Every Northstar engagement is led by Carl Spencer personally. No junior consultants, no standardised frameworks, no vendor agenda. Simply experienced, independent advisory that tells you honestly where you stand and what proportionate action looks like.
Independent, ongoing IT and cyber leadership without the cost of a full-time hire.
Most UK SMEs have reached a point where IT governance, cyber risk and supplier management have become too significant to handle informally, but where a full-time IT Director at £80,000 to £120,000 per year is not commercially justified.
The Fractional IT & Cyber Director service gives you senior, independent IT oversight on a retained basis. Carl attends relevant leadership and board meetings, manages the MSP relationship on your behalf, provides regular reporting on IT and cyber risk in terms the board can act on, and advises on technology decisions as a trusted member of the leadership team.
The result is board-level IT and cyber leadership that is genuinely independent, with no commercial relationship with any supplier, at a fraction of the cost of a full-time hire.
Enquire about this service →An independent assessment of where your business actually stands, delivered in plain English, without vendor spin.
Many businesses are not ready for a retained engagement but need an honest, independent view of their current IT and cyber position. The Board-Level IT & Cyber Risk Review provides exactly that.
Carl conducts a structured assessment of your IT governance, cyber risk posture, supplier and third-party risk, business continuity readiness, data protection practices and commercial IT exposure. The output is a clear, prioritised report, written for a business leader, not a technical audience, that tells you where your most significant risks are, what the commercial implications are, and what proportionate action looks like.
This is not a penetration test or a technical audit. It is the commercial and governance assessment that tells a board what they actually need to know about their IT and cyber position.
Enquire about this service →Vendor-neutral AI guidance, without the hype, without the vendor bias and without unnecessary complexity.
The pressure on SME leaders to engage with AI is real. Clients are asking about it. Competitors are claiming it. Staff are already using it. And every software vendor has added AI to their product with a commercial interest in a particular answer.
Northstar's AI advisory is independent of every platform and vendor. Carl provides a commercially grounded assessment of where AI can genuinely help your business, what the realistic return on investment looks like, what the data protection and governance implications are, and what sensible adoption looks like for a business of your size and type.
This includes independent assessment of Microsoft Copilot, the most widely marketed AI product in the UK business market, giving you an honest view of whether it is right for your specific environment before you commit to the licensing cost.
Read more about AI advisory →Every engagement is scoped clearly before work begins. You know what you are buying, what it will cost, and what the minimum commitment is. All fees are exclusive of VAT. Minimum engagement: three months.
For existing clients requiring an additional day for project work, board presentations or specific advisory. Subject to availability.
One day per week billed monthly in advance.
Two days per month on a retainer basis.
The most common engagement level for a growing SME.
How this compares to a full-time hire. A permanent IT Director costs far more than the salary alone. Employer NI, pension, benefits, and recruitment fees bring the year-one total to £138,000 or more. Northstar delivers the same strategic oversight at a fraction of that investment, with zero vendor bias and no overhead beyond the minimum commitment. Start a conversation to discuss the right option for your business →
There is no lengthy procurement process and no obligation. Most engagements begin with a single conversation and move quickly from there.
A straightforward call to understand your situation, what you are trying to achieve and whether Northstar is the right fit. No sales process. Carl will tell you honestly if there is a better route for your business.
If there is a clear fit, Carl will outline a proposed approach — the right service, the right scope, and a fixed fee. No ambiguity about what you are buying or what it will cost.
Work starts promptly. For a Risk Review, Carl will schedule the assessment sessions and deliver the report within an agreed timeframe. For a retained engagement, Carl is introduced to your leadership team and the rhythm of the relationship is established.
Most clients who start with a one-off Risk Review continue with a retained engagement. Either way, the relationship is direct, personal and built around what your business actually needs — not a standardised service model.
The people best placed to give honest IT advice to an SME are rarely the people with a commercial interest in a particular answer. Here is what genuine independence means in practice.
Northstar has no commercial relationship with any IT supplier, platform provider or software vendor. No referral fees, no reseller margins, no commission. The advice reflects what is right for your business, not what generates revenue for Northstar.
Your MSP cannot give you independent advice about your MSP. A vendor cannot give you independent advice about their product. Northstar can, because we sit above those relationships and represent your interests exclusively.
Carl leads every engagement personally. The experience level that you engage at the start of a relationship is the experience level that delivers your advice, attends your meetings and signs off your recommendations.
Start with a no-obligation conversation. Carl will give you an honest view of whether Northstar can help and which approach makes most sense for your business.
Geographic coverage
London
Independent, senior IT leadership for growing London businesses without the overhead of a full-time hire.
London services →Kent
Based in Kent, Northstar works with SMEs across the county and the wider South East.
Kent services →Essex
Independent IT governance, cyber risk advisory and supplier oversight for Essex businesses, from Chelmsford and Brentwood to Colchester and the East of England.
Essex services →Sussex
Senior IT advisory for Sussex SMEs including Brighton, Crawley, Horsham and across East and West Sussex.
Sussex services →Surrey
Independent IT oversight for commercially sophisticated Surrey SMEs across Guildford, Woking, Reigate and the wider commuter belt.
Surrey services →Nationally
Remote and hybrid engagement means geography is rarely a barrier. Northstar works with UK SMEs nationally.
Get in touch →