Secure productivity, managed for you.
Senior IT leadership on a fractional or interim basis — for sub-100 FTE UK businesses that need someone running the foundations while they run the business. We manage the stack, manage the MSP, and lock down the things that matter, while you work out the long-term operating model.
Senior IT leadership, delivered as a service.
Four areas where the work concentrates. Every engagement is bespoke — but these are the threads that run through almost all of them.
Architecture & tooling
Strategic guidance on the stack — identity, endpoints, AI, SaaS, connectivity — sized to where the business is going, not just where it is today. Decisions framed as trade-offs, with the reasoning written down.
Vendor & MSP management
We handle commercial negotiations with vendors and run your MSP on your behalf. You get what you're paying for, and pay for what you actually need — not what's in the renewal quote.
Privileged access control
Lock down the admin accounts that quietly put the whole business at risk. Clear ownership, least privilege, and a paper trail buyers will ask for in diligence.
Cybersecurity maturity
Close the unseen gaps — MFA, device posture, backup hygiene, data loss. The issues most founders don't know they're carrying until a buyer's due diligence finds them.
Your MSP works for their margin. We work for your business.
Three reasons fractional IT management lands harder than the obvious alternatives.
Incentive alignment
MSPs earn on licences and support contracts, then move on to the next deal. You need someone on your side of the table — managing the MSP, managing the tech, and making sure the spend actually lands.
Senior operator
I've sat in your chair. No learning curve, no handholding, no escalation queue — just senior judgement on day one.
Cash is king
All successfull business people know the importance of controlling costs, so cost-effective solutions are the default. There are however times when investing is wise, and we will make that case too.
Control within weeks, then a retained cadence.
Bespoke-quoted in blocks of hours — set days and weeks, or flexible consumption, your choice. We scope each phase to your business, then move into a retained cadence once control is established.
Phase 01
Understand
Rapid read of the tech stack, tooling, vendors and MSP relationships — what you have, what it costs, and what it's actually doing.
Phase 02
Control
Lock down privileged accounts, close obvious security gaps, and stabilise the day-to-day. The unglamorous quick wins that materially reduce risk.
Phase 03
Roadmap
Co-develop a prioritised plan with you — sequenced against runway, headcount plans and commercial pressure. Clear owners, clear outcomes.
Retained
Steady cadence
Rolling retainer: hands-on IT leadership, MSP oversight, vendor renewals and Board reporting as the business grows.
Pricing.
Bespoke-quoted blocks of hours, scoped to you. Retainers reduce your cost per hour as the commitment grows.
Opening engagement
A block of hours, bought up front.
Scoped to your business. Most clients choose fast feedback loops and getting things done over polished decks.
Retainers
3, 6 or 12-month terms.
Longer commitments reduce your cost per hour. Same senior operator, same flexible scope — just better economics the more you use.
Common questions.
What size of business is this for?
Usually sub-100 FTE but it varies. We focus on the band where you've outgrown ad-hoc IT but a full-time IT Director/CIO doesn't make commercial sense yet. Sometimes there is also a gap that needs covering when somebody leaves and technical judgment is required.
Do you replace our MSP?
In short, no. We manage the MSP on your behalf. The MSP runs the tickets and tooling; we make sure the contract delivers, the spend is proportionate, and your business gets what it's actually paying for.
How quickly can you start?
This is of course always dependant on availability and existing clients, however we always keep some time clear so we can be responsive in a pre-diligence panic or after a sudden departure.
What happens after the opening engagement?
Most clients move to a retained cadence at a lower hourly rate. A few prefer to call us back for the next defined piece of work. Either is fine — we don't lock anyone in.
Will this hold up in private equity diligence?
That is much of the point. Rob has sat on both sides of PE diligence and knows what institutional buyers test for. Build the paper trail as you go, not in a panic at the last minute.
Thirty minutes, no deck, no obligation.
I'll tell you what I'd do first — whether you engage Patching or not. The pragmatic answer, not the upsell.
Talk to us about IT management.
Tell us where the business is, what's working, and what isn't. Thirty minutes is enough to know whether we can help.