Christ Church Woking is a UK‑based church and community organisation supporting worship, outreach, and pastoral activities. Operating from a single location, the organisation relies on a small hybrid workforce and volunteers who depend on reliable email, collaboration, and secure access to systems to support daily administration and community engagement.
Christ Church Woking undertook a review of its IT services as its existing support contract approached its end in late March. At the same time, the organisation planned to move away from on‑premises infrastructure and transition fully to cloud‑based services. This created a narrow window in which both a change of IT provider and a server‑to‑cloud migration needed to be completed.
Access to systems after the contract end date was expected to be limited, increasing the importance of careful planning and coordination. The organisation required continuity of Microsoft 365 services for a mix of full‑time, part‑time, and email‑only users, while ensuring the legacy server was fully decommissioned before the contract expired. Maintaining security, minimising disruption, and supporting users through the transition were key considerations throughout the process.
We developed a coordinated approach that aligned managed support onboarding with the planned server‑to‑cloud migration, allowing both activities to run in parallel. This ensured that Christ Church Woking could transition smoothly to a cloud‑first environment while establishing a new, reliable IT support model.
Microsoft 365 services were transferred as part of the onboarding process, preserving email, collaboration, and identity services for all users. New Datto and Sophos solutions were implemented to strengthen backup, security, and resilience, providing greater protection for organisational data and systems. These technologies were introduced alongside structured monitoring and support processes to maintain stability throughout the changeover.
Given the fixed contract end date, detailed planning and clear communication were prioritised to manage risk and ensure all dependencies were addressed. The single office location was surveyed to confirm user numbers and connectivity requirements, supporting an efficient rollout. Premium support access was also configured for key stakeholders to ensure rapid assistance during the migration and early support period.
By integrating project delivery with support onboarding, we reduced complexity, avoided duplication of effort, and ensured Christ Church Woking was fully supported from the outset.
Christ Church Woking successfully transitioned to a new managed service provider while completing its server‑to‑cloud migration within the required timeframe. The on‑premises server was decommissioned as planned, removing legacy infrastructure and reducing ongoing maintenance overhead.
Microsoft 365 services continued without interruption, supporting full‑time, part‑time, and email‑only users throughout the transition. The introduction of Datto and Sophos improved the organisation’s security posture and resilience, providing increased confidence in data protection and system availability.
Users experienced a smooth onboarding to the new support model, with clear access to assistance during a time‑critical period. The organisation now benefits from a simplified, cloud‑based IT environment that supports reliable day‑to‑day operations, improves security, and provides a strong foundation for future needs.
- Successful parallel delivery of support onboarding and cloud migration
- Decommissioning of on‑premises server before contract end
- Seamless transfer of Microsoft 365 services
- Improved security and resilience through Datto and Sophos
- Stable and responsive IT support during a critical transition
