Stephen George + Partners: Powering Innovation with X as a Service

The main reason Stephen George + Partners (SGP) chose Creative ITC was the need to fix a fragmented IT estate, backed by a partner with genuine AEC expertise and a collaborative way of working. For some time, SGP had struggled to execute its virtualization strategy with its previous supplier. The practice ended up half in and half out: some systems on-premise, some in the cloud, some owned, some not. That created a complicated, fragmented picture to manage and strategize around. For a small IT team supporting a growing practice across five offices, maintaining that estate and delivering what users needed day to day was a constant challenge. The systems were unstable, specialized configuration and maintenance fell to internal staff, and unresolved issues led to performance problems and user dissatisfaction. At times the team found itself in no man's land between providers while users worked to tight client deadlines. What set Creative ITC apart was the combination of deep sector knowledge and partnership. Architecture is a uniquely demanding industry, running heavy visualization and BIM workloads, so SGP needed a partner that understood not just the technology but how it applies to AEC. Creative ITC explored how the practice actually worked, shaped a strategy and solution around the business, and committed to an ongoing relationship rather than a one-off transaction. As SGP's managing partner put it: Relationships are everything when a provider runs your mission-critical infrastructure.

Fragmented "half in, half out" estate: some systems on-premise, some in the cloud, some owned, some not, complex to manage and strategize around. Unexecuted virtualization strategy with the previous supplier, leaving the practice stuck mid-transition. Small IT team stretched thin maintaining the estate and supporting users across five offices day to day. System instability: virtual desktops that crashed and were slow to open large models. Under-specified desktops: technical staff on 3 vCPU profiles that were pushed too hard. Specialized configuration and maintenance falling to internal IT, who struggled to resolve issues in a complex virtualized environment. Long-standing unresolved issues that drove user dissatisfaction, with the team often caught in no man's land between providers. Inconsistent software versions across users, a growing risk as BIM moved to data-driven delivery where version mismatches affect output. High management burden of 100 to 120 individual physical workstations, with constant updates and security patching. IT stuck in reactive, firefighting mode rather than proactive strategic work. Security exposure from managing infrastructure on-site.

Before Creative ITC, SGP ran a fragmented, half in and half out estate. Some systems sat on-premise and some in the cloud, some kit was owned and some was not, and staff were split between local hardware and virtual machines. The practice had a virtualization strategy but had struggled to fully execute it with its previous supplier. The existing virtual desktops were under-specified, with technical staff on 3 vCPU profiles that were pushed too hard. They were unstable, crashed, and were slow to open large models. Because SGP owned some of the kit, specialized configuration and maintenance fell to a small internal IT team, which led to long-standing issues, inconsistent software versions, and user dissatisfaction. Historically the practice had also managed 100 to 120 individual physical workstations, a significant update and security burden.

Moving to Creative ITC delivered measurable gains across performance, cost, and productivity for Stephen George + Partners (SGP). The migration itself was completed without a single critical incident, giving the design and administration teams 100% uptime through a wholesale change of infrastructure. That continuity protected billable project delivery at a point where many practices would expect disruption. The clearest efficiency came from right-sizing. A proof-of-concept analysis showed SGP's technical staff had been running on under-powered 3 vCPU desktop profiles that were pushed too hard, crashing and taking a long time to open large models. Creative ITC moved technical users to 12 vCPU profiles, and a post-implementation customer satisfaction process recorded significant performance and productivity gains as a result. Consolidating five offices onto a single cloud estate removed a major management burden. Every user now runs the same spec and the same software version, which cuts maintenance overhead and removes the version-mismatch risk that affects BIM data delivery. The IT team has shifted from reactive firefighting to proactive, strategic work, freeing internal time and headspace. As SGP summarized it, the outcome was a win on both fronts: higher performing, more resilient desktops with fewer issues and less downtime, secured for considerably less cost year on year (~25%) than before. It was the rare case of better service and lower spend at the same time.

"There's a huge difference between an ordinary IT provider and a true partner. Creative ITC has the expertise, not just in the technology, but how it's applied to the AEC industry. Having that partner helps us look to the future, where we want to take our business and how our infrastructure is going to need to adapt, giving us the confidence to achieve our objectives." James Blood, Digital Director, Stephen George + Partners

https://www.creative-itc.com/case-study/stephen-george-partners-llsp/