IT Consultancy

What the migration includes

• Assessment of current infrastructure and migration complexity
• Cloud provider selection based on your workload, geography, and budget
• Architecture design for the target cloud environment
• Staged migration with rollback capability at each phase
• Performance testing before cutover to confirm nothing is slower
• Cost optimisation review covering reserved instances and right-sizing
• 30-day post-migration monitoring included in the project scope

Platforms we work with

• Amazon Web Services (AWS) for scalable, globally distributed workloads
• Microsoft Azure for businesses running Microsoft-stack applications
• Google Cloud Platform for data-intensive and AI-adjacent workloads
• DigitalOcean and Hetzner for cost-sensitive smaller workloads
• Hybrid setups where on-premise and cloud need to coexist

What we configure

• Server selection and sizing based on your actual traffic patterns
• CDN configuration for global content delivery and latency reduction
• Database configuration and query optimisation
• Caching layers to reduce server load and improve response times
• Automated backups with tested restore procedures
• SSL, domain, and DNS configuration
• Uptime monitoring with alerting to your team

When this is urgent

• Your website or application loads slowly despite a reasonable budget
• You have experienced downtime or data loss in the last 12 months
• You are unsure whether your backups actually work
• You are paying for servers but your team cannot tell you why
• Your hosting bill has grown significantly without a clear reason

What we set up

• Office network design and configuration covering wired and wireless
• Firewall and router configuration with business-grade security rules
• VPN setup for remote workers and multi-office connectivity
• Device management policy covering company and personal devices
• Email and Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace configuration
• Printer, shared storage, and peripheral device integration

When this is needed

• You are opening a new office and need it properly connected from day one
• Your team works across multiple locations and access is inconsistent
• Connectivity issues are causing measurable productivity problems
• You have no documented network setup and no one who knows how it was configured

What the assessment covers

• Access control review covering who has admin rights and whether they should
• Password and authentication policies across all systems
• Data storage review covering where sensitive data is held and how it is protected
• Third-party access review covering software and vendors with access to your systems
• Email security configuration including phishing protection and spoofing prevention
• Backup security review covering whether backups are recoverable and protected
• Staff awareness gaps identified through a non-technical interview process

What you receive

• Risk-rated vulnerability report with high, medium, and low priority findings
• Specific remediation steps for each finding, written for your team to action
• An executive summary for non-technical leadership
• A follow-up call to walk through the findings and prioritise the response

What the review covers

• Data mapping: what personal data you hold, where it lives, and how long you keep it
• Consent mechanisms on your website and in your CRM
• Third-party data processors and their compliance status
• Privacy policy review against actual data practices
• Subject access request process and response capability
• Breach notification readiness and response plan

What this is not

• This is not legal advice. We are technologists, not lawyers. Where legal input is required, we will say so and refer you to appropriate counsel.
• This is not a certification. We identify gaps and recommend fixes. Formal certifications require accredited bodies.
• This is a practical working tool, not a document produced to sit on a shelf.

Policies we write

• Acceptable use policy covering devices, internet access, and company systems
• Password and authentication policy with specific requirements
• Data classification and handling policy
• Incident response plan covering what to do when something goes wrong
• Remote working and BYOD policy
• Third-party supplier security requirements

Why written policies matter

• Cyber insurance increasingly requires documented policies to pay out on a claim
• Enterprise clients and government tenders regularly request your security policy before awarding a contract
• Staff cannot follow rules that were never written down
• A documented incident response plan reduces the cost of a breach by giving your team a clear script to follow

What is included each month

• Up to four hours of advisory time, used as needed across the month
• Answers to technology questions within one business day
• Review of vendor proposals, contracts, and quotes before you sign
• Second opinion on any technology decision being considered
• Monthly check-in call to review what has changed in your technology landscape
• Hiring brief review when you are recruiting for technical roles
• Priority access to project capacity if you need something built

What this replaces

• A full-time CTO or IT director costs $80,000 to $150,000 per year in salary alone
• Most growing businesses do not have enough technology decisions to justify that headcount
• The retainer gives you senior technical input on the decisions that matter without the overhead of a full-time hire
• When you are ready to hire a full-time technical person, we help you write the brief and evaluate the candidates

What this covers

• A specific technology decision that needs an expert opinion
• Reviewing a proposal, quote, or contract from a vendor
• Assessing a job candidate for a technical role
• A quick audit of one system or process
• A technical question that requires experience to answer correctly
• Preparation for a board meeting or investor conversation involving technology

How it works

• You book a two-hour minimum block at the start
• We scope what you need and confirm whether two hours is realistic to complete it
• If additional time is needed, we confirm before exceeding the original block
• Everything discussed is documented and sent to you after the session
• No retainer, no ongoing commitment, no follow-up pitch

What we advise on

• Whether the business actually needs to hire or whether outsourcing is the right answer
• What the role should actually involve versus what the job description currently says
• Salary benchmarking against current market rates in Pakistan, UK, and the US
• Technical interview design and candidate scoring
• Reference check guidance for technical candidates
• Team structure recommendations for growing technology departments

Common situations

• A non-technical founder hiring their first developer and unsure what to look for
• A business that was burned by a bad technical hire and wants a second opinion before the next one
• A company deciding whether to hire in-house or use an agency for a specific function
• A team that has grown organically and needs a proper structure defined