John Ellerman Foundation

Empowering Strategic IT Management and Cyber Resilience with ramsac

The John Ellerman Foundation is an independent endowed grant maker with an aim to advance the wellbeing of people, society, and the natural world. With a small but mission-driven team, the Foundation relies on effective and secure IT systems to support its day-to-day and strategic operations.

Strengthening the partnership

ramsac’s totalIT service provides comprehensive outsourced IT support, combining technical maintenance with strategic guidance and proactive monitoring. For the Foundation, this meant gaining expert input without needing an in-house team.

When Mark Hart, Finance and Operations Manager at the Foundation, became the main IT contact, he appreciated how monthly check-ins brought structure and visibility:

“Jack took over the role and implemented monthly check‑ins which certainly improved the relationship we had with ramsac. Rather than just seeing ramsac as someone to sort IT issues, we could now see the relationship more as building, advising, and supporting our IT going forward.”

These meetings evolved into regular opportunities to review updates, plan improvements and shape the Foundation’s technology direction:

“We now recognise more of what we need to do here and what we can do in the future (like AI).”

Enabling IT planning and budgeting

Structured roadmap sessions play a vital role in linking IT initiatives with broader organisational objectives. These meetings allow for transparent discussions around upcoming technology changes, future capabilities, and budget planning, ensuring IT investments are aligned with leadership priorities and long-term strategy. Mark emphasised how valuable these sessions have been in enabling broader planning:

“Discussing the roadmap gives us a plan and allows me the time to discuss with the director and trustees what the future holds and allows us to budget accordingly.”

These sessions have built shared understanding across the organisation and ensured IT decisions are informed, deliberate, and well‑communicated.

Boosting cybersecurity posture

Cybersecurity is deeply embedded in ramsac’s managed services offering. From secure+ monitoring and regular patching to risk identification and staff training, ramsac helps clients adopt a layered approach to security that adapts to evolving threats.

Cybersecurity has been a major focus of the partnership. ramsac has helped the Foundation implement key safeguards including cloud backups, KnowBe4 training, and CRC certification.

“Without support from ramsac we would never have implemented cyber training and taken out the respective insurance. I had to explain to the Trustees what it was and why we needed it, without Jack we would still be talking about it.”

One tool used was CRC (Cyber Resilience Certification) ramsac’s internal framework for assessing and improving cybersecurity maturity. It identifies vulnerabilities, benchmarks risk, and recommends clear actions to strengthen resilience.

Mark also reflected on the role of awareness in cyber defence:

“Some things may seem obvious or silly, but unfortunately it’s that complacency that leads to issues.”

Daily support, peace of mind

Behind the scenes, ramsac’s technical teams use remote tools and monitoring platforms to maintain IT health, resolve issues quickly, and implement updates with minimal disruption. This ensures that the Foundation’s IT systems stay secure, up to date, and fully aligned with best practices.

Reliable day-to-day support has been a cornerstone of the partnership. ramsac’s helpdesk and technical teams provide responsive assistance and rapid resolution of issues, ensuring minimal disruption to the Foundation’s operations. Reflecting on the team’s experience with ongoing support, Mark noted:

“As far as I’m aware, it’s all good with my colleagues in their dealings with ramsac. Rarely do they say anything—so I take no news as good news!”

A trusted relationship

Summing up the value of the partnership, Mark shared:

“Yes, I would recommend. Having the regular monthly meetings has ensured we have built up a good relationship and I know any issues raised will be dealt with. We are a small organisation, but we rely on ramsac for support and help when needed—and advice when required. Hopefully, this relationship will continue.”

This strong foundation ensures that as technology evolves, the Foundation remains supported, secure, and future-ready.