Challenge
Major operational complexity following the acquisition of multiple MSPs. Each business used different tools, lacked consistent processes, and had poor documentation. Engineers often worked without the information needed to resolve tickets efficiently, which slowed service delivery and impacted profitability.
Solution
ConnectWise tools were implemented to standardize operations across all businesses. The ConnectWise Platform™ unified RMM, ticketing, and documentation while improving visibility for engineers and customers. The company also introduced structured training and enforced consistent workflows across teams.
Results
About a 30% reduction in time to resolution, improved response times, and increased operational consistency. The company scaled from £15M to £62M in revenue and built a repeatable model for onboarding acquisitions.
BDR Group has grown from a telecom provider into a £62M managed service provider (MSP), with IT services now accounting for £38M of the business. Under CTO Owen Whitlock, Group Head of IT Solutions, the company has focused on scaling through mergers and acquisitions (M&A) while building a high-performance operational model.
M&A challenges: Complexity, inconsistency, and hidden risk
As BDR expanded, each acquisition introduced new challenges:
- Fragmented toolsets across businesses
- Lack of structured processes
- Poor, outdated, or nonexistent documentation
- Heavy reliance on community insight that wasn’t formally captured
In many cases, documentation had not been maintained since initial deployment, leaving engineers without the information needed to resolve tickets efficiently.
Standardizing for scale: How BDR unified operations with ConnectWise
The need for a scalable solution became undeniable during one of the most pivotal moments in BDR’s growth.
Just as the company secured its largest contract at the time with an NHS organization, COVID accelerated the shift to remote work almost overnight. The environment scaled from 400 to 4,000 remote users in a matter of days.
Working closely with key technology partners, the team rapidly deployed additional infrastructure and enabled full remote access, ensuring business continuity for a critical healthcare organization.
This moment demonstrated BDR’s ability to execute under pressure, but it also exposed a key challenge: scaling delivery is one thing; scaling it consistently is another.
As demand surged, particularly across healthcare, BDR needed a way to ensure every new customer and every acquired business could be supported with the same level of efficiency, visibility, and performance.
To address these challenges, BDR implemented ConnectWise as its core platform and strategic partner in its growth journey. Whitlock explained, “ConnectWise is a partnership. It’s not a vendor-supplier relationship.”
This allowed the company to:
- Consolidate RMM, ticketing, and documentation into a single, unified system
- Replace fragmented tools across acquired MSPs
- Improve visibility into customer environments for engineers
Standardization also enabled BDR to create a repeatable integration model, making it easier to onboard acquired MSPs and transition engineers into a consistent operating environment.
Internally, BDR reinforced adoption by embedding ConnectWise training into its engineer development programs. Certifications became part of the skills matrix, ensuring teams could fully use the ConnectWise Platform’s capabilities.
ConnectWise is a partnership. It’s not a vendor-supplier relationship.
Driving measurable results
The impact was immediate. Time to resolution dropped by around 30%, and response times improved across the board. Standardization also reduced complexity for engineers, allowing them to work more efficiently across multiple environments.
To reinforce these gains, BDR also introduced real-time KPI tracking across its seven offices. Engineers can see live performance metrics tied to SLAs and ticket outcomes, which creates accountability and drives continuous improvement.
Building trust through transparency
BDR also differentiated its customer experience through transparency.
Clients are given visibility into key systems, including ticketing, documentation, and monitoring environments. This level of openness builds trust and strengthens long-term relationships. As Whitlock notes, “The more information and visibility we give our customers, the more trust we have from them. The more trust we have from them, the more they’re going to buy.”
This increased visibility has helped BDR deepen customer trust, leading to stronger retention and greater long-term customer value. By combining ConnectWise with a standardized operating model, BDR has built a scalable foundation for sustained growth. The company continues to expand through acquisitions while maintaining service quality, improving operational efficiency, and driving long-term profitability.
Preparing for the future with AI and automation
With a strong operational foundation in place, BDR is now focused on the next phase of growth: autonomous, AI-driven service delivery. “AI is the tool that helps you get rid of all of the boring, everyday, repetitive tasks your engineers hate doing,” Whitlock said.
Key initiatives include:
- Automating documentation through integrations and APIs
- Implementing AI-driven ticket triage
- Reducing repetitive, low-value engineering tasks
As part of this evolution, ConnectWise continues to play a key role as a strategic partner. Whitlock also emphasized that bringing AI directly into the ConnectWise Platform reduces the need to build and maintain AI capabilities internally. Instead, BDR Group can focus its internal AI resources on customer innovation while relying on ConnectWise to advance core service automation. By bringing AI capabilities directly into the platform, ConnectWise is helping BDR accelerate its adoption of automation without needing to build every solution in-house.
The long-term vision is to:
- Deliver 24/7/365 support using AI
- Resolve tickets faster with fewer manual touchpoints
- Enable engineers to focus on higher-value, more engaging work
By removing repetitive tasks and improving access to information, AI is helping BDR increase efficiency while allowing engineers to spend more time on the areas of their role they enjoy most.
For BDR, growth through acquisition depends on consistency. By standardizing technology, processes, reporting, and engineer workflows on the ConnectWise Platform, the company has created an operational model that supports continued expansion without compromising service quality.
AI is the tool that helps you get rid of all of the boring, everyday, repetitive tasks your engineers hate doing.
Key Takeaways
- Standardization is critical for scaling MSP operations through acquisition
- Visibility and transparency improve both engineer efficiency and customer trust
- Automation and AI play a key role in reducing workload and improving service delivery
