L&S Engineers

L&S Engineers, a Midlands-based supplier of spares and workshop essentials for the construction, forestry, and ground care sectors, is a respected name with nearly 60 years of trading history. Operating both as a B2B and retail provider to companies ranging from national plant hire firms to independent tradespeople, L&S has scaled to a £25M turnover business delivering 30,000+ transactions per month.

Despite this growth, a review of the business’s risk register revealed a troubling vulnerability: the threat of a cyberattack capable of halting operations overnight. This risk, alongside an aging and fragmented IT estate, drove L&S to seek a strategic IT partner who could help them modernise securely.

The Challenge: Rising Risks and Outgrowing the Status Quo

As a digital-first retailer with 70% of transactions flowing through its e-commerce platform, L&S identified cybersecurity as the top risk on its corporate register. Though the company had already secured ISO 9001 and health and safety accreditations, the next frontier was ISO 27001 and Cyber Essentials, standards essential not just for compliance but for future-proofing operations.

However, their existing IT systems, spread across Google Workspace and various unintegrated tools, posed both a technical and administrative challenge.

“Even a fire in one of our buildings wouldn’t stop us like a data breach could,” said Ian Shay, Director at L&S. “We realised we needed someone with the scale and capability to help us move forward.”

The Solution: A Comprehensive IT Strategy with The HBP Group

With a strong referral from sister company Garden & Hire Spares—an existing HBP client—L&S engaged The HBP Group. From the outset, HBP took a methodical and consultative approach.

James from The HBP Group led an in-depth audit that included a staff IT satisfaction survey and a full system review. His findings culminated in a clear strategy: migrate to a secure Microsoft environment to consolidate systems, simplify administration, and establish a modern foundation for compliance.

Key elements of the solution included:

• ✅ Microsoft 365 Migration: Transition from fragmented platforms to a unified Microsoft tenancy to streamline collaboration and improve control.
• ✅ Security-first Setup: Establish a “maximum restriction” security baseline, gradually adjusting access based on need—a critical step toward ISO 27001 compliance.
• ✅ IT Partnership, Not Just Support: Dedicated, accessible support from HBP’s specialists, who provided generous one-on-one time with users and continued post-project guidance.

“We’ve worked with IT providers who count every second. HBP was different—they were focused on getting it right, no matter what it took,” Ian noted.

The Impact: Confidence, Compliance, and Capacity for Growth

L&S Engineers’ digital transformation has delivered both operational resilience and strategic clarity:

📈 Cyber Confidence: The new infrastructure gives leadership peace of mind, with robust controls that reduce the likelihood and impact of breaches.

📑 ISO Preparedness: The secure Microsoft setup forms the technical backbone of the company’s upcoming ISO 27001 certification journey.

👨‍🏫 Staff Enablement through Training: One of the most tangible benefits was the hands-on training provided to every staff member. HBP’s engineers met individually with team members during the rollout, offering 20–30 minute sessions to ensure smooth adoption and answer any questions.

“I was surprised how generous you guys were with your time,” Ian said. “It wasn’t just about getting in and out quickly—it was about doing the job properly. Even after implementation, they were still supporting us whenever we needed it. That level of dedication is rare.”

“HBP didn’t just tick boxes—they understood our business goals and delivered on them,” said Ian.

Conclusion: A Trusted Technology Partner for a Modern Business

By working with The HBP Group, L&S Engineers has evolved from managing fragmented systems and reactive IT to operating with proactive governance, modern infrastructure, and a vision for scalable innovation.