IT Support for Logistics and DistributionIT support for logistics firms, where the trucks leave whether the systems are ready or not.
In logistics, IT failures show up as missed collections. If the warehouse system will not print labels, the scanners drop off the Wi-Fi or an EDI feed stops, goods do not move and customers notice by mid-morning. We run the IT for hauliers, couriers, third-party logistics providers and warehouses: WMS and transport systems kept patched and backed up, scanners and printers that stay connected, driver phones managed, and the payment fraud that targets busy transport offices made harder.
Who this is for
Small and medium-sized hauliers, couriers, 3PL operators and warehousing businesses, with a transport office, one or more depots and drivers on the road, running a WMS or TMS, telematics and tachograph software, and customer EDI or portal integrations. Wholesale distributors share many of these needs and have their own page.
The warehouse floor: Wi-Fi, scanners and label printers
Handheld scanners, truck-mounted terminals and label printers are the least glamorous part of a warehouse and the first thing to stop it. Most problems come down to Wi-Fi that was designed for an office: access points in the wrong places, high racking and metal blocking the signal, and scanners that hold on to a distant access point instead of moving to a nearer one. We survey and design warehouse Wi-Fi for the devices that actually use it, put scanners and printers on their own network, and keep printer drivers and label templates under control so a Windows update does not break the despatch bench.
We support systems such as warehouse management, transport management and ERP platforms used in logistics, on premises and in the cloud: servers, databases, client installs, printing and secure remote access. Configuration of the WMS itself stays with your vendor, and we work with them when a problem crosses the line.
EDI, customer portals and systems that cannot be down
Orders and despatch confirmations often arrive and leave by EDI or customer portals, through connectors on a server or a cloud service. We monitor the servers and services those links depend on, keep certificates and credentials renewed before they expire, and make sure the configuration is backed up and documented so a failed server is a restore rather than a rebuild from memory.
Ransomware hits logistics firms hard because the business stops the moment the systems do. The defences are ordinary but have to be done properly: MFA everywhere, patched servers, admin rights removed from everyday accounts, office and warehouse networks separated, and backups kept outside the main systems with restores tested. Where you hold food, packaging or consumer goods to BRCGS Storage and Distribution or customer requirements for traceability, dependable systems and tested backups are what let you produce stock and movement records when they are asked for.
Source: BRCGS Storage and Distribution
Drivers, telematics and the transport office
Driver phones and in-cab tablets carry delivery apps, proof of delivery photos, email and sometimes customer data. Every one is enrolled in Intune: locked to the apps drivers need, encrypted, kept updated and wipeable when a device is lost or a driver leaves. Telematics and tachograph download software runs on transport office PCs that we keep patched and backed up, so the data your compliance depends on is not on one unprotected desktop.
Transport offices start early and run late. The helpdesk works Monday to Thursday 08:45 to 17:00 and Friday 08:45 to 16:00, and our RMM monitoring and patching runs 24/7 with alerts raised to the helpdesk. We do not pretend the helpdesk covers a 5am start. If your operation needs an engineer on call outside office hours, that is an optional extra rather than part of the standard price; speak to the team and we will cost it with you. Out-of-hours security monitoring is available through the optional 24/7 Barracuda SOC.
Payment fraud, haulier to haulier
Logistics runs on subcontracted loads, fuel cards, supplier invoices and customer remittances, much of it agreed by email in a hurry. Criminals take over a supplier's or customer's mailbox and send changed bank details, or impersonate a director asking for an urgent payment. Microsoft 365 Business Premium has the controls to make that much harder: MFA, Conditional Access, impersonation protection and alerts on forwarding rules, and Google Workspace has its own equivalents. We switch them on and check them, and help you set a simple rule that bank detail changes are confirmed by phone to a number already on file.
Larger customers also send cyber security questionnaires and increasingly ask for Cyber Essentials before awarding contracts. We hold Cyber Essentials ourselves and take logistics firms through it as a fixed project, then keep the evidence current.
Source: Cyber Essentials (NCSC), Small Business Guide (NCSC)
On Google Workspace? We support that too
Plenty of transport offices run on Gmail and Google Drive rather than Microsoft 365, and we support both. We give honest advice on which fits and do not ask anyone to move. For a Google Workspace business we enforce 2-Step Verification on every account, with security keys or passkeys for admins, set Gmail's phishing, spoofing and malware protection along with SPF, DKIM and DMARC, alert on suspicious sign-ins and on mail forwarded outside the business, control external sharing on Drive and shared drives, and restrict which third-party apps can connect to your accounts.
Driver phones, in-cab tablets and depot PCs are managed through Google endpoint management or Intune on a standalone licence, so a lost device can still be wiped. Gmail, Drive, Calendar and Contacts are backed up outside Google and kept for seven years in the UK, as a separate per user service. Warehouse Wi-Fi, WMS and EDI support and Cyber Essentials work exactly the same on either platform.
What is included
Helpdesk and monitoring
Unlimited support answered by an engineer, Monday to Thursday 08:45 to 17:00 and Friday 08:45 to 16:00. Every device and server monitored and patched 24/7 by our RMM tooling, with alerts raised to the helpdesk.
Warehouse network
Wi-Fi designed for scanners and terminals, separate networks for warehouse devices, office and guests, and label printers kept working through updates.
Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace secured against payment fraud
On Microsoft 365, Business Premium with MFA for everyone, Conditional Access, Defender for Office 365 tuned for supplier and director impersonation, and mailbox forwarding rules monitored. On Google Workspace, 2-Step Verification enforced, Gmail phishing and spoofing protection set and alerts on suspicious sign-ins and forwarding.
Driver and depot devices managed
Phones, in-cab tablets and shared depot PCs enrolled in Intune or Google endpoint management, encrypted, locked to the apps they need and wipeable.
WMS, TMS and EDI
Servers, databases, client installs and integration links kept patched, monitored and documented; certificates renewed before they expire.
Backup, tested
Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, server, WMS and telematics data backed up outside the vendor, kept in the UK, restores tested every quarter with the result shown to you. Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace backup is a separate service, priced per user per month on top of support.
Joiners, leavers and evidence
Drivers and warehouse staff set up before day one and closed down the day they leave, and Cyber Essentials evidence kept ready for customer questionnaires.
What is not included, and why
- WMS, TMS, telematics and tachograph software licences. You buy those from the vendor; we make sure they run and are protected.
- Scanner, printer and in-cab hardware repairs under the manufacturer's warranty. We log the fault and handle the swap; the repair is the manufacturer's.
- On-call engineering outside office hours and the 24/7 Barracuda SOC are optional extras, priced separately.
What it costs
Managed IT support for logistics firms is priced per user per month, with security monitoring and device management included, so it moves with your headcount. Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace backup is a separate service, also priced per user per month. Licences are extra at Microsoft's or Google's price: Microsoft 365 Business Premium is £16.90 per user per month at Microsoft's UK price. Onboarding, warehouse Wi-Fi surveys, server or WMS migration work and Cyber Essentials certification are quoted as fixed projects. We quote after a short discovery call, once we know your setup.
How it starts
- 1Free IT Health CheckA short online check that benchmarks your security and business risk and tells you where you stand.
- 2Discovery callAn engineer, not a salesperson. What you have, what is broken, what it would cost to fix, in writing.
- 3OnboardingEverything moves across on a plan, with no gap in cover and nothing lost.
Questions people ask before signing
Our scanners keep dropping off the Wi-Fi. Can you fix it?
Usually. It is most often access point placement, racking blocking the signal or scanners that will not roam to a nearer access point. We survey the building with the devices you use, then redesign or adjust the network. Where new access points are needed, that is quoted as a project.
Do you support our WMS or TMS?
We support the servers, databases, client installs, printing and remote access those systems rely on, on premises or in the cloud. Configuration of the WMS or TMS itself stays with your vendor, and we work with them when a problem crosses the line.
Our transport office opens at 5am. Is the helpdesk open then?
No. The helpdesk works Monday to Thursday 08:45 to 17:00 and Friday 08:45 to 16:00, and monitoring and patching run 24/7 with alerts raised to the helpdesk. On-call engineering outside office hours is an optional extra, not in the standard price, so if early starts need cover, speak to the team and we will cost it with you.
Can you manage drivers' phones?
Yes. Company phones and in-cab tablets are enrolled in Intune, limited to the apps drivers need, encrypted and kept updated. If a phone is lost or a driver leaves, it is wiped remotely. Personal phones can be managed at app level so company data stays separate.
How do we protect ourselves against ransomware?
MFA on every account, servers and devices patched, admin rights removed from everyday accounts, warehouse and office networks separated, and backups held outside your main systems with restores tested. The optional 24/7 Barracuda SOC adds out-of-hours security monitoring, and Barracuda can contact you about high-criticality incidents if you choose.
We are audited to BRCGS Storage and Distribution. Can you help?
We do not run your BRCGS compliance, but we keep the systems that hold your stock and movement records dependable and backed up, and document backup testing and access control so you can show them to an auditor.
We run on Google Workspace. Can you still help?
Yes. We support Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 and will not push you to switch. We enforce 2-Step Verification, set Gmail protection against spoofing and impersonation, alert on forwarding, manage driver and depot devices and back up Gmail and Drive outside Google. The warehouse, WMS and Cyber Essentials work is the same either way.
How much does IT support cost for a logistics firm?
Managed support is priced per user per month with security included, so it moves with your headcount. What changes the figure is the number of users and devices, any servers, the security options you choose and any specialist software. Backup is a separate per user service, Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace licences are at Microsoft's or Google's price, and projects such as onboarding are quoted as fixed pieces of work. We quote after a short discovery call, once we know your setup.