How Harlow Bennett Architects secured a £180k contract three weeks ahead of deadline

The challenge

Following a period of rapid headcount growth, Harlow Bennett Architects' legacy on-premise server was routinely running out of storage for large CAD and BIM project files. Their previous IT provider offered no proactive monitoring, so outages were typically discovered by staff mid-project rather than resolved before impact.

The practice was also midway through a procurement process for a major commercial client that had, for the first time, made verified cyber security compliance a contractual requirement.

Our approach

We began with a full network and security audit to understand the practice's actual infrastructure, not just what was documented (which turned out to be very little). From there, we:

• Migrated the practice to a hybrid cloud storage model, using cloud object storage for archival CAD files and local network-attached storage for active projects
• Implemented proactive monitoring with automated alerting, replacing the previous "wait for someone to notice" approach
• Ran a structured Cyber Essentials Plus certification programme against the client's procurement deadline

The outcome

The practice achieved Cyber Essentials Plus certification three weeks ahead of the deadline, directly securing a contract worth over £180,000 that required verified security compliance. In the fourteen months since migration, the practice has experienced zero unplanned downtime and zero data-loss incidents, while monthly IT-related support tickets have dropped by 40%.

"Cyber Essentials Plus felt like an intimidating box to tick until Meridian Grove walked us through it. We were certified three weeks ahead of our client's deadline." - Practice Director, Harlow Bennett Architects