Quickfire! Deliverables at a glance

• A fully outsourced, fully managed IT function, so the team is no longer firefighting problems
• Cyber Essentials Plus handled end to end, turning a yearly ordeal into a straightforward process
• A calm, controlled migration from their previous provider, with everything promised delivered
• Microsoft 365 structured properly, with all licences in one simple monthly bill
• Fast, friendly support that responds quickly, plus new laptop setups taken off their hands
• Confidence and peace of mind for a team with no internal IT expertise

The outcome

Within the first three months as a labdesk customer, The Herne Group completed a full migration from their previous provider and achieved Cyber Essentials Plus accreditation. The migration that could have been disruptive was handled smoothly. Compliance that used to be a yearly battle is now supported and predictable. The day-to-day simply works, giving a non-technical team the space to focus on delivering major projects for their own clients.

The problem they faced

The Herne Group is a bespoke project consultancy based in Wigan, helping organisations deliver major projects across some of the UK and Europe's most heavily regulated and safety-conscious industries. Like many growing firms, they had no in-house IT expertise. Their Business Services Lead, Leanne Preston, covers HR, business and finance rather than technology.

Without a reliable IT partner, routine work became harder than it needed to be:

• No managed IT service. When something went wrong, there was no one to call. The team lost hours searching online for fixes and trying to patch things together.
• A previous provider that only did the bare minimum. They looked after a narrow slice of security, but day-to-day queries were met with "you don't pay us to do that — we're not a managed IT service."
• Cyber Essentials was a yearly ordeal. Their old provider sent over a long list of issues to fix and effectively said "figure it out." For a non-technical team, this was daunting, especially as Cyber Essentials Plus is a basic requirement in their industry.
• Laptop setups were time-consuming. Setting up new devices from scratch was slow, difficult work for a team without the right tools or experience.

As Leanne put it,  "anything to do with managed IT was a daily stress."

Our solution

The Herne Group came to labdesk through an existing relationship. Their director had worked with labdesk's Mike Douglass on a previous project and knew the team could be trusted to deliver.

Instead of another reactive, break-fix arrangement, labdesk stepped in as a managed IT partner. The goal was clear: remove the IT load from Herne's internal team, secure and tidy their environment, make compliance straightforward, and ensure there is always a real person on hand to help. That way, a non-technical leadership team can concentrate on clients and growth, without worrying about whether the basics are under control.

What we delivered

As part of the partnership, labdesk provides The Herne Group with a complete outsourced IT service:

• Managed IT and support services. A full IT function the team can rely on, easy to reach and quick to respond, with a friendly team ready to help rather than hiding behind slow turnaround times. labdesk also ran Herne's migration from their previous provider end to end. Scott and Hanna handled the switch with no disruption, and tasks like new-laptop provisioning are now off the internal team's to-do list.
• Proactive maintenance and monitoring. Systems are kept healthy and issues are spotted early, rather than waiting for something to fail before it gets attention.
• Microsoft 365 and 365 accelerator services. Herne's Microsoft licences are now consolidated into a single, simple monthly payment with clear invoicing, instead of costs scattered across different accounts. labdesk continues to optimise their 365 environment so it supports how the business actually works.
• Cyber security services and a cyber awareness training platform. Herne's data, systems and people are protected, supported by training that helps the whole team recognise and avoid everyday threats such as phishing and social engineering.
• Cyber Essentials accreditation. Elliot led Herne's Cyber Essentials Plus and "just got on with it", turning what used to be a yearly ordeal into a guided, managed process with clear outcomes.
• Consultancy, guidance and business road-mapping. Ongoing advice is aligned to Herne's objectives and pace of growth, so technology decisions support the business rather than hold it back.

In their words

Leanne Preston, Business Services Lead — The Herne Group

The results

• A fully managed IT function. No more firefighting or lost hours. The IT workload is handled, freeing the team to focus on clients and delivery.
• Painless compliance. Cyber Essentials Plus, a non-negotiable in Herne's industry, is now a supported, structured process instead of a yearly scramble.
• A clean, simple Microsoft 365 setup. Consolidated licences, one predictable monthly bill, and straightforward invoicing that is easy to understand.
• Support that actually shows up. Fast responses and a helpful team that deals with issues of any size, from error messages to new starters.
• Confidence and peace of mind. A non-technical team can get on with its work, knowing that systems are secure and there is backup when something goes wrong.
• A partner that delivers on its word. Everything agreed has been delivered, building a relationship based on reliability and outcomes.
  
  

What is next

The partnership is already developing. The Herne Group has signed up for a labdesk Copilot workshop to explore how Microsoft Copilot and AI can save time and open up new ways of working across the business. For a consultancy that already values structure and reliability, this is a natural next step in turning technology from a source of stress into a practical advantage.

The bottom line

The Herne Group moved from managing IT alone, with daily stress, a limited "figure-it-out" relationship and recurring compliance headaches, to a managed IT partnership that feels like an extension of their own team. With labdesk in place, they now have secure, well-run systems, predictable compliance, clear Microsoft 365 billing and reliable support whenever it is needed.

For a growing consultancy working in highly regulated industries, that shift means more than smoother technology. It gives the leadership team the headspace to focus on clients and projects, with the reassurance that their IT is stable, secure and aligned with the business.

Ready to take the stress out of your IT and gain a clearer return on your technology spend? 

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