Legal
The Johnson Partnership’s Journey to Cyber Essentials with a Trusted IT Partner
Founded in 1990, The Johnson Partnership is one of the largest criminal law firms in the East Midlands, operating from 11 offices across the region and employing over 150 staff. They specialise exclusively in criminal law, fraud, and prison law. Office Manager Dawn Twigg, who joined the firm in 1993, has witnessed its growth firsthand, and with that, a growing need for secure, modern, and dependable IT systems.
Strengthening Trust After a Transition
Following the acquisition of their long-standing IT provider, The Johnson Partnership transitioned to Thrive, a much larger Managed Service Provider (MSP). The acquisition brought several adjustments and unknowns, but the assignment of a UK-based support team and an outstanding Advisory Service team led to a confident, long-term partnership. Dawn and the staff at The Johnson Partnership built a solid working relationship with their team at Thrive. Thrive listened to feedback, adjusted processes, and brought back a level of familiarity and responsiveness that the firm’s staff had come to value.
Laying the Foundation for Cyber Essentials
The Johnson Partnership renewed their contract with Thrive, driven in large part by the need to obtain Cyber Essentials certification, which had become a mandatory requirement for solicitors renewing their firm’s contracts. Without it, they would no longer be permitted to practice. The certification effort is a massive undertaking and includes server upgrades, hardware replacements, software compliance, and a move towards a cloud-first environment.
The Thrive project team helping The Johnson Partnership holds weekly meetings and provides hands-on support throughout each phase. While the path to Cyber Essentials requires a significant investment in time and money, the firm will eventually realise savings by modernising their technology. For example, decommissioning physical servers and moving services fully to the cloud eliminates the need to maintain, support, and replace expensive hardware, licensing, and warranties. Cloud migration is also an important step in enhancing both security and efficiency.
A Relationship That Drives Business Results
While the technical work has been substantial, the biggest impact of the project has been the strengthening of the partnership to the point that Thrive feels like an extension of the firm’s team. Staff now benefit from prompt, reliable support, and Dawn bears less of the burden of acting as a go-between. The goal is to ensure staff feel confident going directly to Thrive when issues arise.
What changed everything was the trusted relationship. “I can only commend Thrive,” Dawn shared. “They listened, made improvements, and have supported us every step of the way.” The firm’s Account Manager, Project Manager, Client Success Manager, and support POD all work together to ensure the best experience for Dawn and her team. As the Cyber Essentials work nears completion, The Johnson Partnership is better equipped for the future and well on track to meet its compliance deadline.
In the end, it’s not just about technology, policies, or processes, it’s about the people behind them.
“The Thrive team has been fantastic – proactive, responsive, and fully invested in helping us reach our goals.” – Dawn Twigg, Office Manager at The Johnson Partnership
About Thrive
Thrive is a NextGen global technology outsourcing provider that empowers small and mid-market organizations to transform their technology into a strategic advantage. Offering a breadth of services from AI and cybersecurity to cloud, compliance, and traditional MSP/MSSP solutions, Thrive’s team of seasoned experts develop strategies that standardize, scale, and automate technology to achieve outsized ROI. From advisory services to a 24×7×365 SOC and NOC, Thrive provides end-to-end IT and cybersecurity management so clients can focus on innovation and growth. With Thrive, your business is always supported and always secure. Learn more at www.thrivenextgen.com or follow us on LinkedIn.