Business for Nature is an international, fully remote organisation supporting the transition to nature-positive business practices. With staff based across Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas, the team relies on cloud collaboration and secure endpoint access to deliver its work. As operations expanded, the organisation required IT support capable of maintaining consistent standards, resilience, and security for a globally distributed workforce.
Following rapid growth, Business for Nature reviewed its IT support arrangement to address the operational complexity of supporting a decentralised, international team. The organisation had a Microsoft 365 Business Premium estate supporting 23 users, with SharePoint Online as the primary file platform and a mix of Windows laptops, desktops, and a small number of Macs. While Entra ID and MFA were enabled, device management maturity was inconsistent, with Intune not yet fully deployed and limited centrally enforced compliance controls. Varying device procurement and configuration created differences in baseline security and user experience. There was also heightened sensitivity to downtime, particularly around publication periods, and a known printing pain point linked to historic firewall disruption. With internal IT knowledge leaving the organisation, Business for Nature needed a proactive partner to reduce risk, improve governance, and provide responsive support across time zones.
Qlic IT implemented a structured onboarding programme designed for globally distributed teams and Microsoft 365 environments. We began with technical discovery across identity, licensing, devices, security controls, and backup, then produced a best practice analysis to prioritise remediation against Microsoft-recommended baselines.
To standardise endpoints, we introduced a centralised device management framework using Microsoft Intune. This enabled consistent onboarding for Windows and macOS devices, including configuration profiles, compliance policies, and automated application deployment. We enforced device encryption using BitLocker on Windows where applicable, and aligned endpoint protections with the organisation’s security needs, integrating Sophos and supporting the transition to Sophos MDR under the Platinum service. Patch management and update rings were configured to improve resilience while reducing disruption for users in different regions.
On the Microsoft 365 side, we strengthened authentication and access controls by confirming modern authentication alignment, improving MFA practices through the Microsoft Authenticator app where appropriate, and ensuring conditional access and security defaults were applied in a controlled, business-ready manner. We also reviewed role-based access and administrative privileges to support stronger governance.
To protect cloud data, we planned the transition or implementation of Datto Backupify for Microsoft 365 users and SharePoint, ensuring recoverability for critical content. We also supported licensing clarity by reviewing Dynamics 365 Sales licensing, documenting Adobe licensing via Phoenix, and offering consolidated Microsoft licensing at cost to simplify administration. Finally, we established a support model with core-hours unlimited remote assistance, out-of-hours coverage for time-critical incidents, and immediate focus on printing diagnostics, including collecting detailed information on the Xerox and PaperCut setup and firewall dependencies to prevent repeat disruption.
Business for Nature achieved a more consistent and secure IT operating model across its international workforce. With Intune-driven onboarding and policy enforcement, devices were brought onto a common baseline, improving reliability and reducing configuration drift. Encryption and endpoint security controls became standardised, supporting stronger protection of organisational data regardless of user location. Improved identity and authentication practices reduced account risk while keeping day-to-day access straightforward for staff.
Operational continuity improved through clearer governance, better visibility over device health and compliance, and a support structure aligned to multiple time zones. Users experienced faster resolution of issues, with fewer recurring problems due to automated policy application and software deployment. Backup coverage for Microsoft 365 workloads strengthened recoverability, supporting the organisation’s high sensitivity to downtime and publication schedules.
Administrative overhead reduced through streamlined licensing management, clearer ownership of vendor relationships, and a more proactive cadence of reviews. The organisation also gained a defined path for future initiatives, including Teams Telephony, with a support partner able to plan and deliver changes without disrupting a distributed team.
- Standardised endpoint onboarding and configuration using Microsoft Intune
- Consistent encryption and security baselines across managed devices
- Stronger identity protection through improved MFA and access controls
- Improved resilience via structured patching and centralised software deployment
- Enhanced recoverability for Microsoft 365 and SharePoint data with cloud backup
- Time zone aligned remote helpdesk support, including out-of-hours incident cover
- Reduced administrative burden through consolidated licensing and vendor oversight
- Faster troubleshooting for business-critical issues, including printing stability focus
Trust Us to Deliver
What was your original challenge?
We had no proactive IT support before switching to Qlic so as a result our systems were not as secure as they could have been and our team didn’t have anyone to call if they had a problem with a device. As a 100% remote organization, ensuring that we’ve got working devices and secure systems is absolutely imperative.
Why did you move to Qlic?
We compared Qlic’s offering with 2 other managed service providers in Europe. Financially and service-wise Qlic compared very favourably. One of the deciding factors was Qlic’s strong focus on annual security check-ins and continuous improvement, even within a non-profit environment. This experience of working with others in the non-profit sector was also a major factor in our decision making, we need to be working with people who understand the realities of our funding situation and can help us scale (up or down) quickly and easily.
What has improved?
One major improvement is that all our devices are now properly setup and when we’ve had to replace a few devices we can quickly onboard them into our Microsoft tenant and ensure that the team is working securely and effectively. Otherwise, there has been quite a lot that has changed in the background that we don’t really see day-to-day or necessarily really understand (in terms of updates being deployed correctly etc) but everything seems to be running smoothly which is a big plus.
How have the team responded?
Overall having experts to call in case of an issue has been a big improvement for the team and the feedback has been positive.
Andy Beanland
Business for Nature
