Case Studies
Investment Firm Excels with Modern Technology
Sand Grove Capital Management, a London-based alternative investment management firm, has long depended on managed IT services to support its operations. Without an internal IT team, they rely entirely on Thrive, their Managed Service Provider (MSP) to maintain a robust, secure, and business-aligned technology environment. In recent years, as market conditions have shifted, Sand Grove reassessed its IT infrastructure and service model to ensure efficiency and resilience. Thrive played a crucial role in assessing their IT operations while fostering business growth and operational improvements.
Overcoming Market Challenges: Strategic Shifts, Cost-Effective Solutions, Strengthened Security
Like many investment firms, Sand Grove encountered several hurdles as it navigated market-based challenges in the early 2020’s. External trends and unforeseen events placed pressure on fund performance, making cost-effective business solutions more critical than ever. Coming to Thrive through the acquisition of their previous MSP, Sand Grove went through a re-contracting process to take advantage of Thrive’s billing and flexible service model.
Thrive’s deep understanding of Sand Grove’s IT environment allowed for a seamless transition to the Thrive platform and ongoing transformation of their operations. Cost savings and service optimisation were achieved through a strategic restructuring of IT services, led by Thrive’s account management team. Their dedicated Account Manager ensured greater cost efficiency without compromising service quality, renegotiating contracts to deliver significant financial savings while strengthening cybersecurity and IT support.
Cybersecurity and compliance efforts saw major advancements with the introduction of DNS filtering, AvePoint M365 backups, and proactive threat monitoring. A physical monitoring device was installed in the server room, complemented by endpoint security measures to mitigate cyber threats. Additionally, Thrive improved the monitoring of remote logins, ensuring immediate alerts for unusual activity.
Operational efficiency also improved as Thrive streamlined Sand Grove’s IT infrastructure. By migrating their portfolio management system to a different environment, inefficiencies caused by multiple vendors were eliminated.
Sand Grove has the peace of mind that comes with knowing Thrive will always do what they can to support the organisation’s growth. When a critical due diligence questionnaire required completion, Thrive’s rapid response enabled Sand Grove to secure new funding, underscoring the strength of their partnership.
Thrive remained proactive in aligning IT services with Sand Grove’s business objectives, ensuring agility and resilience in a competitive financial landscape. Further technological improvements included the deployment of an enhanced incident response framework, ensuring swift action in the face of security incidents.
Prioritising Business Outcomes and Boosting Investor Confidence
Strategic IT advisory services also played a pivotal role in Sand Grove’s continued success. Regular technical business reviews with their vCIO and Account Manager provided tailored IT guidance aligned with the firm’s evolving needs. Sand Grove’s engagement in Thrive’s industry events, such as the Breakfast Club, fostered valuable knowledge-sharing and networking opportunities.
Through its partnership with Thrive, Sand Grove Capital Management has optimised IT spending, reinforced cybersecurity, streamlined operations, and bolstered investor confidence. Thrive’s proactive partnership, technical expertise, and strategic guidance have been instrumental in positioning Sand Grove for sustained success. This collaboration stands as a testament to the transformative impact of a well-managed IT service relationship, demonstrating how the right MSP can drive business growth and resilience in an ever-evolving financial sector.
“Whenever anyone logs in to their computer from abroad, we get an alert. It’s a nice layer of security. We know things are working and that there is proper monitoring going on.” – Jonathan Groom, Chief Operating Officer, Sand Grove Capital Management
About Thrive
Thrive delivers global technology outsourcing for cybersecurity, Cloud, networking, and other complex IT requirements. Thrive’s NextGen platform enables customers to increase business efficiencies through standardization, scalability, and automation, delivering oversized technology returns on investment (ROI). They accomplish this with advisory services, vCISO, vCIO, consulting, project implementation, solution architects, and a best-in-class subscription-based technology platform. Thrive delivers exceptional high-touch service through its POD approach of subject matter experts and global 24x7x365 SOC, NOC, and centralized services teams. Learn more at www.thrivenextgen.com or follow us on LinkedIn.