Moving to a new managed IT provider can feel like a big change.
Your business may have years of technology decisions sitting in the background: laptops bought at different times, user accounts that nobody is quite sure about, software subscriptions, security tools, cloud services and passwords that may be stored in several different places.
That is why good IT support should not begin with simply installing some software and telling your team where to send support tickets.
At Dial A Geek, we specialise in managed IT for businesses in Bristol with teams of around 80 to 200 people. Our onboarding starts with a technical alignment project designed to understand exactly what you have, identify anything that needs attention and bring your systems up to the standard required for ongoing support and security.
The process is split into three main stages:
- Discovery
- Implementation
- Certification
This post explains what each stage involves, or watch our onboarding video to see the full process.
What Is a Technical Alignment Project?
Businesses come to us with very different IT environments.
Some already have well-managed systems and strong security controls in place. Others are starting from much further back, perhaps with old user accounts, unmanaged laptops or very little documentation about how everything fits together.
The technical alignment project gives us a structured way to understand where you are now and get your technology into a secure, manageable position.
We usually allow around six to eight weeks for the overall process, with the aim of getting your business certification-ready within that timeframe.
It starts with a kickoff meeting where we explain the process, discuss your current setup and introduce the three stages of discovery, implementation and certification.
Phase One: Discovery
The first stage is all about finding out what is actually going on.
And sometimes that means uncovering a bit of a mess.
The purpose of discovery is to make sure we understand the whole IT environment rather than looking only at the obvious systems.
We follow a structured process covering areas such as your domain, devices, user accounts and access arrangements. We also carry out an office visit so we can see the physical setup for ourselves.
That might sound unnecessary if most of your systems are cloud-based, but it is surprisingly easy for old equipment, unmanaged devices or forgotten technology to remain connected somewhere in the business.
Understanding Your Devices and Systems
During discovery, we need to establish which devices are being used, who is using them and how they are managed.
That can uncover things such as:
- laptops that are not being centrally managed
- devices with outdated software
- employees using administrator accounts unnecessarily
- equipment that nobody realised was still connected
- inconsistent security settings
Getting an accurate picture of your devices gives us the starting point for managing them properly.
It also prevents the situation where something causes a problem later and nobody is quite sure what it is or why it is there.
Finding the Accounts and Access You Have Forgotten About
Discovery is not only useful for us.
It can be useful for the business too.
You may not know where every password is stored, which accounts have administrator access or what the local administrator details are on individual machines.
That is not unusual, particularly in businesses that have grown gradually or changed IT providers over the years.
Part of our job during technical alignment is to help uncover that information so that both you and the support team understand how your systems are set up.
This creates a much stronger starting point for ongoing IT management.
Looking for Unnecessary Tools and Licences
The discovery process can also highlight technology you are paying for but no longer need.
Businesses often accumulate software and services over time.
Someone introduces a new tool for a particular project, employees leave, requirements change, and the subscription quietly continues.
As part of the review, we may find tools that overlap with something you already have or services that are no longer being used.
That gives you an opportunity to simplify the environment and potentially reduce unnecessary costs.
Checking That Former Employees Have Been Properly Offboarded
Another issue we sometimes uncover is user accounts belonging to people who no longer work for the business.
Proper employee offboarding is important because former members of staff should not retain access to company systems after they leave.
Discovery gives us an opportunity to identify old accounts, permissions or devices that need attention.
The same applies to unauthorised access elsewhere in the business.
Before we can manage your technology properly, we need to know who and what has access to it.
Creating the Implementation Plan
At the end of discovery, we do not simply hand you a long list of problems.
We create a clear implementation plan based on what we have found and run through it with you.
That means you know what needs changing, why it needs changing and what will happen next.
Not every business starts from the same point, so the amount of work required during implementation will vary.
Some businesses may already be close to the required standard. Others may need more changes before they are ready for certification.
Implementation is where we put the findings from discovery into action.
Phase Two: Implementation
The objective is to bring the business into alignment and address the areas that are preventing it from meeting the required security standard.
The exact work depends on what we discover.
For example, it might involve changing users from local administrator accounts to standard user accounts.
Giving every employee administrator permissions can make devices easier to manage in the short term, but it also introduces unnecessary security risk.
Restricting those privileges helps reduce what an attacker or malicious application could do if an account or device were compromised.
Updating Out-of-Date Software
Another common part of implementation is dealing with outdated software.
That could include web browsers or applications such as Microsoft Teams or Slack.
Software updates do more than introduce new features.
They frequently include security fixes, which is why keeping applications current is an important part of protecting business devices.
During technical alignment, we can identify outdated software and make sure the appropriate versions are installed.
Hardening Your Domain and Access
The implementation phase can also involve tightening security around your company domain and making sure there is no unauthorised access.
Your domain forms part of the identity of your business online, so it needs to be managed carefully.
The aim is to create a controlled environment where access is understood and appropriate security measures are in place.
This is part of the wider move away from an IT environment that has simply evolved over time towards one that can be managed consistently.
How Long Does Implementation Take?
Dial A Geek’s implementation stage has been refined to around two weeks on average.
There may be a short period where employees notice some changes while systems are brought into alignment.
For example, permissions may change or software may be updated.
The aim is to keep that window of disruption as small as possible.
Once those changes have been completed, the environment should be easier to manage, more secure and ultimately smoother for your team to work with.
Phase Three: Certification
The final stage is certification.
This is generally the quickest part of the technical alignment project because the detailed work has already happened during discovery and implementation.
By this point, we understand your environment, the necessary improvements have been made and the business should be ready to go through the certification process.
Dial A Geek has in-house Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus assessment capability.
For clients on our Protect & Grow Standard and Protect & Grow Plus plans, certification can be turned around in as little as a week once the technical alignment work has been completed.
The result is not simply a certificate.
The process gives the business a much clearer understanding of its technology, removes unmanaged or unnecessary risks and creates a consistent environment that can be properly supported going forward.
Why Include Certification in IT Onboarding?
Cyber security should not be treated as something separate from everyday IT management.
The devices your employees use, the accounts they log into, the software installed on their computers and the permissions they have all affect the security of the business.
By building certification into technical alignment, we can make sure those foundations are dealt with from the start.
It also means you are not joining a managed IT service with a collection of unresolved security issues that are simply left for another day.
What Should You Expect at the End of the Process?
By the end of your technical alignment project, your provider should understand your IT environment far better than they did on day one.
At Dial A Geek, the aim is to have:
- discovered and documented the important parts of your IT environment
- identified unmanaged devices and inappropriate access
- uncovered missing information and administrator details
- removed unnecessary tools or accounts where required
- completed the agreed technical improvements
- brought systems into alignment
- prepared the business for certification
- completed the appropriate certification process
You also have a much clearer foundation for the ongoing managed service.
Rather than waiting for problems to appear, the IT team now understands what it is responsible for and has the information needed to manage your systems properly.
Is Managed IT Onboarding Worth the Effort?
We think so.
It can be tempting to move from one IT provider to another and ask the new company simply to take over whatever is already there.
The problem is that this can carry old issues into the new relationship.
If nobody checks the devices, accounts, software, access and security arrangements properly, outdated technology and forgotten risks can remain hidden.
A structured onboarding process takes a little more work at the beginning, but it creates a much better foundation for everything that follows.
Managed IT Onboarding in Bristol
Dial A Geek provides managed IT services for businesses in Bristol and the surrounding areas through our Protect & Grow packages.
When you first start working with us, our technical alignment project takes you through discovery, implementation and certification, giving us a clear understanding of your technology and bringing your systems into a secure and manageable state.
Whether your business already has strong IT processes in place or you are starting from much further back, the aim is the same: understand where you are, make the changes that are needed and get your business ready to grow. Contact Dialageek today and book a free consultation.
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