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 Fairview Capital 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.
Fairview Capital is a pseudonym to protect the client’s confidentiality. E-N Computers has served businesses in central Virginia since 1997, especially midsize businesses with compliance requirements.
QUICK ANSWER:
How did Fairview Capital, a financial services firm in Charlottesville, benefit from switching IT providers?
Fairview 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, Fairview feels confident in their IT roadmap and has open communication with their IT team at E-N Computers.
A firm that couldn’t afford IT uncertainty
Fairview Capital is an investment office for a select group of endowments, foundations, and nonprofits. As an SEC-registered investment advisor, the firm is required to maintain a NIST 800-171-aligned security program to meet regulatory expectations.
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 Fairview 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’ first move was to prevent service disruption. The team provisioned 37 Microsoft E5 and 37 Teams Premium licenses directly, keeping Fairview’s users online while the migration from the old provider was sorted out. It required creating Fairview twice in the licensing system, which is not ideal, but it kept the firm running.
Once the immediate risk was resolved, the team turned to the underlying problem: Fairview’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 Fairview’s estimated monthly licensing costs dropped 39%, from about $1,110 to $678.
Their cybersecurity improved, too. Fairview went from twice-yearly vulnerability scans to continuous daily monitoring. Critical alerts now surface within 8 to 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, Fairview’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 Fairview’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 Fairview’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. Fairview’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 E5 and removing redundant third-party tools dropped estimated monthly licensing costs from $1,110 to $678.
- Continuous security monitoring. Daily MDR coverage replaced twice-yearly scans, with alert investigation times under 10 minutes.
- SLA: 15-minute response, 4-hour resolution for critical issues — with 24/7/365 coverage.
- A working security program. Fairview now has ongoing policy maintenance, quarterly compliance reviews, phishing simulation, cybersecurity training, and vulnerability management — not a document.
Next Steps
When you have the right people working together, you can implement systems and processes that actively help you reach your business goals. We sometimes call this IT maturity. But for many organizations, something is off when it comes to their partnerships, strategy, systems, and settings. How can you know what’s working well and where you have room for improvement? Start by taking our free IT Maturity Self-Assessment. You’ll walk away with some pointers and, if you want, a free appointment to discuss your results.
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