How Astley Hire Went From Reactive IT Firefighting to Planning 18 Months Ahead with Focus Technology Solutions
Industry: Industrial Equipment Rental
Employees: 18
Location: Leigh, Greater Manchester
Provider: Focus Technology Solutions, Skelmersdale
Astley Hire is an industrial equipment rental company in Leigh where IT underpins everything, from taking an order to getting equipment on site. Before Focus Technology Solutions, every IT change was reactive and last-minute, pulling leadership away from the business. Focus came in, used their Safe Launch process to manage a seamless transition, migrated Astley Hire’s server to the cloud, and introduced Quarterly Business Reviews. Now Martin and his team plan their IT infrastructure 12 to 18 months ahead and they’re in a far better place than they were a year ago.
IT planning horizon (was zero)
Disruption during transition
RESULTS
Moved from reactive to proactive IT support
Friendly, fast support that reduces pressure on internal teams
Successful server migration delivering a modern, stable cloud setup
Seamless onboarding with Focus's Safe Launch process
Strategic visibility through Quarterly Business Reviews
Leadership freed up to focus on the business, not IT headaches
THE PROBLEM
Astley Hire is a fast-paced industrial equipment rental company in Leigh where timing is everything. From the moment an order is placed to the instant the equipment arrives on site, IT is involved in every step. If systems go down, customer demands cannot be met, it is as simple as that.
But behind the scenes, IT was a constant source of stress. The team were stuck in a reactive cycle. There was no planning, no forward thinking, and no strategic oversight. Changes were made on the fly, sprung on the team at the last minute, and then everyone scrambled to react.
Martin Doran, General Manager, found himself constantly pulled into IT issues rather than focusing on growing the business. Without the right support structure, IT had become a blocker rather than an enabler.
Astley Hire needed more than better support. They needed a better plan.
IT changes were never planned, they’d get sprung on the team at the last minute, forcing everyone to react under pressure.
From order to delivery, IT underpins everything. Downtime meant failing customers — and Astley Hire couldn’t afford that risk.
There was no roadmap, no strategic thinking, and no proactive guidance on what needed to change before it became a crisis.
Time that should have been spent on customers and growth was being consumed by IT firefighting that should never have reached Martin’s desk.
“Our biggest issue was being in reactive mode all the time. We didn’t plan IT infrastructure changes, they’d just get sprung on us at the last minute.”
Martin Doran, General Manager – Astley Hire
HOW WE HELPED
Astley Hire needed a partner who could help them take back control, someone who would work with them, not just fix problems as they came up.
From day one, Focus Technology Solutions used their Safe Launch process to make the switch simple and stress-free. They took care of the entire transition, ensured continuity, and brought immediate clarity to Astley Hire’s IT environment. The transition was seamless.
Once in place, Focus introduced Quarterly Business Reviews, structured sessions that gave Martin and his team clear visibility over where things stood, what was improving, and what was coming next. Instead of reacting to problems, Astley Hire started planning 12 to 18 months ahead.
The standout project was the server migration. Focus’s technical team took Astley Hire off their ageing in-house server and moved them to the cloud. Martin described it as transformational for the business, faster, more reliable, and no longer a single point of failure.
Day-to-day, the difference is simple: the Focus team are friendly, fast, and easy to reach. Issues get resolved quickly. Martin’s life is a lot less stressful.
Safe Launch process – seamless transition with zero disruption
“Switching over to Focus was really easy using their Safe Launch model. It ticked all the boxes we needed. We made sure we picked everything up and the transition was seamless.”
THE RESULT
For Astley Hire, the change has been fundamental. IT is no longer something that happens to the business it is something the business controls.
Martin no longer spends his time reacting to IT emergencies. Instead, he sits down with the Focus team quarterly, reviews where the business stands, and plans what needs to happen next. Decisions are made carefully, with time to research the best solution not the first one that came to mind under pressure.
The server migration to the cloud has been the standout transformation. A modern, stable setup that is faster, more reliable, and removes the risk that came with running everything on an ageing in-house server.
As Martin put it: they are in a far better place now than they were a year ago and more confident as a business knowing they have robust technology in place.
“We’re in a far better place now than we were a year ago. We’re more confident as a business now that we know we have more robust technology in place.”
“The server migration where Anthony and the technical team took us off an in-house server and put us into the cloud — that’s been transformational for our business.”
WHY FOCUS TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS
Focus Technology Solutions is a managed IT support provider based in Skelmersdale, serving
SMEs across Greater Manchester, Merseyside, and beyond. Here is what sets them apart.
SUPPORT MODEL
When you call Focus Technology Solutions, you reach a team that knows your business, answers quickly, and resolves issues without fuss.
SAFE LAUNCH
Focus Technology Solutions manages the entire handover behind the scenes. Astley Hire’s transition caused zero disruption from day one.
QUARTERLY REVIEWS
Regular Quarterly Business Reviews give you visibility, a clear IT plan, and the time to make the right decisions not rushed ones.
COVERAGE
Focus Technology Solutions supports SMEs from 5 to 100 users across the North West, including equipment hire, manufacturing, and professional services.
Related guides from Focus Technology Solutions
WATCH
Martin Doran, General Manager of Astley Hire, explains what changed when they
moved to Focus Technology Solutions and why the server migration was
transformational.
General Manager, Astley Hire – From Reactive IT to Planning 18 Months Ahead
FULL TRANSCRIPTS
My name is Martin Doran. I’m the general manager at Astley Hire in Leigh. We are an industrial equipment rental company.
Our biggest issue before working with Focus was purely being in a reactive mode all the time. When there were IT issues, we wouldn’t really plan any IT infrastructure changes and it would get sprung on us at the last minute, and then we’re kind of reacting to whatever’s going on at that point in time.
It touches every part of our business now, from first taking the order to the equipment landing on site – IT is involved in that process. So if we have IT issues we can’t meet our customer demands and it’s as simple as that for us. We need to make sure that our systems are functioning, that our uptime is 100%, and that IT systems are doing the jobs they’re designed to do.
Focus Technology have helped us dramatically since joining the business. Now instead of looking backwards and trying to solve an issue as it comes up, we’re kind of looking forwards and looking 12 to 18 months in advance at issues that may come up, so we can put changes in place now, take our time, make the correct decision and research the best possible solution for the business – not the one that we thought of that day.
Switching over to Focus was really easy using their Safe Launch model. It ticked all the boxes we needed. We made sure we picked everything up and the transition was seamless.
When you ring the Focus team they’re always friendly when you answer the phone, which always helps. Issues normally get resolved quite fast, which makes my life a lot less stressful.
The main thing that stands out is really doing the quarterly check-ins with the Focus team and just coming in, reviewing where we’re up to as a business, looking at our IT plans and putting plans in place for future development.
We’ve done multiple projects in our IT, but the one that stands out is the server migration where Anthony and the technical team took us off an in-house server and put us into the cloud, and that’s been transformational for our business.
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The full account reactive IT, the switch to Focus Technology Solutions, the server migration, and the results since.
COMMON QUESTIONS
For an equipment hire company, IT underpins every stage of the process – from taking the order to getting equipment on site. If systems go down, customer demands cannot be met. Focus Technology Solutions helped Astley Hire in Leigh move from reactive IT firefighting to proactive planning, ensuring uptime, seamless operations, and the confidence to grow. Call Focus Technology Solutions on 01942 318 070 to discuss how managed IT support would work for your business.
Reactive IT support means you only deal with problems after they happen, often at the worst possible moment. Proactive IT support means your provider is monitoring your systems, planning changes in advance, and helping you make the right decisions – not the rushed ones. Focus Technology Solutions helped Astley Hire go from constantly firefighting to planning their IT infrastructure 12 to 18 months ahead.
A cloud server migration moves your business data and applications from an on-site physical server to a cloud-based environment. For Astley Hire, the Focus Technology Solutions technical team managed the entire migration, replacing their in-house server with a cloud setup that Martin Doran described as transformational for the business. To find out whether a cloud migration is right for your business, call Focus Technology Solutions on 01942 318 070.
Quarterly Business Reviews are structured sessions where Focus Technology Solutions sits down with you to review your current IT, look at what is working and what needs improving, and plan ahead for future development. For Astley Hire, these check-ins became the main way they shifted from reactive to proactive IT management – giving Martin and his team the visibility and confidence to make better decisions.
Yes. Focus Technology Solutions uses their Safe Launch process to manage the entire transition behind the scenes, ensuring nothing is missed and your team experiences zero disruption. Martin Doran at Astley Hire said switching over to Focus was really easy and the transition was seamless. Call Focus Technology Solutions on 01942 318 070 to talk through how it would work for your business.
Ready to Stop Firefighting?
As Martin put it: “We’re in a far better place now than we were a year ago.” Focus
Technology Solutions supports SMEs across Leigh, Greater Manchester, and Merseyside.
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