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About CMS Group
Technology, run with intent.
Not a better MSP. A different category. We wiped the slate clean and designed what a technology partner should be when technology is no longer a support function, but the operating model.
CMS Group is a Technology Management Consultancy. Strategy is built in, visibility replaces opacity, and service excellence earns the right to lead.
In summary
CMS Group is a Technology Management Consultancy. We help ambitious organisations turn technology from a reactive cost into a strategically led business capability by combining managed-service excellence, embedded strategic leadership, and CMS Strata.
- 98% client retention; multi-decade partnerships (e.g. Village Hotels since 1995)
- 45+ technology specialists; 24/7 in-house support
- StrategyOS for embedded vCIO leadership; CMS Strata for transparency
- ISO 27001, Cyber Essentials Plus, Microsoft Solutions Partner
- Member of Lyra Technology Group
35+
Years of operational proof
98%
Multi-decade retention
45+
In-house specialists, no offshoring
24/7
Cover, named pod
Rated “Excellent” on customer satisfaction. Multi-decade partnerships, not transactional contracts. Village Hotels since 1995.
What Makes Us Different
Why CMS, in four lines.
Embedded strategic leadership, governed visibility, named in-house delivery, multi-decade retention. The argument, with proof under each line.
Strategic Governance
We Act as Your Lead IT Authority
We own roadmap, budget, vendor ecosystem, and digital transformation. StrategyOS is standard, not an add-on.
StrategyOS included as standard
Radical Transparency
You See What We See
Through CMS Strata, your leadership team gets live visibility, scored health, roadmap clarity, and real-time reporting.
Real-time client cockpit
Operational Excellence
A Named Pod, Not a Call Centre
Direct access to a named, in-house team. 18-second average response. 87% first-contact resolution. All support in-house, no offshoring.
99.94% SLA attainment
Long-term Partnership
We're Invested in Your Success
98% client retention. Village Hotels partnership since 1995. We compete on outcomes that make you want to stay.
Partnerships since 1995
Our story
The honest turning point.
By every conventional measure, we were succeeding inside the category. A high-performance MSP. Strong numbers. Loyal clients. Multi-decade tenure that spoke for itself.
Then two things became obvious. Nearly every IT MSP in the market is doing the same thing the same way with the same Microsoft-centric stack, then marketing differentiation that does not really exist. And the depth of strategy our category typically offers is too narrow. It is about the stack, the architecture, the licensing posture. It is not about the business.
The clients we serve do not need a deeper conversation about Microsoft licensing. They need a partner who can think alongside their leadership team about what technology should do for the business they are building, including the line-of-business systems and operational decisions that sit outside the typical MSP scope.
So we asked the harder question. If we wiped the slate clean and designed a technology partnership from the ground up, what would it be?
That question is what produced CMS as a Technology Management Consultancy. StrategyOS is the methodology. CMS Strata is the proof layer. 35 years of operational learning is the floor. Strategy is the relationship.
What we refuse to do
- Pretend more polish on the old MSP model is the answer.
- Sell strategy as an annual workshop or an invoiced add-on.
- Hide behind opaque reporting and quarterly executive summaries.
- Win deals on price and lose them on competence eighteen months later.
Part of Lyra Technology Group
Part of Lyra Technology Group, a collective of specialist technology companies. Local partnership with the depth of a broader operating group, on your terms.
Clients keep the named pod and the service they signed up for, with access to wider specialist capability when an engagement calls for it.
Why now
What we believe.
Technology has changed sides.
For three decades, technology supported the business. It is now the operating model. The category that supported you yesterday cannot lead you tomorrow.
Technology is no longer a support function. It is the operating model.
We design and govern that operating model alongside leadership teams. Tickets and response times are floor-level competence. The real value lives in roadmap, architecture, spend governance, and the line-of-business systems where decisions are actually made.
The MSP model was built for a world where technology was background. That world is over.
We are not arguing the model is bad. We are arguing it is incomplete. Operational excellence is the floor, not the product. The categories that win the next decade reposition above commodity service delivery.
Strategy is not an add-on. It is the relationship.
Most providers sell strategy as a workshop, a slide deck, an annual review, an extra fee. We have made it the relationship itself. Strategic leadership is built into every CMS partnership, evidenced by StrategyOS, CMS Strata, and multi-decade tenure.
This is what it looks like to run technology with intent.
Technology, run with intent.
What we are not
Not a better MSP. A different category.
We sit above the commodity service layer, grounded in real delivery. Strategy is built in, visibility replaces opacity, and the conversation moves beyond the Microsoft stack into the line-of-business systems and operational decisions where real value lives.
A commodity MSP with better reporting.
A Technology Management Consultancy with governance, roadmap ownership, and Strata visibility as standard.
A sales-led reseller operation.
A client-side advocate. We are paid to represent your interests, not a vendor's channel margin.
A consultancy that leaves static PDFs behind.
Embedded strategic leadership inside a live operating model. StrategyOS runs continuously, not annually.
A pure software company pretending services do not matter.
A delivery-grounded partner. CMS Strata is the proof layer, not the product. Real people sit behind every metric.
A hospitality-only player.
Forged in hospitality. Proven across manufacturing, healthcare, architects, and professional services where complexity is high.
We wiped the slate clean and designed what a technology partner should be when technology is no longer just a function. Strategy is already in.
“We're invested in your long-term success, not billable hours. Our job is to make your technology a competitive advantage.”
Meet the Leadership Team
A named pod around every workstream, not a high-turnover helpdesk.
Senior Leadership
Oliver Coop
Sales Director
13 Years @ CMS
Oliver leads CMS Group's client acquisition and account management strategy, focusing on building lasting partnerships with ambitious organisations. He is also closely involved in special projects and strategic initiatives. His consultative approach ensures clients receive tailored technology solutions aligned with their business objectives.
Darcy Coop
Managing Director
13 Years @ CMS
Darcy leads CMS Group as a trusted Technology Management Consultancy serving organisations across the UK, with a focus on strategic partnerships and long-term client success. She ensures CMS delivers on its promise of transforming IT into competitive advantage.
Paul Cowburn
Technical Director
4 Years @ CMS
Paul oversees CMS Group's technical strategy and professional services delivery. With deep expertise in cloud architecture, security, and infrastructure modernisation, he ensures clients benefit from best-practice implementations and forward-thinking technology roadmaps.
Senior Consultants
Sam Bates
Senior Consultant
14 Years @ CMS
Sam leads our professional services team, delivering complex transformation projects and strategic initiatives for clients. His extensive experience spans infrastructure modernisation, cloud migration, and operational optimisation across multiple sectors.
Chris McMillan
Senior Consultant / Security Lead
3 Years @ CMS
Chris leads our professional services delivery and security practice, ensuring clients benefit from secure, well-governed technology implementations and robust cyber resilience.
Key Management
Dale Hooper
Head of Service
9 Years @ CMS
Josie Cross
Executive Assistant
14 Years @ CMS
Kim Fazackerley
Accounts Manager
2 Years @ CMS
Our Values
Four principles that shape every engagement, every recommendation, every quarterly review.
Strategic Partnership
Strategic leadership is embedded in the relationship, not invoiced as an extra. Roadmap ownership and governance are part of the engagement.
Radical Transparency
Through CMS Strata you see what we see. Live visibility, scored health, governed roadmap, no black box.
We Build What the Market Lacks
Proprietary systems including CMS Strata and our AI augmentation layer prove the model. We build operating-model capability, not just consume tools.
Business Alignment
Every technical decision ties to a business outcome. Governed spend, governed risk, a roadmap you co-own.
Certifications & Accreditations
Independently audited. ISO 27001 and Cyber Essentials Plus, held continuously, not as decoration.
ISO 27001
Information Security Management
Cyber Essentials Plus
UK Government-backed Certification
Microsoft Solutions Partner
Modern Work & Security
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Cover, governance, and roadmap, in one model.