Start with the money you're probably already wasting
Microsoft runs a nonprofit programme most small charities either don't know about or never got moved onto. Eligible organisations get up to 300 Microsoft 365 Business Basic licences at no charge, and Business Premium at a fraction of the commercial price. Google Workspace, Canva, Slack, Zoom and Adobe all run charity pricing too.
If you're paying commercial rates for Microsoft, the saving on its own can be larger than what support costs. We'll check that for you before you commit to anything, and if you'd rather take the savings and walk away, take them.
What you get
- A person answers when you ring, in the day. That person is Eric
- Laptops, desktops, email and files looked after
- Backups that get checked, not just switched on
- Updates, logins and the boring bits, run to Cyber Essentials standards
- Help getting onto the right Microsoft nonprofit licences
- Rolling 30-day notice after year one, no exit fees
That's the same service we give everybody else, at the charity rate rather than the commercial one. Nothing is stripped out to make the number work. We can charge less because our own costs are lower on charity licensing, so the saving gets passed on rather than pocketed.
Why per device and not per person: charities aren't shaped like offices. You might have twenty volunteers sharing four machines, or shift staff on one PC in a community building. Charging you for every person who ever touches a keyboard would be a fiction. We charge for the machines we actually look after, so a busy organisation with a small estate pays for the estate.
How that compares
| Typical charity IT support | £25 to £50 per user, per month |
|---|---|
| Specialist firms | Mostly London, often on three-year agreements |
| Us | £35 per device, rolling 30-day after year one, based here |
We're in the middle on price and better on terms. If somebody quotes you less, ask them how long you're tied in for, what counts as a device, and what's an extra on top.
If a funder has asked you about Cyber Essentials
Grant-makers and corporate funders increasingly want it before they'll release money. It's a real certification with a real assessment, and getting your organisation through it is something we can help with.
Being straight with you: our own certification lapsed and we're renewing it. We run to the standard either way, and we'd tell you that before you asked rather than after.
If you work with the NHS
The Data Security and Protection Toolkit is annual, due 30 June, and it cascades down to suppliers. If you deliver commissioned services, or you're running clinical or case-management systems, it applies to you and it isn't optional.
It's a familiar piece of work rather than a frightening one, and it's the kind of thing worth starting before May.
Who you'd be talking to
Me. I'm Eric, I'm on the Wirral, and Hilt Digital is my own company. Nobody's bought it and there's no group above me, so you won't ring back in a year to find the person who knew your setup has been reshuffled somewhere else.
I spent years as one of the original engineers building out IT across a local NHS mental health trust, county-wide. That means homelessness, substance misuse and supported housing services are not a world I need explaining, and neither is what happens when the systems people rely on stop working for somebody who is already having a bad week.
I'll also explain things in normal words. If you've come off a call with an IT company and quietly had no idea what was agreed, you'll notice the difference.
Being honest about where we are
We're a small, independent outfit and we're growing this side of the work deliberately. If you want a supplier with a hundred charity logos on the wall, there are London firms who have that, and they're good.
What you get here instead is the person who does the work answering the phone, a price that doesn't move, and terms you can leave. Have a conversation and decide for yourself.