recommendation

After reviewing their circumstances, we recommended pursuing Cyber Essentials Plus certification – the UK Government’s recognised standard for cyber security. This wasn’t the easiest path, but it was the right one. Cyber Essentials Plus would not only satisfy their industry’s regulatory requirements but also provide assurance to their clients that their data and systems were properly protected. The certification is demanding. It requires organisations to demonstrate robust security controls across five key areas: firewalls, secure configuration, user access control, malware protection, and security update management. The “Plus” designation involves hands-on technical verification by independent auditors, not just self-assessment. The customer agreed it was a proportionate approach and asked us to guide them through the process.

Working Towards Certification

Achieving Cyber Essentials Plus isn’t just about ticking boxes – it requires genuine security improvements and comprehensive documentation.

Policy and Configuration Review

We worked closely with the firm to ensure all required security policies were in place and properly documented. This included acceptable use policies, password requirements, remote working guidelines, and incident response procedures. We then reviewed their entire technical infrastructure against the certification requirements. Every device, every security control, every configuration setting needed to meet the standard.

Technical Implementation

Where gaps existed, we implemented the necessary improvements. This included strengthening password policies, ensuring security updates were applied consistently across all remote workers’ devices, configuring appropriate access controls, and verifying that malware protection was properly deployed and managed. For a remote workforce, this presented particular challenges. We couldn’t simply walk around an office checking devices – everything needed to be managed, verified, and documented remotely.

Audit Preparation and Support

The third-party audit for Cyber Essentials Plus certification is comprehensive and technically demanding. Auditors conduct hands-on testing of systems, verify configurations, and probe for vulnerabilities. Our technical guidance helped prepare the firm for this scrutiny. We knew what auditors would look for, anticipated their questions, and ensured the evidence was ready to demonstrate compliance.

The Results

The financial services firm successfully achieved Cyber Essentials Plus certification, meeting their industry’s regulatory requirements and providing assurance to their clients. But the benefits extended beyond the certificate itself. The process confirmed that security standards across their network and infrastructure were current, properly configured, and fit for purpose.
They now maintain the certification with our ongoing support, ensuring that as their business evolves and regulations change, their cyber security remains compliant and effective. For a financial services firm handling sensitive client data, Cyber Essentials Plus provides both regulatory compliance and competitive advantage. Clients increasingly expect – and in some cases require – evidence of robust cyber security from the firms they trust with their finances.

Why Cyber Security Standards Matter

This case study demonstrates that cyber security compliance isn’t a burden to be minimised – it’s an opportunity to demonstrate professionalism and protect your business properly.
For regulated industries like financial services, certifications like Cyber Essentials Plus are increasingly non-negotiable. But even for businesses without regulatory requirements, the standards provide a clear framework for implementing security that actually works.

Does your business need to demonstrate cyber security compliance? Contact Cactus IT to discuss Cyber Essentials certification and other security standards.