Monday morning, the email is down. You run a 40-person firm, and the helpdesk says someone will call back within a day. The delay is the problem. There is no shortage of suppliers. The Office for National Statistics Annual Population Survey recorded approximately 1.81 million filled jobs in the UK digital sector during 2025, about 5.2% of all filled jobs, up roughly 38,000 on 2024. Picking an IT company in UK still depends on whether the services, the location and the price match how you work.
This guide reviews seven firms, from East Midlands specialists to national Microsoft partners. Each one is judged on coverage, published GBP pricing where it exists, certifications and sector fit, so you can match headcount and on-site needs rather than rank firms by size. If old systems also need rebuilding, software modernization services sit beside day-to-day support, not instead of it. Every entry closes with the questions worth asking before you sign.
1. F1Group
If you want one partner for the helpdesk, the Microsoft estate and the awkward jobs in between, F1Group is the East Midlands name I would shortlist first. It has traded since 1995 and supports businesses, schools and larger organisations in Lincoln, Nottingham, Leicester, Scunthorpe, Grimsby and Newark, with remote assistance and local on-site visits.
The catalogue is deliberately wide. Managed IT support sits next to Microsoft 365, Azure, Dynamics 365, Copilot, Power Platform, custom software and app development, and cyber security. That mix suits a 50-person manufacturer that wants one supplier for the CRM, the reporting and the security review instead of three separate contracts.
What the contract should cover
Cyber risk is not reserved for giant tech firms. The Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025 found that 43% of businesses reported a breach or attack in the previous 12 months, about 612,000 UK businesses. Vendor-certified staff and DBS checks are useful where schools or regulated sites need a named, checked team.
- Ownership: Issues stay with one team rather than bouncing between vendors.
- Helpdesk: Remote and on-site support sit under the same roof, so a ticket that needs a site visit does not change hands.
- Microsoft depth: 365, Azure, Dynamics 365, Power Platform and Copilot sit in one practice.
Practical rule: Ask which engineer owns your tenant, and whether Copilot is piloted for one role before licences are bought for everyone.
Gaps before you sign
F1Group does not publish prices or customer testimonials on its site, so a written quote is the way to get a figure. The strongest local presence is the East Midlands and nearby towns. Sites further away need a clear answer on travel time and whether out-of-hours cover is included or extra.
I wouldn't treat the website as a price list. Ask for a written GBP quote that names minimum users, VAT and contract length. Also ask who answers at 8am on a Monday, which Microsoft certifications the people on your account hold, and whether custom development is in-house or subcontracted.
2. Better-IT
Better-IT is the clearest published price in this East Midlands set. Support starts at £58 per user per month, with a five-user minimum. Projects and hardware are quoted separately, so that figure is a floor, not a finished bill.
Remote support runs UK-wide. On-site help is aimed at the region. The offer covers managed and co-managed IT, cybersecurity, and Microsoft 365 work across Teams, SharePoint, security and AI readiness. Proactive support, quarterly strategic reviews and a client dashboard are part of the pitch. The firm states that its service desk, consultants and Microsoft specialists are UK-based and directly employed, which matters if you don't want tickets handled offshore.
A co-managed model can work when you already have one internal IT person and only need extra hands for Microsoft and security. If you are weighing a full desk against keeping that person, read how a managed IT services firm typically splits day-to-day tickets from project work before you sign both.
A five-user minimum will price out a two-person office. Confirm it in writing if you might drop below five later.
The starting price won't include a server replacement or a SharePoint rebuild. Firms that need heavy Dynamics 365 or bespoke apps should ask for that scope before assuming it is included. Check response targets, what "proactive" means in hours, and whether the quarterly review is a meeting or a PDF.
3. Ace IT
Say you employ between about 5 and 155 people and you still run a server in a cupboard as well as Microsoft 365. Ace IT is built for that East Midlands shape, not for a national group with hundreds of sites.
You get a local phone and remote support desk, Microsoft 365 for email, files, chat and video calls, security services, and support for on-premises servers. Packages differ by how many technology review meetings you receive. That structure gives you something to compare, even when the pound figures aren't on the page.
- Fit: Stated SME range and a named East Midlands area.
- Stack: Cloud, security and server support in one relationship.
- Compare: Package levels, not a single vague "fully managed" line.
Published detail on price and service levels is thinner than Better-IT's. You'll need a custom quote before two packages can be compared fairly. The stated employee band also makes Ace IT a weaker match once you pass roughly 155 people or run several regions.
Before you shortlist it, confirm Microsoft project scope, what security tooling is included, and whether out-of-hours cover exists at all. Ask how many review meetings sit in the package you are being sold, and what happens if a server failure lands on a Sunday.
4. eRIGHT
eRIGHT, based in Worksop, is the option for firms that want to speak to an engineer rather than a scripted first line. It describes itself as a Tier-1 Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider and offers managed, ad-hoc and project ICT work, plus Microsoft 365, security, antivirus, backup and networks. It will also support an organisation that already has an IT department.
Standard hours are Monday to Friday, 9am–5pm. 24-hour cover is available on request or for an extra charge. Pricing is quote-based, so there is no public per-user figure to benchmark against the £58 or £29 offers elsewhere on this list.
That hours gap is the trade-off. A professional services firm that closes at 5.30pm may never notice. A logistics site that picks orders at 6am will. I would only sign the daytime contract if you have tested what "on request" 24-hour cover includes, and for which sites.
Ask whether the engineer who scopes the job is the person who answers the phone, how travel from Worksop is charged, and whether backup restores are tested on a schedule. One-off project help is useful. It is not a substitute for a named response time when email fails on a Monday.
5. Alliance Technical Support Services
Alliance Technical Support Services publishes two starting prices from its Warwickshire base. Essentials begins at £29 per user per month. Business begins at £49 per user per month. Enterprise is custom, with a 24/7 option. The company says routine work on these fixed-fee packages carries no per-ticket charges. Treat that as a claim to verify in the contract, not as a finished quote.
The stack is broader than a basic desk. It includes Microsoft 365 migration, licensing optimisation, Intune, identity and security configuration, Teams Phone, cloud services, GDPR and Cyber Essentials support, plus custom apps, Power Platform automation and API integration. Some packages include on-site visits.
East Midlands buyers should still confirm travel and response times. A Warwickshire engineer can cover the Midlands. "Covered" and "on site within four hours" are different sentences. Eligibility, VAT, contract length and what sits inside each tier all need a written answer. Enterprise pricing only appears in a proposal.
If the desk is the main thing you are buying, compare that promise with a dedicated outsourced service desk model before you assume a low per-user fee includes evenings and project work. Ask which tier includes the on-site visit, and whether Intune and Teams Phone are in Business or only in Enterprise.
6. Chorus
Chorus, based near Bristol, is aimed at organisations that want Microsoft transformation as well as a helpdesk. The range runs from SMEs to larger enterprises and covers managed IT, cybersecurity, Microsoft 365, Azure, Dynamics 365, Power Platform, data governance and Copilot. The site advertises service desk support up to 24/7/365, specialist managed security, and lists Microsoft partner credentials plus customer examples. Pricing is quote-based.
Tool access is rarely the blocker. The Office for National Statistics reported that the leading barriers to AI adoption were difficulty identifying suitable business use cases (39%), cost (21%), and insufficient AI expertise or skills (16%). A Copilot project with Chorus, or with any partner on this list, should start from a named process, not a licence count.
For a 20-person firm that only needs email and a printer fixed, this catalogue is too wide. For a multi-team business moving finance onto Dynamics 365 while the service desk stays up, the Bristol base is acceptable if on-site days are planned. Confirm travel to the East Midlands, which security service is 24/7, and how adoption training is charged. Ask for one customer example in your sector, and for the governance rules on what data must never enter Copilot.
7. Softcat
Softcat is the scale option: a large UK provider across managed services, Microsoft solutions, cloud, devices and cybersecurity, including managed Azure and Microsoft security. Managed-services teams are UK-based. 24/7 cover applies to certain services and is set by contract, so confirm the exact scope before assuming round-the-clock response.
As of December 2024, the UK had an estimated 2,165 active cyber security companies, according to the Cyber Security Sectoral Analysis 2025. At Softcat's size, a buyer is choosing a programme with process, account management and vendor breadth behind it. That suits multi-site groups with mixed vendors. A 40-person firm that wants the same engineer each month may find the model distant.
Softcat does not publish a standard price list for managed IT, because scope and support are set by contract, so a written proposal is the only like-for-like comparison with a £29 or £58 per-user figure. If hardware, licensing and services will be bought together, plan the order through IT procurement services before the first refresh, or the same device can be billed twice.
Ask which services carry 24/7 cover, who the named contact is, and whether a small East Midlands site gets the same response as a larger-city head office.
How the seven IT companies compare on location, published pricing, credentials and best fit
| Item | Coverage and base | Published starting price | Certifications and credentials | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F1Group | East Midlands locations including Lincoln, Nottingham and Leicester; remote and on-site support | Not published; quote required | Vendor-certified staff; DBS checks; can support Cyber Essentials certification | Organisations seeking a broad, locally supported IT partner |
| Better-IT | Remote UK-wide; on-site across the East Midlands | £58 per user per month; five-user minimum | UK-based, directly employed service desk and Microsoft specialists; cybersecurity certification support | East Midlands businesses wanting managed or co-managed support with published pricing |
| Ace IT | East Midlands; focused on organisations with around 5–155 employees | Not published; request a tailored quote | No specific certifications or credentials stated | SMEs seeking local support alongside Microsoft 365, security and server services |
| eRIGHT | Worksop-based; local support and project work | Not published; quote required | Tier-1 Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider | Organisations wanting direct engineer access and flexible ongoing or ad-hoc support |
| Alliance Technical Support Services | Midlands-based in Warwickshire | £29 per user per month for Essentials; £49 for Business | GDPR and Cyber Essentials support | Businesses seeking priced support tiers plus Microsoft, compliance and development services |
| Chorus | UK provider based near Bristol; on-site coverage should be confirmed | Quote-based | Microsoft partner credentials listed | SMEs and enterprises pursuing Microsoft cloud transformation and managed security |
| Softcat | UK-wide delivery; UK-based managed-services teams | Not published; proposal required | Established UK IT services and infrastructure provider | Larger or multi-site organisations with complex technology needs |
Shortlist Three, Test Them Properly, Then Decide
Pick three providers that match your headcount, your sector and how often someone must stand in your office. A 40-person charity in Newark has a different shortlist from a multi-site group that already runs Azure. Keep all seven in play and the differences blur; you end up signing the slickest PDF rather than the best fit.
Send each finalist the same brief: headcount, sites, the Microsoft apps in use, servers you still own and the hours you work. Ask for a written quote in GBP, and confirm the minimum user number, whether VAT is included and what the contract does if your headcount drops mid-term. Alliance and Better-IT publish a per-user starting figure. F1Group, Ace IT, eRIGHT, Chorus and Softcat do not, so the written quote is the only fair way to compare them.
Name the person who will own your account and ask who covers when they are on leave. Then test the service desk before you sign. Raise one real, low-risk query, such as a shared mailbox permission or a Teams calling issue, and time the first useful reply. Note whether it comes from a named engineer or a ticket queue. A callback promised "within a day" is what you already have.
Check Cyber Essentials support, whether engineers are directly employed, DBS checks if you work with schools, and on-site travel from Worksop, Warwickshire or Bristol if your office is not close to them. Copilot and automation can wait until a use case, a data rule and a pilot group exist on paper.
Check the number each finalist publishes before you dial it, because calls to 0845 numbers are not free. GOV.UK call charges state that calls to 0843, 0844 and 0845 numbers can cost up to 7p per minute from landlines, plus your phone company's access charge, and mobile charges may differ. Across three finalists and several test calls, that adds a small cost to the shortlisting itself.
F1Group has supported East Midlands organisations since 1995, with managed IT, Microsoft 365, Azure, Dynamics 365, Copilot and cyber security delivered remotely or on site in Lincoln, Nottingham, Leicester and nearby towns. If you are choosing an IT company in the UK and want a partner matched to your headcount rather than a national catalogue, visit F1Group and request a written GBP scope for your headcount and locations.