Since 2014, Iceni Projects has partnered with Sharp for a simple reason: trust built through strong relationships. Iceni values the responsiveness, transparency, and open communication that comes from working with an expert IT Support team that feels like an extension of their business.
We spoke with Mark Sedgwick, IT Director at Iceni Projects who said, “We can’t underestimate the relationship… the whole package with Sharp just works, which is why we continue to renew our contract.” He summarises, “the team know us, they’re very pragmatic and practical, they don’t try to upsell, instead they’re focused on what’s actually needed.”
The Challenge
- Reliant on on‑premise infrastructure for access to data, files, and systems
- Performance bottleneck for teams outside the London office
Iceni Projects is a multi‑disciplinary consultancy specialising in the built environment. Their team provides expert planning, development, and urban design advice, helping clients navigate the planning process, create high‑quality places, and deliver sustainable development, operating from offices in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
When it comes to technology, Mark shares that, “technology is more than an enabler for us, we use technology in pretty much every single aspect, from producing designs to analysis and day‑to‑day collaboration.”
However, the business previously relied on on‑premise infrastructure centred in London. This created a performance bottleneck and a single point of failure, especially for teams outside the London office. Mark describes the challenge clearly: “Everyone was reliant on the VPN connected to the London office for access to all the data, files and systems they needed.”
The Solution
- Migration to a fully cloud‑based Microsoft environment
- End-to-end support from Sharp
Working in close partnership with Iceni, Sharp designed and delivered a managed transition away from on‑premise dependency to a modern, cloud‑based Microsoft environment. Importantly, the approach wasn’t a simple lift‑and‑shift: Mark explains, “we just didn’t want to do a lift and shift. We wanted the opportunity to modernise and optimise.”
Sharp supported Iceni through the migration end‑to‑end, including analysis, planning, and implementation across identity, device management, and data. “They did an analysis of the infrastructure and helped us move the rest of our data into SharePoint, set up the Entra security and authentication, policies, the Intune enrolment.”
The programme was delivered with strong governance and clear visibility: “Everything was prearranged, planned in, project managed. They handheld us through the whole of that… A start to finish success.”
Alongside the technology shift, Iceni benefits from a dedicated team and consistent touchpoints, on‑site IT support, technical consultants and regular reviews, Mark explains “the individuals that have been assigned to Iceni from Sharp are excellent and they have a great sense of humour as well – we get on really well.”
The Result
- Agile working
- Ability to work globally
- Rapid growth without the need to invest in additional on‑premise capacity
Today, Iceni is 100% cloud-based, enabling teams to work “anywhere, anyhow.” Mark goes on to say that “moving us fully into the cloud was an absolute game changer.”
The business is no longer dependent on a physical location for day‑to‑day operations, people can now work globally. Mark summarises the outcome simply: “Now we’re a completely agile organisation, it’s been a massive transformation.”
The move also delivered meaningful scalability. Iceni has grown rapidly without needing to invest in new on‑premise capacity: “We’ve pretty much doubled in size since moving 100% to the cloud and we haven’t had to do anything other than increase capacity using settings on a screen - it's been excellent.”
Just as importantly, resilience increased by eliminating the single point of failure: “It’s good knowing you don’t have a single point of failure as an IT Director, the organisation is now completely resilient.”
Sharp also supports Iceni’s cyber posture with a structured, experience-led approach. Mark highlights, “We receive a very proactive and structured cyber security approach from Sharp. Their experience with other clients means they know what works and what doesn’t.”
On an ongoing basis, Sharp manages Cyber Essentials as a service: “Sharp Introduced Cyber Essentials to us and fully manage this process. Their service means we're constantly being monitored to make sure that we meet the essential baseline for cyber security all year round.”
A trusted long-term IT partner
For Iceni, the partnership is defined by how Sharp shows up, especially when things don’t go to plan. Mark said, “Most, if not all the touch points between us and Sharp have been absolutely excellent. And one of the key things we've found is even when things don't go quite right, Sharp definitely steps up… It's a true measurement when an MSP steps up and puts in the resource when things aren't going quite so well.”
Ultimately, Mark positions Sharp as one of his strongest MSP experiences, “Sharp is absolutely one of my two top experiences working with outsourced IT Support provider.”
