How ELF Productivity Got Time Back and the IT Foundation to Grow with Focus Technology Solutions
Industry: Software Development
Employees: 21
Location:Wigan, Greater Manchester
Provider: Focus Technology Solutions, Skelmersdale
ELF Productivity develops software from Wigan, tools built around precise elapsed-time calculations. Before Focus Technology Solutions, internal IT tasks were eating into their operations manager’s working day, core systems lacked stability, and Disaster Recovery plans were underdeveloped. Focus delivered a seamless Safe Launch transition, stabilised their systems, built out their DR plans, and put the network management in place to support ISO 27001 compliance. Now Ryan Jolley can focus on what he is actually there to do.
Core system stability improved
27001 compliance supported
RESULTS
Time freed up: internal IT tasks handled by Focus, not the operations manager
Seamless Safe Launch onboarding: the team barely knew it was happening
Network management supporting ISO 27001 compliance for growing client demands
Core systems stabilised: reliability issues resolved, systems working as they should
Disaster Recovery plans built and developed for full business continuity
Broader depth of IT knowledge and experience than the team had internally
THE PROBLEM
ELF Productivity is a software development company in Wigan, building tools that specialise in the precise calculation of elapsed time. Established since 1982, they work with clients across multiple industries. Their work is technical and detail-driven, and their IT environment needs to match that standard.
Before working with Focus Technology Solutions, the business was managing too much of its own IT. Ryan Jolley, Operations Manager, was regularly pulled away from his core responsibilities to deal with internal IT tasks that had no business being on his desk. Every issue that came up became his problem to solve, regardless of what else was on his plate.
Beyond the time drain, there were growing gaps that the business could not ignore. The team were competent and committed, but there were areas of IT, particularly around Disaster Recovery planning, compliance infrastructure, and network management, where they simply did not have the depth of knowledge needed.
At the same time, the business landscape was changing. Larger clients were beginning to ask harder questions about information security. ISO 27001 compliance was moving from a nice-to-have to an expectation, and that was becoming a commercial risk, not just an operational one.
Internal IT issues were landing on Ryan’s desk instead of being handled by someone equipped to deal with them, pulling him away from his actual role.
Reliability problems were affecting the team’s ability to work consistently and confidently day to day.
The business lacked robust DR plans, leaving them exposed in the event of a system failure or incident with no clear recovery process.
Growing client expectations around information security meant compliance was no longer optional. It was becoming a requirement to win and keep business.
The team were doing their best but needed a partner with the breadth of experience to cover the areas they could not handle themselves.
“The primary focus for me is time saving. It frees up a lot of my time doing these internal IT tasks that they pick up and run with. The response times were always great and I can focus on my core role within the business.”
HOW WE HELPED
Focus Technology Solutions took ownership from day one. Using their Safe Launch process, the transition was handled so smoothly that Ryan barely knew it was happening. No disruption, no demands on the team’s time, and no lengthy handover process that ate into operations. It simply went through.
Once in place, Focus set about stabilising the core systems that had been causing reliability issues. Response times were fast, issues were resolved without fuss, and the team quickly got used to IT working the way it should, without anyone needing to think about it.
The bigger transformation came through the breadth of knowledge Focus brought to the table. ELF Productivity had gaps that the team knew needed addressing but were not equipped to tackle alone. Focus filled those gaps, building out comprehensive Disaster Recovery plans and putting the network management and access controls in place that underpinned ELF’s progress towards ISO 27001 compliance.
For Ryan, the change was simple and significant: IT is no longer on his list of things to worry about.
“The onboarding process for us was great. We barely knew it was happening. It just went through without a great deal of input needed from us.”
THE RESULT
For ELF Productivity, the impact of working with Focus Technology Solutions has been felt right across the business. Not in a dramatic way, but in the way that good IT support should work: quietly and consistently, in the background, so the team can get on with what they are there to do.
Ryan Jolley no longer has IT tasks on his plate that should never have been there. The core systems are stable. The Disaster Recovery plans are in place and documented. And the network management and compliance work means ELF can now approach clients who require ISO 27001 credentials with confidence rather than uncertainty.
As Ryan put it: the primary benefit is time saving. And for a growing software company where every hour counts, that is exactly what matters.
“In terms of benefits for us as a business, one is stability of our core systems and another is having such a larger breadth of experience and knowledge that they have at Focus that we didn’t necessarily have internally.”
“The network management and login has helped greatly with our compliance with ISO 27001, and it’s been a great benefit for us as a 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.
RESPONSE TIMES
When you raise an issue with Focus Technology Solutions, you get a fast response from someone who knows your business. No re-explaining your setup from scratch.
SAFE LAUNCH
Focus Technology Solutions manages the entire transition behind the scenes. ELF Productivity barely knew it was happening, and that is exactly the point.
DEPTH OF KNOWLEDGE
Focus Technology Solutions brings a breadth of IT expertise that most SMEs do not have internally, from DR planning to compliance infrastructure and network management.
COVERAGE
Focus Technology Solutions supports SMEs from 5 to 100 users across the North West, including software companies, professional services, and engineering businesses.
Related guides from Focus Technology Solutions
WATCH
Ryan Jolley, Operations Manager at ELF Productivity, explains what changed when
they started working with Focus Technology Solutions.
Operations Manager, ELF Productivity Limited: How Focus Technology Solutions Freed Up Time and Improved Their IT
FULL TRANSCRIPTS
Hi, my name is Ryan Jolley. I’m the operations manager here at ELF Productivity. We are a business that develops software, primarily to do with the calculation of elapsed time.
If I could describe working with Focus in one sentence, I would say the primary focus for me is time saving. It frees up a lot of my time doing these internal IT tasks that they pick up and run with. The response times were always great and I can focus on my core role within the business.
In terms of benefits for us as a business, I would say there are a few things that really stand out to me. One is stability of our core systems, and another thing I think that we’ve really noticed is having such a larger breadth of experience and knowledge that they have at Focus that we didn’t necessarily have internally.
The onboarding process for us was great. I would say it was seamless, to be honest. We barely knew it was happening. It just went through without a great deal of input needed from us. The transition was seamless.
The buildup and development of our Disaster Recovery plans and systems. There has been a great improvement for us.
And I think also another point is the network management and login, which has helped greatly with our compliance with ISO 27001, and it’s been a great benefit for us as a business.
DOWNLOAD
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The full account: internal IT consuming too much time, the Safe Launch transition, the systems improvements, and ISO 27001 compliance support.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Software companies need stable systems, strong security, and the freedom to focus on development rather than internal IT tasks. Focus Technology Solutions helped ELF Productivity in Wigan stabilise their core systems, build out Disaster Recovery plans, and support their progress towards ISO 27001 compliance, freeing up their operations manager to focus on his actual role. Call Focus Technology Solutions on 01942 318 070 to discuss how managed IT support would work for your business.
ISO 27001 is an internationally recognised standard for information security management. Achieving compliance requires robust network management, access controls, and documented security processes. Focus Technology Solutions puts in place the IT and security infrastructure that compliance requires. The certification itself is achieved through a separate, formal audit process. Call Focus Technology Solutions on 01942 318 070.
A Disaster Recovery plan sets out exactly what happens to your business data and systems in the event of a failure, cyberattack, or other incident. Without one, recovery is slow, costly, and unpredictable. Focus Technology Solutions built and developed comprehensive Disaster Recovery plans for ELF Productivity, giving the team confidence that their business is protected. Call 01942 318 070 to discuss what that looks like for your business.
The answer is a managed IT support provider who picks up those tasks and runs with them. For Ryan Jolley at ELF Productivity, the primary benefit of working with Focus Technology Solutions was time saving. He no longer has to deal with internal IT issues and can focus on his core role. Call Focus Technology Solutions on 01942 318 070 to see how much time you could get back.
With Focus Technology Solutions, the transition is handled end to end using their Safe Launch process. Ryan Jolley at ELF Productivity said they barely knew it was happening. It just went through without a great deal of input needed from the team. Call Focus Technology Solutions on 01942 318 070 to find out how Safe Launch would work for your business.
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