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Supporting your journey

Contents 1 Introduction from our CEO 2 About Acora 4 Mergers & Acquisitions 5 Case Study 1 6 New Executive 8 Figuratively Speaking 10 New Service Partner 11 Case Study 2 12 IT Transformation 13 Case Study 3 14 Our Services 16 Accreditations & Partnerships

Mid-market organisations are driven by specific targets. More often than not they are under a certain time pressure to achieve their corporate goals. Scaling IT and leveraging technology improves the speed of execution. This is where Acora helps its clients. We have seen complex transformational projects that might normally take 18 months to two years using an internal team, take nine months to a year by leveraging our services to provide scale, experience and know-how to support those teams.

One of the biggest balances from a boardroom perspective is being able to outsource without losing control. An important point to consider when choosing an IT partner is the cultural fit between the client’s organisation and their other service providers.

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Introduction from our CEO Reduce your journey time: outsource with full control

The three things that mid-market organisations generally want from an IT outsourcing provider are agility, maturity and value. This combination can sometimes be hard to achieve with a larger provider servicing mid-market organisations. They have one way of doing things – a set of rigid processes that they adhere to, which does not necessarily work in smaller, more dynamic organisations.

Our strategy as a world-class provider of outsourced IT services to the mid-market is to remain flexible. We allow our clients to dictate the level of service they require from us at each and every stage of their journey. In turn, we deliver the desired outcomes for their organisations and ultimately help them reach their destination quicker.

Welcome to a different way of delivering IT service. Welcome to Acora.

Acora’s vision is to be a world-class IT outsourcing business that delights customers through its service desk and professional services teams. Our experience of working with mid-market organisations has empowered us to shape our offering to support them on their journey.

David Rabson CEO, Acora

We believe in creating a service that stands up to be measured against our clients’ objectives. Wherever our clients are on their strategic journey, we will meet them there – with expertise, professionalism, and a belief that we can always do it better.

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About Acora Serving the dynamic mid-market

We offer a range and depth of skills, which is unique for an organisation of our size. It is our objective to provide insight, experience and proven methodologies across the organisation, from the boardroom via the data centre to the desk top.

Who we work withAcora’s clients are dynamic organisations in industries characterised by rapid change and strong growth potential. We work collaboratively with business and IT operations alike

to enable agility and innovation without losing focus on efficiency and operational reliability. Our long-standing record of success with clients in this market gives us unique insight into the needs of mid-market organisations with a strong growth agenda; and Acora enjoys long-term relationships with these organisations, built on trust and results. They rely on us to understand what their organisation needs and to deliver within budget, security, and compliance parameters, so they can maintain focus on their wider business goals.

Acora is a UK-based IT services provider that enables dynamic mid-market organisations to compete and win in the digital economy. Acora’s skills, resources and experience help them to drive optimal returns from their technology investments, and secure maximum strategic value in the long term.

200Clients with national and global reach

FY2009 FY2010 FY2011 FY2012 FY2013 FY2014 FY2015

195 employees

25+Year pedigree

West Midlands

West Sussex

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Client locations worldwide

UK regional offices and client locations

How we workOur primary focus is IT managed services, which we deliver through multi-year contracts. To support this we also offer specialist advisory and applications services, either as complimentary offerings to clients under an outsourcing agreement, or as an initial engagement to new clients.

Our approachOrganisations in the mid-market will be at different maturity levels which will determine the managed service approach adopted by Acora. Our low-risk, high-value IT solutions enable each of our clients to run an efficient and innovative IT operation that scales and flexes quickly, without taking on the capital or headcount that such an operation would normally require.

I have no worries about our IT whatsoever because Acora is accountable for everything and is a one stop shop for all our IT needs. Acora is just like another department within our business and whenever the need does arise for IT advice or assistance then I can simply call the Acora helpdesk and be confident that it will be addressed immediately. Ian Cowie – Managing Director, Scorpio

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Mergers & Acquisitions Investment for growth

ChallengesDuring M&A activity, IT is critical to the overall success of the transaction and IT capabilities have become an increasingly significant factor in the external assessment of enterprise valuation. Organisations looking to increase enterprise value must consider IT as a strategic enabler rather than a business utility. Without a strategic IT roadmap in place, the likelihood of a smooth transition is reduced and a lack of proper IT due diligence can often lead to deal erosion.

How Acora can helpAcora has helped a number of growing mid-market organisations successfully navigate their way through the whole M&A process and at the same time ensure they deliver shareholder value.

Develop an IT strategy Acora’s advisory team has been called in by both external consultancies and business leaders to carry out comprehensive audits of IT estate.

Whether you are an established mid-market organisation or one that is aspiring to grow into the mid-market space, an M&A deal can facilitate ambitious goals of accelerating business growth and driving operational efficiency.

We assist in rapidly developing an IT strategy and formulate “the one hundred day plan” which supports their business objectives and is measurable in terms of net contribution to shareholder value.

Design and/or integrate new systems to support growthWe carry out comprehensive audits of the IT estate in order to assess the value of existing systems/applications and plan where savings can be made. We can design and build a robust and scalable infrastructure solution and manage the process of integrating technology and application platforms following an acquisition.

Extend IT capabilitiesAfter M&A, IT capabilities may need to scale to support the new business model, with new teams, new offices and new service requirements all needing IT support. Existing delivery and support models may undergo rapid change so a managed service partner can play an essential role in supplementing an existing team, or providing a new IT function.

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In 2006 Acora engaged with Marlin Financial Group, a private equity backed organisation, and one of the UK’s premier financial services companies specialising in the collection and management of group-owned and contingency accounts.

Acora service delivery• An initial transition and

migration of all users and data from a legacy on-site infrastructure solution to a fully hosted infrastructure

• Provision of hosted data centre facilities and WAN connectivity from each Marlin office location

• 24/7/365 monitoring, management and support of all infrastructure and users via the centralised Acora service desk team, supplemented by on-site support personnel

• Management and support of IT disaster recovery, including the management of data replication, and scheduled disaster recovery tests

Acora’s expertise and experience has been pivotal in helping us to deliver the biggest programme of IT change we have ever undertaken. They provide us with a clear vision of the future and a delivery roadmap that all the business stakeholders could understand and buy in to. Technology is now viewed by the business as one of our major assets. Martin Dunphy – Chairman, Marlin Financial Group

• Transformation of Marlin’s core case management system and in-house automated dialling system, resulting in an ROI of 450% in year one

OutcomesNot only did Marlin’s operational efficiency improve, but the company’s IT systems had genuine scalability, which in turn unlocked their latent growth potential. In addition, Marlin’s IT application environment was transformed from hindering its growth into a business asset of significant value, leaving the company in a position of real strength for the coming years.

More recently, Marlin was acquired by Cabot Financial Services and to assist with the transaction, they approached Acora to integrate the existing Marlin outsourced service into Cabot, providing support to over 1,200 users across four UK locations.

Users supported

450%ROI in year one

140Service tickets processed per month

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New Executive Supporting the Executive Team through change

• identify and explain any costs or inhibitors that may impact growth, stability and continuity of the organisation

• develop service and/or technology recommendations that will mitigate any issues, risks or costs that exist within the organisation

Product selection and governanceAcora can evaluate and select new application products on behalf of a client and if required, manage the design, implementation, testing and migration of the new product into the client’s organisation.

Managed ServicesAcora can develop and integrate components from its managed services portfolio into a client’s existing operating model to mitigate risks, or provide additional capacity or scale for the organisation.

ChallengesFor new executives responsible for IT, the “100 day plan” may include either an assessment of the organisation’s IT services, applications and operating model or the management of a significant IT transformation programme. In many cases, the existing teams or suppliers may not have the capacity or experience to support these initiatives.

How Acora can helpAcora has worked with a number of new executives to support both assessment and IT change activities, either through independent consultancy engagements or as part of an ongoing service arrangement.

IT evaluation Acora’s Advisory and Professional Services consultants can:• review the scalability of an

organisation’s IT applications, IT processes, IT support model and infrastructure and assess its ability to meet business objectives in relation to top-line growth and strategies

As CEOs, CFOs and COOs become more immersed in technology decisions, the alignment of business objectives means that choosing the right IT partner can have a deep and broad impact on an organisation’s growth targets.

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Financial Services Large group

Distribution/ Manufacturing

Large group

Financial Services Listed/investor backed

Retail Listed/investor backed

Real Estate Large group

Oil and GasLarge group

Other Listed/ investor backed

Acora’s clients are innovative, change-oriented organisations which have ambition, drive, and significant growth plans.

They rely on us to understand what their organisations need and to deliver within budget, security and compliance parameters, so that they can maintain focus on their wider business goals.

Figuratively Speaking

25+Year pedigree

Delivering the highest standards of service, based on our significant experience and involvement from the board room via the data centre to the desk top

90%Contract renewal rate

Investing in our tools and in our people to deliver a scalable and replicable world-class service

24/72 UK-based operation centresrunning 24/7/365

Enabling our customers to work effectively wherever, whenever and however they need to

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20161989

10kService tickets processed per month

With focus on speed of response, resolution quality, and overall client satisfaction

100+Service desk professionals

Delighting our clients with consistent and high performance SLAs

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7k+Users supported globally

Across a variety of industries including manufacturing, financial services, retail and distribution

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New Service Partner Providing scale, expertise and service maturity

ChallengesThrough an initial outsource arrangement, an organisation will typically adapt its business model to integrate with a service provider in order to drive cost reduction, to mitigate risk or free up in-house staff. However, as the organisation grows other factors such as improving service quality, increasing service maturity and delivering innovation become more important drivers than simple cost reduction.

Established for the mid-marketWe have significant experience transitioning organisations to an outsourced model. However, some of our most successful partnerships are with clients who have outgrown their initial provider and have sought a more mature provider to enable them to further their journey.

Our set of managed services has been specifically designed to enable organisations to outsource as much or as little of their IT provision as they need to.

For many years, organisations have leveraged service providers to drive operational efficiencies or to plug gaps in skills and resource. However, recently a new wave of “as-a-service” offerings have entered the marketplace. As a result, organisations are now willing to evaluate and work with new service partners in order to drive competitive advantage.

Service DeskOur UK-based 24/7/365 service desk function delivers highly skilled technicians for resolution of both end user and infrastructure issues. We typically work with, or extend, our clients’ current IT capabilities, enabling them to meet the growing demands of their business on IT.

Service Management To supplement our service desk function, Acora Service Management provides a set of ITIL aligned service components that extend the scope of our service to our clients.

Infrastructure ManagementIn addition to our core service desk, we provide our clients with a range of infrastructure management services to proactively manage, monitor and support part or all of their IT infrastructure to help prevent downtime.

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Our years of experience have taught us that mid-market organisations don’t want to be dictated to – they still want to manage aspects of their business IT themselves. They want a partnership with both parties bonding at every level and a firm focus on peer-to-peer relationships. Our strategy as an outsourcing provider is to remain flexible, develop an expertise in the client’s market and support the client through change. Paul Faulkner – COO, Acora

Case Study 2

Retirement Advantage (formerly known as MGM) specialises in award-winning retirement products which can help people make the most of their retirement savings and/or the value in their property.

ChallengesIn 2003, a fairly catastrophic failure of the company’s exchange infrastructure that was not resolved by its incumbent service provider, prompted MGM to call in Acora to get the business back up and running quickly, which we did within 48 hours.

Consequently MGM decided to move away from its incumbent and asked Acora to invest in and develop a very secure managed backup service under a strict NDA. After overcoming some initial challenges the solution was fully operational within 12 months.

Long-term partnership13 years on, Retirement Advantage is now in the second incarnation of its service agreement with Acora.

As a relatively small organisation, the IT department enjoys the benefits, when needed, of Acora’s broader skill set and mature ITIL service standards.

Acora services included:• managed data backup service• business continuity testing

and recovery• IT service maturity audit• third line service desk

support for: – server infrastructure – storage infrastructure – network security

infrastructure – internet and WAN

connectivity

Years partnership

100Cases per month

180Users across 2 locations

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IT Transformation Supporting organisations in the digital age

ChallengesFaced with rising stakeholder expectations, flat or declining IT budgets, and the continual emergence of new technologies, IT has a hard task identifying which applications and data are the most critical. Therefore, developing an IT platform that supports the organisation in a cost-effective manner is crucial.

The significant growth in “as-a-service” offerings, including software, platform and infrastructure means that navigating the marketplace to find the right solution for the organisation can be difficult. In addition, with the rise of the “millennial” generation comes the need for organisations to provide an “always-on” platform, which delivers a modern “app store” experience for users.

Organisations in the mid-market are required to keep pace with technology and innovation in order to maintain competitive advantage.

Changes in infrastructure, people, ERP, storage and virtualisation bring a requirement for deeper and more up-to-date knowledge and understanding of new systems and processes that are driving new business.

How Acora can helpAcora has successfully completed a significant number of transformation activities on behalf of its clients. This involves the evaluation, selection and implementation of new software, hardware and cloud technologies and the migration of users, systems, applications and data into new platforms.

Acora’s portfolio of technology products and services has been developed with the specific intention of meeting the needs of dynamic, mid-market organisations. We recognise there isn’t a “one size fits all” approach to technology solutions and we’ve ensured that our technology solutions can be tailored to meet the specific needs of our clients.

Our robust technology adoption and vendor management process ensures that appropriate service levels, legal safeguards, commercial models and product roadmaps are market ready and mature enough to sustain our clients’ organisations.

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Alpha Trains has been Europe’s largest and most diversified specialist train leasing company for more than ten years, providing in excess of 2.1 billion EUROs in new-build rolling stock to both public and private operators in a dozen countries across continental Europe. With offices in Luxembourg, Cologne and Antwerp it manages a fleet of approximately 400 locomotives and 300 passenger trains.

ChallengesIn 2008, the Royal Bank of Scotland Group sold Angel Trains (now Alpha Trains). With plans to expand into Europe, the company needed a strategic assessment of its IT architecture, operating model and in-house IT service quickly. Acora was selected to lead the business separation project and this was successfully planned and achieved within 12 weeks.

Acora instils trust, the services they deliver are appropriate for our needs. They have been able to flex around the changing needs of our business and allow us to focus on our core business objectives without having to worry about the provision of IT services. Their service is backed by high quality reporting which tracks service levels, improvements and key focus areas, project status and IT capacity.Shaun Mills – CEO, Alpha Trains

Strategic partnerAcora has been proudly supporting and safeguarding Alpha’s impressive business success for the last six years, delivering its entire IT operation.

Highlights• Strategic assessment of Alpha

Train’s IT services post sale • 24/7 service desk support,

service management and continued IT strategy guidance

• Migration of three European offices onto a new MPLS network

• Integration of all offices onto an IP telephony platform

Users supported in the UK and Europe

3European offices migrated to new network

12Weeks project completion

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As a leading Microsoft Dynamics partner, Acora’s Business Applications team has many years of experience implementing ERP solutions. Comprising a 40-strong NAV team of consultants, developers, support staff, account directors and project managers, the team is also one of the largest in the country.

Advisory Services Our advisory services range from an initial high-level assessment with the Executive Team, through to the implementation of key change programmes. Our experienced, commercially focused consultants work with our clients to understand their business at a practical and operational level, and develop strategies aligned to specific business needs.

Managed Services Acora’s portfolio of managed services is designed to meet our clients’ expectations in a number of key areas. This includes financial savings, service quality improvements or skills coverage which enables them to make the best use of technology within their organisation at a cost-effective price point.

We can undertake a full outsource of our clients’ IT, or work in a co-source capacity alongside their existing teams. This ensures their organisation receives a highly-integrated, efficient IT service.

Business Applications Acora’s consultants can provide expertise and advice in key areas of application landscape. This enables our clients to increase profits through cost reduction or through improving the supply chain process.

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Our Services Services built for your business

Whilst the primary focus of Acora is managed IT services, we also offer specialist advisory and applications services, either as complimentary offerings to clients under an outsourcing agreement, or as an initial engagement to new clients.

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Data management

Microsoft ERP

Collaboration

Business intelligenceBusiness Applications

Service maturity audit

VCIO infrastructure

Application strategy

Service lines Outcomes

board room IT strategyIT aligned to business objectivesassessment of IT capability implementation of key change programmes

acoraSELECT

acoraDESK

acoraNIGHT

acoraMANAGEManaged Services

high quality, predictable service levelsstrategic directionstrong integration with existing teams operational excellence through service maturity and best practice

integrated systems improved collaborationgreater scale & efficiencymature management information system

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Accreditations & Partnerships Ingrained with best practice standards

Our accreditations demonstrate our commitment to quality and continual improvement. These accreditations mean that we can provide “big business” best practice, security and total peace of mind for our clients.

ISO standards achieved• ISO 20000-1:2011 –

demonstrating an integrated approach to delivering managed services

• ISO 27001:2013 – the international best practice for an Information security management system

• ISO 9001:2008 – acknowledging an internationally recognised quality management system

British standard achieved• ISO22301:2012 – international

standard for business continuity management (BCM)

We are delighted that Acora has achieved certification to these four internationally recognised, management system standards. This is a clear sign of the organisation’s commitment to continual improvement.Don Stanley – Head of Assessment and Training at LRQA

If you would like to talk to us about any of our services, you can contact us via phone, email or through our website. Our team will be happy to help.

0844 264 2222 sales@acora.comwww.acora.com

© Copyright 2016 Acora. All rights reserved.

Head Office

AcoraAcora HouseAlbert DriveBurgess HillWest SussexRH15 9TN

Telephone0844 264 2222

International Callers+44 1444 221123

Email sales@acora.com

West Midlands

AcoraPegasus House1 Cranbrook WayShirleySolihullB90 4GT

0844 264 2222 sales@acora.comwww.acora.com

Acora is a UK-based IT services provider that enables dynamic mid-market organisations to compete and win in the digital economy.