Managed IT Cybersecurity Microsoft 365 & Azure Infrastructure & Cloud Automation Practical AI Who We Help Manufacturing & Engineering Legal Firms Accountancy & Finance Professional Services Healthcare & Social Care Charities & Membership Areas we cover Sheffield Rotherham Barnsley Doncaster Chesterfield How We Work New Clients Secure onboarding The NorthMSP Standard About NorthCTO Contact Book a consultation
The NorthMSP Standard

What every managed client gets.

A secure, managed, documented and recoverable baseline that keeps people working, reduces avoidable risk and stops important IT work being left to chance.

Core standard

Included for every managed client.

These are not premium extras or later upsells. They are the things we put in place so your IT is monitored, secured, recoverable and easier for your users to work with.

Monitoring, patching & service control

We monitor your environment closely for failures, security signals and unhealthy devices, then patch with urgency. That means issues are often dealt with before users realise anything happened, so productivity keeps moving instead of turning into a support queue.

Microsoft 365 tenant management

We administer your Microsoft 365 tenant, review security settings and use our secure centralised management platform to spot drift. That means your tenant does not quietly slide backwards after onboarding, and risky changes are easier to catch before they become incidents.

CIS-aligned secure baseline

We harden identity, devices, Microsoft 365, browsers, data protection and update settings against a recognised benchmark. That gives you a defensible security posture, closes the easy gaps and makes insurer, Cyber Essentials and breach conversations less painful.

Microsoft 365 backup

We back up Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive and Teams data outside normal platform retention. That means accidental deletion, ransomware, account compromise or a bad configuration change does not automatically become permanent data loss.

Email security & phishing defence

We put filtering, anti-phishing controls, awareness training, browser protection and BEC-focused checks around email. That means fewer malicious messages reach staff, and the ones that do are less likely to become invoice fraud, credential theft or a full compromise.

MDR and secure login alerts

We monitor endpoint activity and suspicious sign-in patterns, then raise the right alerts when behaviour looks wrong. That means stolen passwords, unusual travel, risky devices and early-stage compromise attempts get attention while there is still time to act.

Password management for users

We deploy a managed password vault for your users, with secure sharing and better control of business credentials. That means fewer reused passwords, fewer secrets saved in browsers or spreadsheets, and cleaner offboarding when someone leaves.

DNS, domains and web-edge protection

We manage core DNS records, up to three domain renewals and web-edge protection for client websites we manage. That means the quiet, boring parts of your online presence are not forgotten until email stops, the website disappears or a renewal gets missed.

Domain impersonation monitoring

We check for lookalike domains being registered against your brand. That means you get earlier warning when someone appears to be preparing phishing, invoice fraud or business-email-compromise attacks that pretend to be you.

Cyber Essentials remediation & certification

We do the remediation needed to bring the in-scope environment up to Cyber Essentials, then support the certification process. That means it becomes part of the managed service instead of another security project everyone agrees is important but nobody has time to finish.

NorthDock client application

We give users a tray application for essential information, device actions, support options and approved application installs. That means common tasks are easier for staff, support is less mysterious, and people can get what they need without hunting through old emails.

Automated service checks

We run regular checks for licence waste, risky logins, baseline drift and recurring configuration issues. That means you are not paying for avoidable waste, and the environment stays tidy after onboarding instead of slowly unravelling.

Two environment types

Modern cloud, or hybrid and on-prem.

The goal is the same: fewer surprises, better security and less downtime. The work changes depending on whether your business is cloud-first or still has servers, VPNs, legacy systems and site infrastructure that matter.

Modern Cloud Standard

For cloud-first clients

For businesses where identity, email, files, devices and core services are Microsoft 365 and cloud-based. We make the tenant the control point, so users can work flexibly without everything becoming loose and unmanaged.

  • Entra ID, MFA and Conditional Access, so stolen passwords are less useful on their own.
  • Intune, Autopilot and device compliance, so new and rebuilt devices arrive in a known-good state.
  • Defender, endpoint hardening and patching, so devices are harder to compromise and easier to recover.
  • Exchange, Teams and SharePoint governance, so collaboration does not turn into uncontrolled data sprawl.
  • Base DLP, retention and sensitivity labels, so important data has guardrails instead of guesswork.
  • Secure collaboration and external sharing defaults, so working with clients stays practical without opening everything to everyone.
See Microsoft 365
Hybrid & On-Prem Standard

For servers, sites and legacy systems

For organisations with local servers, line-of-business applications, site networks, VPNs, RDS, SQL or specialist systems that still matter. We keep the older moving parts visible, documented and recoverable, because hidden dependencies are what turn small outages into lost days.

  • Server monitoring, patching and documentation, so ageing systems are not running on memory and luck.
  • Hybrid identity and access controls, so cloud and on-prem access do not become two separate security problems.
  • Firewall, VPN and network review, so remote access and site connectivity stay deliberate rather than inherited.
  • Backup and DR design where required, so recovery is designed around the systems your business actually needs.
  • Recovery testing and dependency mapping, so you know what comes back, in what order, and what could still hurt.
  • Infrastructure lifecycle planning, so replacement work is planned before old kit chooses the timing for you.
See infrastructure
Baseline scope

Included remediation, clear boundaries.

The standard is deliberately strong, but it still needs a boundary. We include the work needed to bring the in-scope environment up to the secure baseline and Cyber Essentials compliance, so you start from a better position without a separate onboarding bill swallowing the conversation.

Included

Baseline remediation

Remediation required to meet the NorthMSP secure baseline and Cyber Essentials scope is built into the managed service price. The point is simple: the basics get done early, properly and as part of the service.

  • MFA, Conditional Access and identity hardening, so access is controlled before it becomes a problem.
  • Endpoint protection and patching baseline, so devices are not left as the easy way in.
  • Microsoft 365 secure configuration, so email, files and collaboration start with sensible defaults.
  • Cyber Essentials remediation and certification, so compliance is tied to real technical improvement.
Scoped separately

Beyond the baseline

Some work is important, but not part of the included secure baseline. We call that out early and quote it properly, so you can make a decision with eyes open rather than discover it halfway through an incident or renewal.

  • Server and DR backup licensing, storage and workload costs, because recovery design depends on the systems involved.
  • Extra domains beyond the included allowance, because domain estates can vary wildly between clients.
  • Major server replacement, migration or application remediation, because those are projects with their own risk, planning and business impact.
  • Compliance work beyond Cyber Essentials, because deeper regimes need evidence, mapping and governance work, not just technical fixes.
Common questions

Things people ask about the standard.

The core standard applies to every managed client. The exact controls depend on the environment, because a cloud-first business and a hybrid site do not need the same work, but the outcome is the same: a secure, managed and recoverable baseline.

Yes. Remediation required to bring the in-scope environment up to Cyber Essentials compliance is included in the managed service price, so certification is not left as a separate project that never quite gets started.

No. CIS is a benchmark, not an SME certification badge. Our secure baseline is CIS-aligned and adapted for practical SME environments, so recognised best practice is turned into working controls rather than a theoretical document.

No. NorthDock is a client tray application that gives users quick access to useful information, support actions, device tools and approved application installs. It removes friction for common tasks, but it does not replace direct support.

Let’s talk

A standard you can inspect.

If you are reviewing IT support, ask what is actually included and what difference it makes. We are happy to walk through the standard, what applies to your environment, and how it helps keep the business working.