How TDM Group Onboarded Abacus Resource Solutions
with Clarity and Control
Company profile
Abacus Resource Solutions (Abacus) provides bespoke finance, accounting and operational support that drives success for startups and SMEs in the recruitment industry. In contrast to a traditional business that operates as a single entity with one group of users and a board of directors, Abacus consists of eight trading companies with various users, each managed by its own Managing Director.
Abacus’ dedication to exceptional back-office services is underpinned by the group’s collective mission: to enhance their clients’ operational efficiency and financial robustness through meticulous management, cost-effective solutions, and comprehensive support services.
The Challenge
Turning IT into a business enabler
Abacus was forced to search for a technology partner after the service delivered by its incumbent IT provider slipped below the agreed standards. During the tender process, Abacus had two main objectives:
The Solution
Onboarding for success
These objectives aligned with TDM Group’s Managed Business IT Services (M-BiTS) – a holistic approach to IT management that recognises technology’s profound impact on the entire organisation.
With TDM Group selected as Abacus’ new technology partner, the next step was to initiate onboarding – a successful process built on three foundational elements (communication, security, and adaptability), unlocking the door to the business benefits of technology.
Knowledge transfer
We laid the foundations for a longstanding partnership by conducting a comprehensive audit of Abacus’ IT infrastructure in collaboration with stakeholders, users and third parties. This captured essential information – from identifying all hardware, applications, and servers to assessing risks and vulnerabilities to the current environment.
The resulting insights were harnessed to create a responsibility matrix and define the tools, processes and timescales required for a successful launch. For example, this helped us to understand and implement a more streamlined process for new starters.
Adaptability
Unforeseen challenges are common when onboarding. In this case, it was the Abacus servers hosted by its incumbent IT provider which created a roadblock. Poor connectivity prevented TDM Group from backing them up over the internet to its data centre.
TDM Group kept the onboarding process on track by swiftly implementing a contingency plan: they built and deployed a new primary server replicating the Abacus environment, relocated the old server as a backup, and enabled replication to maintain continuity and resilience.
Security
Abacus faced cybersecurity challenges due to its fragmented structure, which resulted in inconsistent solutions and inadequate software being implemented across its IT environment. To strengthen its security posture and implement a cohesive strategy, TDM Group assigned a dedicated Business Manager to collaborate with Abacus.
Together, they developed a comprehensive security roadmap to bring the organisation in line with industry best practices. For example, this allowed access controls to be enhanced, ensuring appropriate permissions are in place across user accounts, reducing risk and reinforcing Abacus’ security posture.
Communication
Central to the efficiency of the onboarding process was the dedicated onboarding team. They established clear communication, including weekly meetings, with Abacus’ Group Operations Director, Tom Haines. This provided the foundation for invaluable support across all levels of the business during this critical period.
Another impactful communication tool was the key milestones timeline. Without a traditional board, this allowed Tom to communicate the progress of key projects and tasks to each Managing Director individually. Enlightened by this clear oversight, the business went live with support ahead of the committed timeline.
The Result
An M-BiTS partner
With the onboarding process delivered efficiently, securely and on time, Abacus replaced a narrow IT provider that didn’t supply end-user support with a comprehensive technology partnership.
Tom explained the benefits of working with an M-BiTS partner
The efficient onboarding process meant we didn’t waste any time tapping into TDM Group’s business-focused service. With our essential day-to-day IT services elevated, ensuring systems keep running and support requests are managed effectively, TDM Group also looks at the bigger picture. They drive the proactive IT initiatives that benefit the business, rather than waiting for us to contact them with pain points.
Tom Haines, Group Operations Director at Abacus
Contact us to work with an IT partner that goes beyond the traditional model, enabling you to harness technology’s business benefits:
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