IT consulting in Cambridge
An IT consultant who is not trying to sell you anything
Advice about your systems from someone who does not earn commission on what you buy. You get an honest answer about what you need, what you do not, and what can wait.
What people actually ask me
Rarely anything abstract. Usually one of these.
We are outgrowing what we have
Five people became fifteen and the setup that worked before is now held together with workarounds. What should change first, and what can wait another year.
Should we move to the cloud, and how much of it
Sometimes the answer is yes. Sometimes it is that your current server has four good years left and moving now would cost money to achieve nothing.
We are about to spend real money
New machines, a new server, a new phone system, a new line of business application. A second opinion before you commit is considerably cheaper than discovering the problem afterwards.
Are we actually secure
Not a sales pitch about threats. An honest look at where your data is, who can reach it, what happens if a laptop is stolen, and whether your backups would survive a bad day.
Our insurer or a client is asking questions
Cyber insurance renewals and client due diligence questionnaires have got noticeably stricter. Someone needs to answer them accurately.
We are moving premises
Getting connectivity, cabling and the move itself sequenced so you are not offline for a week.
What you get out of it
A conversation first, usually free, so we both work out whether there is anything worth doing. Then, if there is, a written summary you can act on: what I found, what I would change, in what order, roughly what each part costs, and what happens if you do nothing.
Written for you, not for another IT person. If you want to hand it to a different supplier to implement, that is entirely fine and it will make sense to them too.
Why independent matters here
A great deal of IT advice in this country is given by companies who make their margin on the hardware, licences or monthly contract they are recommending. That does not make them dishonest, but it does mean the advice has a direction built into it.
I sell my time. If the right answer is that you should change nothing this year, I will tell you that, and it will have cost you an hour.
What it costs
The first conversation is free. Twenty minutes on the phone, no script, so we both work out whether there is anything here worth doing. I would rather establish that I am not the right person for your problem than take your money to reach the same conclusion.
After that I scope the work and give you one fixed price for the whole thing, before you commit to anything. Not an hourly rate with an open end, and no invoice at the end that is larger than you expected.
I price consulting this way deliberately. Most of these decisions are worth far more to you than the hours they take me, and charging by the day would mean rushing the thinking or padding the clock. Neither helps you.
As a rough guide, a full systems and security review for a business of around ten people usually lands between £600 and £900. Most pieces of work sit somewhere between half a day and two days. You will have the number in writing before anything starts.
Where I cover
Cambridge and Cambridgeshire in person, including Ely, St Ives, St Neots, Huntingdon, Cambourne and Sawston. Consulting works perfectly well remotely too, so distance is not a barrier if the work does not need someone walking round the building.
Questions people ask
Is the first conversation really free?
Yes. I would rather spend twenty minutes working out that I am not the right person for your problem than take your money to reach the same conclusion.
Can you implement what you recommend?
Usually yes, and often it is simpler that way. There is no obligation. Plenty of clients take the recommendation and have their existing supplier do the work.
Will you talk to our current IT provider?
Yes, and it is often productive. A second opinion is not an attack on whoever is looking after you now.
Do you do this for one person businesses?
Yes, though frequently the honest answer for a sole trader is that you need an hour of support rather than a day of consulting.
Get a straight answer
Call 07706 601114, or send a message describing the decision you are facing.