Emmaus UK is a national charity supporting people experiencing homelessness, with a central Head Office and multiple regional communities operating across the UK, including Brighton and Hertfordshire. Each location functions with a high degree of independence while relying on secure, reliable IT systems to support fundraising, administration, communications and service delivery. As a charity operating with limited resources, Emmaus UK requires cost-effective, resilient and scalable technology that supports both day-to-day operations and long-term organisational resilience.
As Emmaus UK continued to grow, its IT environment became increasingly fragmented across Head Office and individual branches. There was a clear need to review disaster recovery readiness, modernise connectivity, improve device security, and standardise Microsoft 365 configurations across locations. Head Office required assurance that critical data, mailboxes and cloud services could be recovered quickly in the event of an incident, while regional communities needed reliable internet connectivity, secure network infrastructure and modern endpoint management. In addition, domain changes and device upgrades were required to support organisational branding, security compliance and future cloud adoption. The challenge was to deliver these improvements without disruption to staff, while ensuring consistency, visibility and long-term supportability across the wider Emmaus UK estate.
We worked closely with Emmaus UK Head Office and regional stakeholders to deliver a structured programme of improvements, tailored to the needs of each site while aligning to a common national standard.
At Head Office, we delivered a full Disaster Recovery Simulation using Datto, testing the restoration of SharePoint document libraries, OneDrive folders and user mailboxes. Recovery times were recorded and documented, providing tangible assurance of business continuity. A completion certificate was issued and configuration items were updated within Autotask for ongoing governance.
For regional communities, we focused on connectivity, infrastructure and security modernisation. In Hertfordshire, we deployed FTTP connectivity with a Zen 330/50 service and configured DrayTek routers to ensure reliable, high-performance internet access. We also completed a router and telephony installation at the Boxmoor site, including Wi-Fi configuration and secure SSID management.
In Brighton, we supported a Microsoft 365 domain change, purchasing and configuring a new domain and migrating Entra ID accounts to align with updated organisational requirements. We also delivered an Intune and endpoint security project, upgrading devices from Windows Home to Pro, enrolling devices into Intune, and deploying Sophos encryption to protect sensitive data. Where legacy hardware presented limitations, we provided clear guidance and recommendations for replacement.
Across all projects, clear handover notes were provided to support teams, ensuring continuity and ongoing support.
Emmaus UK now benefits from a significantly more resilient, secure and standardised IT environment across both Head Office and regional communities. The successful disaster recovery simulation has given leadership confidence that critical systems and data can be restored quickly in the event of an incident. Improved connectivity and modern network infrastructure have enhanced reliability and performance for staff and services on the ground.
Microsoft 365 standardisation, domain alignment and Intune deployment have strengthened security, simplified device management and improved compliance across the organisation. Importantly, these improvements were delivered with minimal disruption, clear communication and full documentation, ensuring Emmaus UK can continue to operate efficiently while supporting some of the most vulnerable people in their communities.
- Successful Disaster Recovery simulation with documented recovery times
- Improved business continuity and confidence at Head Office
- High-speed FTTP connectivity deployed to regional sites
- Modern, secure network infrastructure using DrayTek routers
- Microsoft 365 domain migration and Entra ID standardisation
- Clear handover documentation for ongoing support
- Scalable IT foundation supporting future growth across Emmaus UK
