42 Technology: Strategic IT Review & Project Management

The Challenge

42T had grown rapidly but was still relying on a single outsourced IT supplier it had partnered with for over a decade. While this arrangement had supported them in the early years, the firm had reached a scale where IT needed to be more strategically managed and better aligned with business growth.

Key challenges included:

• Limited in-house IT leadership and a long-standing reliance on one supplier
• Existing systems, such as the ERP, were good but had further potential to be unlocked to support business scalability
• A desire to enhance internal collaboration and document management
• Due to growth, a planned office relocation required complex IT infrastructure design and implementation
• Help identifying supplier relationships that could grow alongside the business

42T approached Lights-On through a word-of-mouth referral, initially to perform a Strategic IT Review of their IT environment.

The Solution

Lights-On began with a Strategic IT Review with Stephen Brown and Alasdair Sowerby conducting due diligence on 42T’s IT estate, interviewing stakeholders, and delivering a roadmap of recommendations. The value of this exercise led 42T to retain Lights-On for ongoing strategic IT leadership.

Alasdair Sowerby became 42T’s IT Director for 1-day a week, during which key initiatives included:

• Guiding the expansion of 42T’s in-house IT team, growing from one to three people, and implementing an ITSM system to professionalise service management.
• Unlocking greater value from existing systems, particularly their ERP platform, Microsoft 365 and SharePoint.
• Providing emerging technology adoption advice to ensure 42T embraced innovation in a strategic and prioritised way.

As the relationship grew, Lights-On supported 42T through two major projects:

Office Move: Lights-On managed the IT workstream of 42T’s relocation to a new HQ in Cambourne, working closely with the newly expanded 42T IT team. This included identifying suppliers and the correct specifications and requirements, then project managing the delivery of structured cabling, network and connectivity design, AV for 10+ meeting rooms, and coordination with building systems. The move was delivered on time with minimal disruption to business operations. The office move was expertly project-managed by Colin Mounsey, with significant contributions from Alasdair in his fractional IT Director role. Colin conducted managed a successful and smooth phased move of the IT systems over a 1-week period.

MSP Transition: Lights-On used their knowledge of the marketplace to provide suggestions, swiftly executed a series of mini‑tenders and worked with 42T to identify the correct specialist providers for network management, backup and disaster recovery (with a pre-provisioned business continuity environment), and server/endpoint support. This came at a time-critical point, as 42T were eager to move into their state-of-the-art new offices and needed to hit the ground running.  Lights-On’s advice on contracts, onboarding and design of these new supplier relationships, proved highly effective and resulted in a significant 25% reduction to the annual IT spend.

Alasdair Sowerby, Consultant at Lights-On, commented on the project: “The office move, supplier transition and IT leadership work were all part of one journey: making sure 42T had the right IT foundations for growth. It was hugely rewarding to see their in-house capability strengthen and their costs reduce at the same time. This case shows the power of collaboration. With trust on both sides, we were able to tackle complex challenges and deliver outcomes that will continue to benefit 42T well into the future.”

The Outcome

What began as a simple referral and an initial IT Executive Review quickly developed into a trusted partnership between 42T and Lights-On Consulting. Over the course of 14 months, Lights-On became a key strategic IT partner to 42T – supporting the business through IT Director as a Service, guiding a seamless office relocation, and providing procurement expertise to reshape their supplier landscape. The relationship developed organically through trust and a deep understanding of 42T’s evolving needs. Each project built on the foundations of the last, ensuring that every intervention added tangible value, strengthened internal capability, and positioned the business for long-term success.

Commenting on the projects and support, Alan Mackay, COO of 42 Technology said: “Lights-On quickly became more than an advisor – they were a trusted partner who understood our business and worked alongside us to deliver real change. From strengthening our IT team to managing the IT aspects of a complex office move, their expertise gave us confidence every step of the way. What stood out was their ability to combine strategic direction with practical delivery. We didn’t just save money, we ended up with stronger systems, a more capable team, and partners who genuinely care about our success.”

42T achieved significant wins across cost, capability and resilience, including:

• A 25% reduction in annual IT spend
• A modernised, cloud-first IT environment
• Improved cybersecurity position along with many other improvements to security posture
• Strengthened in-house IT capability alongside improved management controls
• Business continuity environment in place, allowing operations to continue seamlessly if on‑premises systems fail
• Office relocation delivered smoothly, with integrated IT infrastructure, AV, and minimal downtime – coming in under allocated budget for IT aspects and project management costs.
• Supplier ecosystem redesigned, ensuring specialist partners delivered the right services for 42T.

Help With Major Projects and Office Relocations

For firms like 42T, IT transformation isn’t just about technology – it’s about building the right operating model, resilience, and leadership to support growth. Lights-On Consulting helps organisations achieve this balance by combining strategic direction with hands‑on delivery. Whether you need an independent review, fractional IT leadership, support for an office move, or guidance on supplier transitions, we’ll ensure your business is future‑ready while delivering measurable savings and efficiencies.

Interested in how Lights-On can help your firm? Please get in touch with our team.