by Scott Jack
Content Contributor, E-N Computers
15 years of experience in technical support including endpoint management, documentation, and end user support in healthcare and enterprise.
When a central Virginia investment office made the decision to switch IT providers, they weren’t expecting it to be easy. But they also weren’t expecting that their outgoing MSP had begun canceling their Microsoft 365 licenses without telling them. By the time E-N Computers got a look at the account, the alerts were stacking up. Email, SharePoint, and OneDrive were just days away from going dark.
QUICK ANSWER:
How did a central Virginia financial services firm benefit from switching IT providers?
The firm was able to prevent a service disruption, save money on licensing, and improve their cybersecurity by switching to E-N Computers. We found a licensing issue that would have left 34 users unable to work, reduced licensing costs by 39%, and set up continuous monitoring with 24/7 coverage for critical issues. Now, the firm has a clear IT roadmap and open communication with their IT team at E-N Computers.
A firm that couldn’t afford IT uncertainty
The firm is an investment office for a select group of endowments, foundations, and nonprofits. It’s an SEC-registered investment advisor, and its security program is aligned with NIST 800-171.
Their previous MSP had put together a cybersecurity policy document about two years earlier, then largely stepped back. Security scans happened twice a year, billed separately. There was no ongoing program, no proactive monitoring and, as the firm discovered during the transition, no clear picture of what licenses they actually held or how they were being managed.
“When the previous MSP walked away, the licensing situation was a mess — mainly due to a lack of visibility,” said Devin Frend, account manager at E-N Computers. “The biggest issue wasn’t an immediate outage, but the uncertainty. Bringing clarity and structure back into their licensing environment helped remove a lot of that anxiety.”
Stepping in before the lights went out
E-N Computers has served businesses in central Virginia since 1997, especially midsize organizations with compliance requirements.
ENC started by preventing a service disruption. The team provisioned 37 Microsoft 365 E5 and 37 Teams Premium licenses directly, keeping the firm’s users online while the migration from the old provider was sorted out.
Once the immediate risk was resolved, the team turned to the underlying problem: the firm’s licensing environment was fragmented and more expensive than it needed to be. Several third-party tools including a standalone email filtering product, a separate backup service, and a dark web monitoring subscription were doing jobs that Microsoft 365 E5 already covered. E-N consolidated the stack, and the firm’s estimated monthly licensing costs dropped 39%, from about $1,110 to $678.
Their cybersecurity improved, too. The firm went from twice-yearly vulnerability scans to 24/7 monitoring. Critical alerts now reach an analyst within 10 minutes. A 28-point cybersecurity maintenance program built around their existing NIST 800-171 policies replaced the one-time policy document that had been sitting untouched.
What a real IT partnership looks like month to month
By the time onboarding was finished, the firm’s understandable caution was replaced with confidence and open communication.
“When they first came to us, there was hesitation — they wanted to be sure things would be handled differently this time,” Frend said. “Over time, that confidence has grown. Communication is very open now, they’re comfortable reaching out, and it really feels like we’re working together proactively instead of reacting to problems.”
The team now runs weekly check-in meetings with the firm’s staff, with separate sessions reserved for security reviews and IT roadmap planning. A firewall upgrade from SonicWall to Cisco Meraki is in planning, with a formal quote and side-by-side comparison in progress. A third-party penetration test, required under Fairview’s own security policies, is scheduled for later in 2026.
The 5-year technology roadmap is live, and the firm’s compliance officer has been actively involved in shaping what comes next, including how E-N’s work connects with monitoring services run by the firm’s parent organization.
“At the end of the day, we build trust through clarity,” Frend said. “Being upfront about what we’re seeing, explaining things clearly, and outlining next steps has gone a long way, especially coming out of a rough MSP transition.”
The results
- Service disruption prevented. The firm’s Microsoft 365 environment stayed online through a transition that, without intervention, would have left 34 users without email, SharePoint, or Teams.
- Licensing costs reduced by about 39%. Consolidating to Microsoft 365 E5 and removing redundant third-party tools dropped estimated monthly licensing costs from $1,110 to $678.
- Continuous security monitoring. 24/7 managed detection and response (MDR) replaced twice-yearly scans. Critical alerts reach an analyst within 10 minutes.
- SLA: 15-minute response, 4-hour resolution for critical issues — with 24/7/365 coverage.
- A working security program. The firm now has ongoing policy maintenance, quarterly compliance reviews, phishing simulation, cybersecurity training, and vulnerability management — not a document.
Next Steps
The firm in this story had a security policy on paper and no one maintaining it. If you run an investment advisory or another regulated business, it helps to know where you stand before an audit or an outage shows you.
Start with our free IT Maturity Self-Assessment. When you finish, you can book a free call to go over your results.
Not sure if you need managed IT services?
Take the IT Maturity Self-Assessment
In a few minutes, get actionable insights on your IT strategy, plus a free strategic consultation.
