<img height="1" width="1" style="display:none" src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=111591952803728&amp;ev=PageView&amp;noscript=1">
Skip to content
Our difference

We are on a mission to deliver innovative business transforming technology solutions that exceed our customers’ expectations.
 

Our culture

Our values guide us in everything we do and help shape our culture and customer approach. Find out more about our values and meet some of our team.
 

Our Microsoft Partnership

As a Microsoft Solutions Partner, we’ve been at the centre of the revolutionary changes that technology has brought to every aspect of life and we continue to stand by their side at the centre of tomorrow’s digital transformations.

Microsoft Solutions Partner

Our partners

We have successfully built relationships with multiple partners that prepare businesses for the future.
 

Carbon management

We understand our environmental responsibilities as a UK business and IT Managed Service Provider, and we understand how important it is for our customers to partner with responsible providers.
 

Careers

Our team is made up of a diverse group of people from all around the world, and we all have one thing in common: we’re passionate about providing our customers with outstanding solutions.

Thinking of selling your IT business?

Core is a well funded Microsoft Solutions Partner with a 30 year history of being at the heart of control in IT.

We are supported by our bankers and have funds available for strategic business acquisitions. Together with our successful acquisition track record and a commitment to making deals happen, now is the perfect time to talk to us if you are considering selling your IT business.

If you are interested in discussing a potential exit of your IT business, please complete the form on the right. All correspondence will be treated in the strictest of confidence and a mutual non-disclosure agreement will be exchanged prior to any discussions taking place.

Interactive Microsoft workshops

Our workshops are designed to help you realise the value of Microsoft technologies in your business, gain real value from your investment and transform the way you work.

The workshops are a collaborative and immersive experience; our experts will work with you to identify your business objectives and establish the Microsoft technologies to help you achieve them.
 

Request a workshop

Our range of workshops covers every aspect of the modern workplace including productivity, collaboration, identity, security and compliance and communication, with interactive and engaging sessions that bring the art of the possible to life.

Download our workshop guide

Read more about the interactive workshops we offer, and how they can benefit your business by downloading our guide.

MCI Workshop Introduction

Managed Services

Discover why Core is the first choice for many organisations looking to add flexibility, efficiency, and expertise to their teams.

Cloud Technology

From Microsoft’s leading platforms to bespoke cloud solutions, Core’s range of cloud technology solutions covers everything the modern workplace needs.

Professional Services

Whichever challenges you face on your digital journey, Core's professional services team has a solution to help, from IT Project Management to our innovative Smart Services.

Public Sector

Certified secure solution for the public sector, providing a reliable, flexible, secure and affordable IT solution.

Commercial Sector

Certified commercial sector solutions, covering all your commercial needs from financial and legal services, through to manufacturing.

Download our Frontline Workers white paper

Learn how technology can help to balance productivity with wellbeing for Frontline Workers.

White paper: How technology is revolutionising the health and productivity of frontline workers


Why customers choose us

Since we were founded in 1990 and started our Microsoft journey, we have supported over 10,000 customers on their communications and collaboration projects, and with the introduction of Microsoft's cloud technology, have grown our capabilities significantly across Microsoft 365 and Azure.

What sets us apart is a talented and passionate team who truly love what they do, demonstrating boundless enthusiasm and dedication in every single project.
 

logo-menu-david-lloyd

"It was apparent from day one that Core had a depth of knowledge in Microsoft 365, which we simply hadn’t found anywhere else."

Greater London Authority

"Core has a lot of experience working with the public sector, which was definitely a benefit."

Angel Trains

"There’s such a good working relationship with Core, it’s like having another permanent person in our organisation."

Talbot

"We had a really good, down to earth relationship with a few of the guys, and they know what they are doing."

Read our latest blog articles

Harnessing Evergreen IT Services for Strategic Advantage



Maximising Savings on Azure with Core’s Gain-Share Offer
Future-Proofing Your Business: The Perils of Rushing into Copilot for Microsoft 365



AI for All: How Microsoft's Latest Update on Copilot Opens Doors for all Businesses
The Core knowledge hub

Stay up-to-date with the latest insights, trends, and discussions from Core's team of subject matter experts through our blog topics and news articles.


Core NewsroomDec 1, 2021 4:58:58 PM4 min read

How Higher and Further Education Sector Has Changed Due to Covid-19

It’s hard to think of an industry that was not affected by Covid-19.

Though broadly similar challenges confront all industries, both during and post-pandemic, there are always unique considerations and opportunities at play. It’s only by working closely with our customers, listening to their stories, and caring passionately about their organisations, that Core can develop the understanding needed to help every organisation achieve more.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Higher and Further Education institutions already had the building blocks in place to enable remote working, teaching, and learning. Many universities were already licensed to tools such as Microsoft Teams, for peer-to-peer collaboration. Learning Management Solutions (LMS) also facilitated asynchronous learning, with lectures and content uploaded and consumed on demand.

As lockdown caused sites to close and learning to move 100% online, institutions faced crucial strategic decisions. For example, should lectures be delivered live, or should they be pre-recorded, shortened and supplemented with group or 1-2-1 forums? While the scope for innovation in the delivery of learning was significant, so too were the challenges that came with them.

For example, pre-recorded lectures required governance to manage questions/interjections, secure the meeting link for invited attendees only, and consider those who did not have sole use of a device at home or had poor connectivity. By moving seminars or group sessions to video meetings through platforms like Microsoft Teams, questions of accessibility and inclusion needed to be considered.

Of course, the issue of data protection, privacy, and governance of calls and chats taking place in the various collaboration platforms on personal devices also required careful thought around policies which balanced the need for collaboration and productivity, with security and safeguarding.

So, while the applications were in place, they may not have been configured to work in a 100% remote landscape, meaning user adoption and change management had to be considered.

As remote working and restrictions remained, many universities faced challenges regarding their Device Management strategy.

While applications like Teams were in place, many institutions found their devices were not configured to function in remote settings. Some were restricted, others did not block the use of unapproved applications for business use, and some were not capable of receiving operating system or security updates unless on-site.

This presented an opportunity to those inclined to capitalise on such changes, for criminal ends. The NCSC and UK Government issued several warnings that the entire Education sector, from Early Years to Universities, were targets of sophisticated and high-volume attacks since lockdown started in March 2020.

How Higher and Further Education responded to Covid-19

Higher and Further Education Institutions in the UK faced the same uncertainty and shift in priorities as most organisations when confronted with the first UK Lockdown in March 2020.

According to Core Sales Account Manager, Callum Mackay, institutions responded to the vulnerabilities and sought to reduce risk in the following ways.

While many had the technology available to them, they found themselves with significant work to do around applying proportionate governance policies to protect data and their users, while also supporting the adoption of productivity applications in such a way as to minimise the risk posed by Phishing attacks or compromised credentials.

A significant number of institutions found themselves with fundamental challenges regarding device management and endpoint security; while limited visibility of the applications being used for by end-users on a day-to-day basis caused a rise in Shadow IT and the potential for data loss.

Renewed emphasis was placed on the need for a robust remote device management strategy using Microsoft Endpoint Manager to facilitate zero-touch deployment, management, and retirement of corporate devices from a single platform. In a world where devices may not be on site for months, zero-touch endpoint management has been essential in maintaining control, visibility and security of devices from afar.

Furthermore, if users prefer to use their own devices, or their corporate device does not function, Endpoint Manager can configure and manage the means by which users work on their own devices while enabling organisations to retain control and ownership over corporate data.

With the impending 2021 release of Windows 11, managing change across hundreds or thousands of devices geographically spread, without needing to physically access the device, could not only save thousands of pounds in shipping, but might be the difference between a disruptive project and a seamless organisation-wide upgrade.

Many organisations also saw the increased risk remote working presented as an opportunity to move towards the Microsoft 365 A5 licensing features. The enhanced security, analytics, and compliance features not available in A3 licenses, helped to bolster what was already in place, and even automate the hunting, detection, and remediation of security and compliance tasks for busy IT teams.

There are, of course, other stories to tell. Each institution survived lockdown in its own way. But for organisations seeking to add resilience, improve security, and enable hybrid working, these Microsoft technologies will provide the tools needed to get there.

How do you get there?

With over thirty years of experience delivering Microsoft solutions, and with more than ten Microsoft Gold competencies, Core is well-positioned to assess your endpoint management environment and advise you on your next steps.

If you would like a free discovery session from one of our subject experts, plus a no-obligation roadmap of how to add resilience and security while enabling hybrid working, click here to arrange a call back from our education specialist.

 

avatar

Core Newsroom

Stay informed with Core's blog topics by our subject matter experts.