IT support for manufacturing and engineering firms in Surrey and Hampshire
Circuit Minds is a Camberley-based managed IT and Microsoft 365 security provider for manufacturers and engineering firms with 5 to 50 staff, from Farnborough's aerospace suppliers to workshops across Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire. We look after your computers, Microsoft 365 and Cyber Essentials for a published £45, £55 or £75 per user per month, and we start with a free 76-check security audit.
Free for firms with 5 or more Microsoft 365 users. You keep the written report whether you work with us or not.
What we sort out for manufacturers
Ready when a customer asks for Cyber Essentials
Defence primes and larger manufacturers increasingly ask their suppliers for Cyber Essentials. We put the controls in place and stay with you through the assessment.
Shop-floor PCs that can't be updated
Machine controllers and test rigs often run old Windows. We separate them from the office network and the internet, so one infected email can't reach the line.
Drawings and design files kept in-house
CAD files and customer drawings are opened only by the people who need them, shared with customers by secure links, and recorded when they're accessed.
Sign-ins that a stolen password can't open
Everyone signs in with a code from their phone as well as a password, which Cyber Essentials now requires for cloud services. On Secure+Secure+Security-first, built for regulated firms. £75 per user per month, minimum 10 users.Tap or click the name to compare plans, stricter rules too, such as blocking sign-ins from computers we don't manage.
Your design and ERP software, properly looked after
SOLIDWORKS, Epicor, MRPeasy, JobBOSS and similar systems each have their own support desk. We look after the workstations and servers they run on, and speak to the vendor so you don't have to.
Answers for customers and insurers
Customers and cyber insurers ask about two-step sign-in, backups, antivirus and keeping software up to date. We give you the answers in writing, with the evidence behind them.
Who provides IT support for manufacturers around Camberley and Farnborough?
Circuit Minds does. We're a Camberley-based managed IT provider and we publish our prices. Our clients are firms of 5 to 50 people without their own IT person, and Microsoft 365 security and Cyber Essentials are our main specialism. Surrey Heath, Rushmoor, Hart, Guildford and Waverley between them have about 970 manufacturing businesses, most with fewer than 10 staff.
Farnborough is 10 minutes away and Basingstoke about 30. Remote support covers the whole UK, and further afield we plan visits in advance and quote the travel upfront.
What do customers and the rules expect from a manufacturer's IT?
Defence customers, larger manufacturers and insurers increasingly ask suppliers to show their IT is secure. These are the rules that come up most.
MOD contracts
Under the MOD's Cyber Security Model, reinstated from 3 December 2025, MOD contracts require Cyber Essentials as a minimum (Def Stan 05-138 Issue 4), and the requirement passes down to subcontractors.
Controlled technical data
Government export control guidance says where data is stored doesn't decide whether it's an export: what counts is who accesses it and from where. Access controls and sign-in records make that easier to show.
Cyber Essentials (v3.3)
Five controls: firewalls, secure configuration, security updates, user access control and malware protection. The current requirements, from 27 April 2026, say cloud services can't be left out of scope and sign-ins to them must use two-step sign-in.
Windows 10 end of support
Security updates stopped on 14 October 2025 unless you pay for Extended Security Updates. The NCSC says obsolete systems should be treated as untrusted and separated until they're replaced.
We set up your network, devices and Microsoft 365 so those requirements are workable, and give you the evidence for the Cyber Essentials assessment. Certification is by an approved certification body.
Sources: MOD Cyber Security Model (gov.uk); Def Stan 05-138 Issue 4; NCSC Cyber Essentials; Export of technology and cloud computing (gov.uk); Microsoft: Windows 10 Extended Security Updates; NCSC operational technology guidance; ONS UK Business Counts (Nomis).
How do you keep the office and the shop floor secure?
Common habits in busy firms
- Machine and test PCs on the same network as the office computers
- Drawings emailed to customers as attachments
- Shared logins on workshop computers
What we can put in place instead
- Machine and test PCs kept on their own network, separate from the office computers and the internet
- Secure links for sending drawings, which only work for that customer and can expire
- Each person signs in as themselves, with two-step sign-in, so you can see who opened what
Not sure how your setup compares? Book the free security audit
How much does IT support cost for a manufacturer?
Per user, per month, ex VAT. Published, the same price for every firm.
Essentials
Min. 5 users£45/user/month
Remote support 9am-5pm (fair use), Microsoft 365 and computers looked after, security updates, antivirus, spam and scam email filtering, two-step sign-in for everyone
Complete
Min. 5 users£55/user/month
Unlimited remote support, stronger email protection, backup of your Microsoft 365 email and files, staff security training, IT reviews every quarter
Secure+
Min. 10 users£75/user/month
Attacks spotted and stopped 24/7, alerts if your staff's details turn up in data leaks, monthly checks for security weak spots, stricter sign-in rules, priority support, a yearly security review
Most manufacturers are best on CompleteCompleteRight for most growing businesses. £55 per user per month, minimum 5 users.Tap or click the name to compare plans, which adds backup and staff training. If you want 24/7 monitoring and a yearly security review, step up to Secure+Secure+Security-first, built for regulated firms. £75 per user per month, minimum 10 users.Tap or click the name to compare plans (from 10 users). Cyber Essentials preparation is quoted as a fixed-price project on any plan. Full detail on the pricing page.
Plans require Microsoft 365 Business Premium (or equivalent), billed separately at Microsoft's list price. We manage your licences so you only pay for the ones you use. That licence is what includes the security features mentioned on this page. On-site visits are quoted per visit. In the first three months you can leave with 30 days' notice.
What does the free Microsoft 365 security audit check?
We run 76 checks on your Microsoft 365. We can only look, not change anything, and we send a written, prioritised report. It's free for firms with 5 or more users; the full 108-check audit is £99. Checks that matter most to manufacturers include:
- whether every account, admin accounts included, needs a phone code as well as a password, as Cyber Essentials now requires for cloud services
- whether old ways of signing in that skip the phone code are still switched on
- whether staff can share files with "anyone with the link", no sign-in needed
- whether your email settings stop scammers sending emails that look like they come from your firm
- whether devices connecting to Microsoft 365 are managed and kept up to date
What might an audit find?
Illustrative example, not a real client. It shows the kind of finding the audit reports, written up the way the report does.
- Finding
- Two workshop PCs still run Windows 10 without Extended Security Updates and can open office email.
- Why it matters
- They no longer get security fixes, so one bad attachment could give an attacker a way in, and Cyber Essentials won't pass with unsupported systems in scope.
- Fix
- Upgrade them where the software allows; where it doesn't, move them to a separate network with no email or internet access and plan their replacement.
Can you help us get Cyber Essentials?
Yes. Cyber Essentials is the government-backed certificate MOD contracts and many larger customers ask for. The NCSC says certification starts at £320 + VAT, priced by the size of your organisation.
We prepare you. We put the controls in place, sort out any unsupported machines, check your answers against how things are actually set up, and stay with you through the assessment. The certificate itself comes from an approved certification body, which charges its own fee. More on our cyber security page.
How do we get started?
It starts with the free audit and a call to go through the report. If you decide to work with us, we agree a written plan for what gets done first, usually sign-in security and computers, and pace the rest around your work. We connect through Microsoft's own secure access for IT providers, so you never have to share an admin password with us.
Moving from another provider? Our guide to switching IT support provider covers the handover.
Common questions
Do MOD suppliers need Cyber Essentials?+
Yes. MOD contracts require Cyber Essentials as a minimum, and under the MOD's Cyber Security Model the requirement passes down to subcontractors. We get your Microsoft 365, computers and network ready to pass, as a fixed-price project on any plan or none.
Our machines run on old Windows PCs. What can we do?+
Windows 10 stopped getting security updates on 14 October 2025 unless you pay for Extended Security Updates, which Microsoft prices at $61 per device for the first year, doubling each year for up to three years. Where a machine controller can't be upgraded, the NCSC treats obsolete systems as untrusted, so the usual step is to separate them from the office network and the internet, and plan a replacement. We help you list them, separate them and plan what to upgrade first.
Do you support SOLIDWORKS, Epicor, MRPeasy or JobBOSS?+
We look after what your design and production software runs on: the workstations, Microsoft 365 accounts, network, updates and staff access, and we deal with the vendor's support desk for you when something breaks. Cloud systems need little installed locally. Server or workstation software needs updates planned around production.
Can we keep controlled technical data in Microsoft 365?+
The government's export control guidance says where the data is stored doesn't decide whether it's an export: what counts is who accesses it and from where. Access by an intended recipient overseas needs a licence first. We can set up Microsoft 365 so access to controlled files is limited to named people, with sign-in records. The export decisions themselves stay with you.
Is there funding to help with this?+
Made Smarter Adoption South East, led by Surrey County Council, offers SME manufacturers fully funded advice and match funding of up to 50% (up to £20,000) for technology projects, running to 31 March 2027. Check eligibility on the Made Smarter website.
We're a firm of three. Can you help?+
Our managed plans start at 5 users. For smaller firms we offer the full 108-check Microsoft 365 audit and one-off projects at a fixed, written quote.
What if we already have an IT provider?+
You can still have the free audit as an independent second opinion. If you decide to move, our switching guide explains how the handover works.
Find out where your firm stands before a customer asks.
Free for 5 or more Microsoft 365 users. You keep the written report.