One Supplier or Five? Why more North East Businesses are consolidating their tech.
For many businesses, technology has grown one service at a time.
A printer supplier was appointed when the office expanded. An IT company came in later. Then a separate telecoms provider supplied the business phone systems, while another contractor handled broadband, Wi-Fi or cabling.
Each decision may have made sense at the time. But over the years, this can leave you managing several contracts, invoices, support numbers and renewal dates.
More businesses across Newcastle, Northumberland and Durham are now reviewing that arrangement. Instead of working with five separate suppliers, they’re considering one trusted partner for managed print services, managed IT services, connectivity and business phone systems.
That doesn’t mean one supplier is always the right answer. A specialist may still be the best choice for a highly specific requirement. But where your services overlap, consolidation can make day-to-day support simpler and more accountable.
The Real Cost Of Managing Multiple Suppliers
The cost of separate suppliers isn’t limited to the figures on your invoices.
There’s also the time spent checking contracts, arranging visits, explaining the same issue to different support teams and working out who should take responsibility when something breaks.
Multiple Invoices And Renewal Dates
With separate suppliers, you may receive different invoices for:
Printer hardware, toner and servicing
IT support and Microsoft licensing
Business phone systems and call charges
Broadband, leased lines and Wi-Fi
Cyber security and cloud services
This makes it harder to see your total technology spend. It can also mean that different services renew at different times, making budgeting and planning more difficult.
Blame-Shifting When Something Goes Wrong
Technology services are connected.
A printer problem may actually relate to a network setting. A phone system fault may be linked to your internet connection. A new firewall rule could affect remote access or cloud applications.
When several suppliers are involved, it’s easy for each one to say the problem sits elsewhere. You’re then left coordinating the investigation, even though you may not have the technical information to do so.
Waiting On Several Support Desks
If you have separate suppliers for print, IT and telecoms, you may also have separate support processes.
You might need to:
Call the printer supplier.
Wait for your IT provider to check the network.
Contact the telecoms company about the phone system.
Explain the issue again to each team.
Coordinate the next steps yourself.
That takes time away from your staff and can delay a fix.
Nobody Owns The Whole Picture
A supplier may understand its own service very well, but not how it affects the rest of your technology.
Without an overall view, you may end up with systems that work individually but don’t work together as efficiently as they could.
What Consolidation Can Change
Consolidating your technology services means appointing one lead provider to assess, supply and support several connected areas.
That could include managed IT services, managed print services, hosted telephony, connectivity, cyber security and cloud services.
The practical difference is ownership.
Instead of asking you to decide which supplier should deal with a fault, one provider can investigate the wider environment and coordinate the right response.
One Point Of Contact
A single point of contact gives your team a clearer route to support.
You know where to raise the issue, who will manage it and what happens next. You don’t need to become the link between your printer, network and phone system suppliers.
This is particularly useful for small and medium-sized businesses without a dedicated internal IT department.
It can also help larger businesses with several sites. A Newcastle office, a Durham branch and a Northumberland warehouse may have different requirements, but a lead provider can help maintain consistent support across them.
One Set Of Service Levels
A consolidated arrangement can also bring your support expectations together.
Your agreement should explain:
Which services are covered
How to report faults
Expected response times
How urgent issues are prioritised
Which parts, labour or callouts are included
When onsite support is available
Who reviews service performance
The exact service levels will depend on your needs. A small office may need straightforward business-hours support. A multi-site organisation may require more structured escalation and monitoring.
The important point is that responsibilities are clear.
For example, NEBS’s managed print contracts include parts, labour, callouts and toner, with an average callout response time of under 3 hours. A similar level of clarity should apply across the services you choose to consolidate.
Better Planning Across Print, IT And Telecoms
A joined-up provider can look at how your systems work together.
That may include:
Checking whether your printers are positioned and configured efficiently
Reviewing how documents are scanned, stored and shared
Assessing your network before introducing new business phone systems
Planning broadband, Wi-Fi and cabling improvements together
Aligning cyber security controls with remote working and cloud services
Recommending hardware and software that fit your existing setup
This is where IT consultancy services can be useful. Rather than starting with a product, a proper review starts with your working practices, risks, budget and plans for growth.
Potential Savings, But Look Beyond The Headline Price
Consolidation may reduce costs, but it shouldn’t be presented as an automatic saving.
The value may come from reducing duplication and improving control. For example:
Fewer separate support contracts
Fewer supplier visits
Clearer usage information
Better control of print volumes
Less downtime while suppliers investigate faults
More efficient hardware and software purchasing
Easier budgeting through defined monthly costs
You should compare the full cost of your current setup with the proposed arrangement. Include staff time, emergency callouts, unused licences, equipment leases, consumables and downtime.
A lower monthly figure is not useful if it removes support you genuinely need.
Consolidation Does Not Mean Giving Up Choice
One concern businesses often have is that using one provider will limit their options.
That depends on the provider.
An independent supplier isn’t tied to one manufacturer or one technology platform. This means it can compare suitable options rather than automatically recommending the same product for every business.
At NEBS, we work with brands including Konica Minolta, Xerox, Lexmark, Microsoft, SonicWall and others. The right choice depends on what you need, what you already have and what your budget allows.
You should still ask how recommendations are made. A good provider will explain the options, including where a different supplier or specialist may be more appropriate.
When Keeping A Specialist Makes Sense
A single integrated provider may not be right for every service or every business.
You may want to retain a specialist if you have:
High-volume production printing with complex finishing requirements
A specialist contact centre or call-handling platform
Highly regulated technology requirements
A large internal IT team with established supplier relationships
A complex security environment requiring a dedicated specialist
Existing equipment or contracts that would be expensive to replace early
A hybrid model can work well. You might appoint one lead provider for everyday IT, office print, connectivity and telephony, while retaining a specialist for production print or a particular security requirement.
The aim isn’t to reduce your supplier list at any cost. It’s to remove unnecessary fragmentation while keeping specialist expertise where it adds real value.
Questions To Ask Before Consolidating
Before moving services to one provider, ask the following questions.
About Capability
Do you provide managed IT services, managed print services and business phone systems directly?
Which services are delivered by your own team, and which are subcontracted?
Can you support our locations across Newcastle, Northumberland, Durham and beyond?
Do you have experience with businesses of our size and sector?
About Support
Who will be our main point of contact?
What are your response and resolution targets?
What happens if an issue affects more than one service?
Is onsite support available?
What support is included outside normal working hours?
About Contracts And Costs
Can you provide one clear overview of all monthly and additional charges?
Which parts, labour, callouts, toner, licences and maintenance are included?
Are there minimum terms or automatic renewals?
What happens if our requirements change?
Can services be added or reduced as we grow?
About Independence
Are you tied to a particular manufacturer or network?
Will you explain alternative options?
Can you work with our existing equipment where it remains suitable?
Will you identify where keeping a specialist supplier makes sense?
About Implementation
What happens to our current contracts?
How will you minimise disruption during the changeover?
Will you document our systems and provide staff training?
Who owns the project and communicates progress?
What will the first 30, 60 and 90 days look like?
A Practical Way To Start
You don’t need to move every service at once.
Start by listing your current suppliers, contracts, monthly costs and key renewal dates. Note where responsibilities overlap and where support has been slow or unclear.
Then group your services into three areas:
Print: printers, photocopiers, scanning and document workflows
IT: hardware, software, networks, cyber security and cloud services
Telecoms: phone systems, broadband, Wi-Fi, cabling and connectivity
This will show you where a single provider could simplify your setup and where specialist support remains valuable.
A provider should be willing to review your current arrangement without asking you to commit immediately. The conversation should focus on what you already have, what isn’t working and what you’re likely to need next.
One Trusted Partner, Where It Makes Sense
For many businesses, consolidating connected services can reduce administration and make support more straightforward.
You have one point of contact. One set of service levels. One provider with responsibility for understanding the wider picture.
But consolidation should be based on suitability, not fashion. If a specialist provides genuine value, there may be no reason to replace them. The right arrangement could be one integrated provider, one lead provider with a small number of specialists, or your existing multi-supplier model with clearer responsibilities.
At North East Business Systems, we provide managed print, IT support, IT consultancy services, hosted telephony, connectivity and cyber security from our base in Seaton Burn. We support businesses across Newcastle, Northumberland, Durham and the wider UK.
We’re happy to review your current setup and explain where consolidation may help, and where it may not. There’s no obligation and no hard sell.
Request a free consultation with NEBS or call us on 0191 691 3300. You’ll receive practical advice based on your services, budget and business plans.
For more information about our print capabilities, you can also read how production printers can support business efficiency.