Case Study | DCE Commercial Engineers Ltd
26 May 2026
ICT Solutions appointed as sole IT Managed Service Provider — delivering end-to-end helpdesk, cyber security, cloud, VoIP, and Microsoft 365 services with a best-in-class technology stack.
ABOUT DCE COMMERCIAL ENGINEERS LTD
DCE Commercial Engineers Ltd is a professional engineering company specialising in commercial building services. Operating across the UK, DCE delivers mechanical and electrical engineering projects for a range of commercial clients, including fit-outs, refurbishments, and new-build installations. With a team of engineers and project managers working across multiple active sites, the business depends on reliable, secure, and always-available IT systems to keep operations running smoothly.
As the business grew, DCE recognised the need to partner with a specialist Managed Service Provider who could deliver a proactive, fully managed technology service — giving the leadership team confidence in their IT infrastructure and freeing them to focus on engineering delivery.
THE CHALLENGE
Prior to engaging ICT Solutions, DCE faced several common challenges seen in growing engineering firms:
- Reactive IT support – No proactive monitoring or management. Issues were addressed only after they caused disruption to engineers and project staff.
- Cyber security exposure – No layered security stack in place. Growing threat of ransomware and phishing posed a significant risk to business data.
- Fragmented cloud tools – Microsoft 365 licences not optimised. No backup strategy for cloud data, leaving the business exposed to data loss.
- Legacy communications – Outdated phone system lacking flexibility for a mobile engineering workforce working across multiple sites and client locations.
THE ICT SOLUTIONS MANAGED SERVICE
Following a successful tender, ICT Solutions were appointed as DCE’s sole IT Managed Service Provider. The service covers every aspect of DCE’s IT environment under a single, unified contract:
- IT Helpdesk – Named support team with SLA-backed response times. Remote and on-site support for all staff. Ticket management via HaloPSA for full visibility.
- Cyber Security – Huntress managed detection and response (MDR). Avanan cloud email security against phishing, malware, and BEC. Security awareness training.
- Network Infrastructure – Proactive monitoring and management of all network devices via Zabbix. Alerting, reporting, and capacity planning included.
- VoIP Telephony – Cloud-based VoIP solution replacing legacy hardware. Flexible for mobile and site-based engineers. Unified communications across the business.
- Microsoft 365 Business Premium – Full M365 deployment and management. Intune device management, Entra ID, Defender, Conditional Access, and compliance policies.
- Backup & Disaster Recovery – Acronis Backup protecting on-premises and cloud data. Automated daily backups with rapid recovery capability.
TECHNOLOGY & SECURITY STACK
| Platform | Vendor | Role in DCE’s Environment |
| HaloPSA | Halo Business | ITSM and helpdesk platform — ticket management, SLA tracking, asset register, and client reporting portal. |
| Huntress | Huntress Labs | Managed Detection & Response (MDR) — 24/7 threat hunting, ransomware canaries, and SOC-backed incident response. |
| Microsoft 365 Business Premium | Microsoft | Cloud productivity, email, Teams, SharePoint, Intune MDM, Entra ID, and Microsoft Defender for Business. |
| Avanan | Check Point | Cloud-native email and collaboration security — AI-powered anti-phishing, malware, and business email compromise (BEC) protection. |
| Acronis Cyber Backup | Acronis | Hybrid backup for endpoints, servers, and Microsoft 365 data — automated, encrypted, and tested restores. |
| Zabbix | Zabbix LLC | Open-source network and infrastructure monitoring — real-time alerting, dashboards, and performance trending across all DCE network devices. |
WHY DCE CHOSE ICT SOLUTIONS
Following a competitive tender evaluation, DCE selected ICT Solutions as their managed IT partner based on a number of key differentiators:
- Single-provider accountability — one contract, one point of contact, covering every aspect of IT
- Best-in-class tooling — a proven stack of enterprise platforms deployed and managed by accredited specialists
- Proactive rather than reactive — continuous monitoring, threat detection, and infrastructure management preventing issues before they impact the business
- Microsoft expertise — full Microsoft 365 Business Premium deployment including security, compliance, and device management
- Cyber security depth — layered protection with Huntress MDR and Avanan email security providing 24/7 defence
- Scalability — a managed service model that grows with DCE as the business expands its team and project portfolio
- Transparent reporting — regular service reviews, uptime dashboards, and ticket analytics via HaloPSA
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR DCE
With ICT Solutions managing their IT environment end-to-end, DCE’s leadership and engineering teams can focus entirely on delivering outstanding commercial engineering projects — confident that their technology is secure, reliable, and expertly maintained.
The move to a fully managed model represents a significant shift from reactive break-fix IT to a proactive partnership — one where ICT Solutions acts as an extension of DCE’s own team, delivering the kind of IT capability previously only available to much larger organisations.