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Community Links - Part of Inspire North

Inspire North (previously Community Links), is a charitable organisation dedicated to providing mental health, housing, and wellbeing support across the North of England. With a commitment to transforming lives and improving communities, the charity operates across more than 40 sites, delivering crucial services that empower individuals and families.

Inspire North (previously Community Links) first partnered with razorblue in December 2015, seeking a trusted Managed IT provider to support their growing organisation. With a network of 635 client devices, 22 servers, and a diverse portfolio of sites ranging from offices to retail locations, the charity needed robust IT infrastructure and dependable support.

razorblue has provided Managed IT Premium services tailored to their needs, including regular on-site visits, proactive patch management, and seamless collaboration with their in-house IT manager. Our team ensures that end-users receive the highest level of support while enabling the organisation to focus on their mission. Over the years, we’ve also delivered professional services at charitable rates and helped them access discounts on Microsoft licensing and other key technologies, ensuring cost-effectiveness.

During a recent account review with the businesses Chief Financial Officer, Adam Miller, the charity shared their satisfaction with our services and enthusiasm for the projects we’re working on together further highlighting our partnership which is built on a foundation of trust, dependability, and a shared drive to achieve great results.

Key Outcomes:
  • Ensured Cyber Essentials Plus compliance with robust security measures.
  • Provided cost-effective IT solutions with charitable rates and discounts.
  • Delivered proactive support with regular on-site visits and management.
  • Built a long-term, trusted IT partnership since 2015.

""razorblue has been a vital partner in supporting our IT needs, ensuring our systems are secure, efficient, and tailored to our organisation. Their team is always approachable, knowledgeable, and proactive, helping us maintain compliance with Cyber Essentials Plus and smoothly managing our infrastructure across multiple sites. The charitable rates and licensing discounts they provide have allowed us to stretch our resources further, enabling us to focus on delivering essential services to those who need them most. We trust razorblue to keep us connected and protected, and they consistently exceed our expectations." "

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Challenge:

As a registered CBS, Inspire North must meet stringent requirements to maintain compliance with Cyber Essentials Plus certification. This certification is critical for partnerships with organisations such as the NHS and ensures their IT systems meet the highest security standards.

While working towards re-qualifying for Cyber Essentials Plus, we identified that one of their key systems required significant updates to achieve compliance. The challenge lay in finding a cost-effective solution to address vulnerabilities and meet the latest standards.

Solution:

razorblue carried out a detailed review of Inspire North’s IT systems to ensure they met the requirements for passing the Cyber Essentials Plus audit. This involved deploying lightweight tools across their devices to identify any potential vulnerabilities and performing external scans to check the security of their network. We carefully assessed their existing IT setup against the latest Cyber Essentials standards and created a clear plan to address any areas that needed improvement. This thorough approach ensured Inspire North could achieve compliance while strengthening the overall security of their IT infrastructure.

Our team also implemented proactive measures to secure Inspire North’s IT infrastructure. By addressing vulnerabilities and upgrading their systems, including transitioning laptops to Windows 11, we enhanced productivity and ensured their compliance with Cyber Essentials Plus.

Since 2021, Inspire North has returned to razorblue annually for support with maintaining this certification, underscoring their trust in our expertise and our ongoing commitment to their security.