Managed IT Support
Fully Managed IT Support for UK Small Businesses
Your IT department, run by a UK team that holds its own Cyber Essentials certificate
Fully managed IT support means we take on the whole job: the helpdesk, 24/7 monitoring, patching, cyber security, Microsoft 365 and cloud, backup, and the planning that stops things failing by surprise. You get a UK-based team with no overseas call centre, a Microsoft Partner and Cloud Solution Provider, our own in-date Cyber Essentials certification, one predictable monthly cost and no long-term contract. Remote first because it is faster, on site when a job needs hands on the hardware.
- All-inclusive one predictable monthly cost, no surprise bills
- 24/7 proactive system monitoring
- UK-based support team, no overseas call centres
- No tie-ins no long-term contracts
What fully managed IT support includes
Everything below sits under one monthly cost. This is the work that stops the bad day arriving, and what happens when it does.
A UK helpdesk that picks up
Call or email and you reach a UK engineer who already knows your setup, not a queue in another time zone. Most problems are fixed remotely while you are still on the phone.
24/7 proactive monitoring
Your servers, devices, backups and connections are watched around the clock. A failing disk or a missed backup reaches us before it reaches you, and most of it is sorted before anyone notices.
Patching and updates
Operating systems, applications and firmware kept current on a schedule, tested first, so security holes are closed and nothing drops out of support unnoticed.
Cyber security, built in
Managed firewalls, endpoint protection, multi-factor authentication, email filtering and staff training, run to the same five controls Cyber Essentials tests. We hold the certificate ourselves.
Microsoft 365 and cloud
Licensing, security and day-to-day management as a Microsoft Partner and Cloud Solution Provider, including the conditional access and MFA controls that certification and insurers now depend on.
Backup and recovery
Tested, monitored backup for Microsoft 365, servers and files, so a ransomware incident or a deleted mailbox is a recovery, not a crisis.
Planning and roadmap
Regular reviews in plain English: what needs replacing before it fails, what is fine for another year, and when a move to the cloud actually makes sense for you.
Managed IT support versus break/fix
Most small businesses start on break/fix and outgrow it. This is where the difference shows up.
| Break/fix | HGC managed IT support | |
|---|---|---|
| Approach | Reactive: help only once something breaks | Proactive: most problems caught before they stop anyone working |
| Monitoring | None | 24/7 automated monitoring |
| Cost structure | Unpredictable invoices, largest in your worst month | One fixed monthly cost, sized to your business |
| Downtime | Hours to days | Usually caught before you notice |
| Response | No priority, you wait your turn | Critical issues go to the front of the queue |
| Cyber security | Your responsibility | Included, run to the Cyber Essentials controls |
| Who you speak to | A different technician each time | A named engineer who knows your setup |
| Planning | Not included | Regular roadmap reviews |
Why HGC, specifically
Five things a generic provider cannot say. Every one of them is true today and checkable.
A named engineer who knows your setup
You are not explaining your own network to a stranger every time you call. The person who answers has seen your kit, knows your history and can change something rather than read from a script.
A UK-based team, based just outside Dorchester
No overseas call centre anywhere in the chain. We work remote first because it is faster, and across Dorset we come out when a job genuinely needs hands on the hardware.
We hold our own Cyber Essentials certificate
We run the five controls the scheme tests on ourselves, every year. When we take a client through certification we have already sat the same assessment, which is not something every provider can say.
Microsoft Partner and Cloud Solution Provider
That is why we can configure the Microsoft 365 conditional access and multi-factor controls that Cyber Essentials and cyber insurers now depend on, rather than leaving them at the defaults.
No long-term contracts
Support runs on rolling terms with one predictable monthly cost, sized to your business. We would rather keep the work by doing it well than by holding you to a three-year agreement.
How we cost managed IT support
There is one figure a month, sized to your business rather than to an enterprise you are not. It covers the helpdesk, the monitoring, patching, cyber security, Microsoft 365 and backup as standard, so there are no call-out charges arriving afterwards and no surprise invoices in your worst month.
The figure moves with your headcount and your setup, not with how bad the week was. Put it in the budget in January and it will still be right in November. When something outside the scope comes up, a new office, a server replacement, a project, we quote it first and you decide.
We do not publish a rate card, because two businesses with the same headcount can need very different things. The free IT health check ends with a straight monthly figure for yours, and if you are better off staying where you are, we will say so.
Getting started
Switching provider is the part people put off. It is four steps, and the first one costs nothing.
Free IT health check
We go through what you actually have, where the gaps are, and what is working. You get a written summary and a monthly figure, with no obligation.
Onboarding
We document your systems, set up monitoring and security, and sort out the things the health check found. You keep working throughout.
Meet your engineer
You are introduced to the named engineer who will look after you, and shown how to reach the helpdesk. Across Dorset this usually includes a site visit.
Quiet running
Monitoring in the background, patching on a schedule, a review every quarter, and a helpdesk that picks up when you need it.
Managed IT support: frequently asked questions
Straight answers to the questions UK small businesses ask us most.
What does fully managed IT support include?
Everything under one monthly cost: a UK helpdesk, 24/7 proactive monitoring, patching and updates, cyber security (firewalls, endpoint protection, multi-factor authentication, email filtering and staff training), Microsoft 365 and cloud management, tested backup and recovery, and regular planning reviews. Projects outside that scope, such as a new office or a server replacement, are quoted separately first.
What is the difference between managed IT support and break/fix?
Break/fix is reactive: something goes wrong, you call, you get an invoice, and its size depends on how bad the day was. Managed IT support is the opposite arrangement. We monitor and maintain your systems continuously for one fixed monthly cost, so most problems are caught before they stop anyone working, and the ones that do get through are covered rather than billed.
Do I have to sign a long-term contract?
No. Support runs on rolling terms. We would rather keep your business by doing the job properly than by holding you to a multi-year agreement you signed before you knew what we were like.
What are your response times?
Anything that is stopping people working goes to the front of the queue, and lower-priority requests are picked up in turn. Because the monitoring runs whether you are in the office or not, a fair number of problems are fixed before anyone raises them. We are honest that we do not publish minute-level guarantees; we would rather you judged us on what actually happens.
Is your support team UK-based?
Yes, all of it. We are based just outside Dorchester in Dorset and there is no overseas call centre anywhere in the chain. Most support is delivered remotely because that is faster, and across Dorset we come out when a job needs hands on the hardware. See where we provide local IT support.
Which industries do you support?
Professional services, finance, healthcare, manufacturing, retail, hospitality and charities, mostly. The technology is similar across all of them; what changes is the rules, from UK GDPR to insurer and supply-chain requirements, which is where our own Cyber Essentials experience earns its keep.
How is managed IT support costed?
One figure a month, sized to your headcount and setup, covering everything in the scope above. There is no rate card on the site because two businesses of the same size can need very different things. The free IT health check ends with a straight monthly figure for yours.
Explore more
IT support works best when the rest of it is joined up. If you are tightening up security, start with Cyber Essentials and managed cyber security. If Microsoft 365 is where your team actually lives, we manage that too as a Microsoft Partner and Cloud Solution Provider. If your backups have never been tested, managed cloud backup is where to look next, and if you are weighing up a move off ageing servers, see managed cloud services.
If you would rather have a team close to home, we cover the county town by town: managed IT support in Poole, IT support in Bournemouth, IT support in Weymouth and IT support in Dorchester, where we are based, with the rest under managed IT support across Dorset.
Find out what you are actually running
Book a free IT health check. We go through what you have got, tell you where the gaps are, and give you a straight monthly figure. If you are better off staying where you are, we will say that too.
- No obligation
- No pushy sales
- A straight answer either way
Call 01305 310006 · Email [email protected]