Overview

We began working with The Advocacy People in 2022, following the retirement of their long-standing Head of IT. As a large UK charity supporting vulnerable individuals, they handle significant volumes of personal and sensitive data, making cybersecurity a central priority. Their team combines full-time staff and volunteers spread across the country, with most working remotely; therefore, secure and reliable access to systems is essential.

When we took over, their environment was based on a small Remote Desktop Services setup running across three Azure servers. While it had served them well, it was becoming difficult to maintain and needed modernisation. Our first task was to stabilise operations and then lead a transformation programme to move users onto Microsoft Intune and SharePoint. Alongside this, we implemented stronger security controls, including endpoint detection and response, multi-factor authentication, and risky sign-in detection.

The result is a more secure, efficient, and flexible IT environment that better supports their diverse workforce. Hardware is collected and dispatched centrally from our Hastings hub, ensuring consistent compliance and easier logistics for new starters and replacements. Beyond the technical improvements, we’ve worked closely with management to align IT strategy with the charity’s safeguarding responsibilities and long-term mission, helping them deliver critical advocacy services with confidence and resilience.