As small and medium-sized businesses in London navigate the ever-evolving world of IT, many are finding the transition to the Modern Workplace far more complex than expected. What begins as a desire for flexible working, improved collaboration, and enhanced security often turns into a maze of decisions—particularly when it comes to deploying Microsoft technologies like Intune, Autopilot, and Defender.
The reality is that many SMBs are equipped with the right Microsoft licences but aren’t fully leveraging what they offer. In theory, the tools are powerful. In practice, they require expert implementation, a strong baseline of security policies, and ongoing maintenance to deliver the promised results. This is where the role of a skilled London MSP becomes not just helpful, but essential.
A major challenge lies in achieving a strong Microsoft Defender Secure Score—Microsoft’s way of quantifying a company’s security posture. For businesses with a standard Microsoft 365 licence, a Secure Score of 80 or more demonstrates maturity in device management, identity protection, and threat detection. However, many organisations fall short of this mark simply due to misconfiguration or incomplete rollouts of tools like Intune and Autopilot.
With extended Microsoft licensing, such as the E5 tier, organisations can push their Secure Scores well into the 90s. But doing so requires not just the right technology, but a strategic approach to deployment. It demands deep understanding of endpoint protection, conditional access policies, identity governance, and application control—capabilities that are often too specialised for small in-house IT teams to handle alone.
The gap between licensing potential and real-world results is one reason many London businesses are turning to Managed Service Providers who specialise in Microsoft ecosystems. A Managed Service Provider in London with real-world experience in enterprise environments can offer something truly valuable: battle-tested standards that go beyond theory.
In some rare cases, those standards come directly from enterprise deployments. One such example is a company that has taken enterprise-grade Intune policies—originally developed with six-figure investments—and adapted them into a streamlined baseline used across all client environments. This baseline isn’t theoretical or generic; it’s been refined through years of use and has already stood up to the rigorous demands of ISO27001 certification and Cyber Essentials Plus audits.
That provider—Proxar IT Consulting, based in London—has quietly positioned itself at the forefront of Modern Workplace transformations for small businesses. Rather than building from scratch for each client, Proxar applies a proven security and management template that brings immediate benefits: predictable configurations, consistent device behaviour, and measurable improvements to Defender Secure Scores. Clients benefit from the kind of technical depth typically reserved for enterprise IT departments.
Crucially, this high standard doesn’t come at the cost of business disruption. As part of the onboarding process, Proxar incorporates the full migration to Intune and Autopilot, ensuring that existing systems are transitioned in a controlled and strategic way. Where many MSPs shy away from the complexity of moving away from legacy setups, Proxar embraces it as a core part of their service.
Cost modelling also plays a role in making the move more accessible. Traditional thinking would categorise this type of migration as capital expenditure, requiring upfront investment and long-term budgeting. Proxar, however, has developed a model where elements of the transition can be accounted for as operational expenditure—offering financial flexibility at a time when businesses are already juggling multiple priorities.
The result is a service offering that feels less like an outsourced IT engagement and more like an embedded partnership. Business owners don’t need to worry about whether their devices are secure, whether their data is protected, or whether they’ll pass an audit. That peace of mind is increasingly valuable in a city like London, where reputation, compliance, and continuity are non-negotiable.
At the same time, the user experience improves across the board. New staff can be onboarded remotely with secure, pre-configured laptops arriving directly to their homes. Updates and policies are applied automatically. Devices are monitored continuously. The IT infrastructure quietly supports the business, rather than constantly demanding attention. This is the essence of the Modern Workplace—one where technology works with people, not against them.
For SMBs, the gap between intention and execution in IT strategy is often wide. But it doesn’t need to be. With the right partner—especially one that brings enterprise knowledge into the SMB space—the journey becomes far more achievable.
In London’s highly competitive and security-conscious business environment, having a knowledgeable, responsive, and forward-thinking MSP makes a tangible difference. Not all service providers are equal in this regard. Some manage tickets and renew licences. Others, like Proxar IT Consulting, build lasting operational foundations that support growth, compliance, and resilience. It’s a difference that’s felt not just by the IT department, but across the entire business.