Q2Q IT
Q2Q IT is a Lancaster-based managed IT services provider serving SMEs across the North West of England with recurring managed support, cybersecurity, cloud, backup, and IT consultancy built on Microsoft, AWS, Veeam and DNSFilter partner platforms.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersLancaster, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Q2Q IT does
Q2Q IT (legal entity Quarks to Quasars Ltd) is a managed IT services provider headquartered in Lancaster, North West England, serving small and medium-sized enterprises in and around Lancaster, Preston and the surrounding North West region. Founded in June 2004, the company offers an integrated portfolio that includes managed IT support, IT consultancy, cybersecurity (email protection, EDR, 2FA, patch management, penetration testing), backup and disaster recovery built on Veeam, managed cloud services across Microsoft Azure and AWS, networking, hosted communications covering Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, business internet connectivity, and a 36-point IT audit used as a lead generation and diagnostic tool.
The company's technology stack is partner-centric: Veeam for backup, DNSFilter with the CyberSight module for DNS-layer security, TeamViewer for remote support, and Microsoft's and AWS's cloud platforms for infrastructure. Recent product additions include a 24/7 Managed Detection and Response service, smarter email protection, Microsoft 365 backups and policy management, DNSFilter with CyberSight, and a Microsoft Copilot Readiness Assessment. Custom development work is limited to SQL- and Excel-based process automation for a key client.
Q2Q generates revenue primarily through recurring monthly managed service subscriptions, supplemented by project-based consultancy (data migration, office moves, IT mentoring) and pass-through cloud licensing/usage fees. Go-to-market is sales-led and consultative, anchored by a free 36-point IT audit that drives top-of-funnel leads, with the Managing Director personally involved in strategic discussions. New client acquisition is overwhelmingly referral-driven (95% of growth), and the company claims 100% customer retention. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, though documented client savings (e.g. £9,000+ on Microsoft 365 licensing) indicate mid-market contract sizes. Headcount stands at 16+ employees (up from 9 in 2020), turnover has roughly doubled since 2020, and the firm celebrated its 20-year anniversary in June 2024.
Q2Q IT firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Q2Q IT
- Legal name
- Quarks to Quasars Ltd
- Website
- https://q2q-it.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Q2Q IT is a Lancaster-based managed IT services provider serving SMEs across the North West of England with recurring managed support, cybersecurity, cloud, backup, and IT consultancy built on Microsoft, AWS, Veeam and DNSFilter partner platforms.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Q2Q IT industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Managed IT Services
- NAICS
- Computer Facilities Management Services (541513), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (5415), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Management Services (8741)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Cloud Managed Services (M365/Azure/AWS/GCP) (BPAEABAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- ITSM Managed Services (Run/Operate/Optimize) (BPAEAJAN), Cloud Operations Outsourcing (Cloud Managed Operations) (BPAEAMAC)
Keywords
Where Q2Q IT is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lancaster
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Q2Q IT business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Managed IT Support Services: Recurring monthly fees for comprehensive IT support packages including monitoring, maintenance, security, and helpdesk services. The company positions itself as a full IT department replacement for SMEs.
- IT Consultancy: Project-based and advisory services including crisis management, project management, data migration, IT mentoring, and office moves.
- Cloud Services Management: Ongoing management of AWS, Azure, and other cloud environments with associated licensing and usage fees.
- Security Services: Cybersecurity services including email threat protection, endpoint monitoring, 2FA management, patch management, penetration testing, and user impersonation testing.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | One time | Free IT Audit - Lead generation tool |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
Q2Q IT product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Q2Q IT is a managed IT service provider (MSP) delivering outsourced IT support, cybersecurity, cloud services (AWS/Azure), backup and disaster recovery, networking, hosted communications, business internet, and IT consultancy to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in North West England. The company operates as a complete IT department replacement, with tiered human engineer support (first/second/third line) and a free 36-point IT audit as a lead-conversion tool.
Product overview
Q2Q IT is an IT managed service provider (MSP) offering a comprehensive portfolio of IT support services for SMEs in the North West of England. The company operates as a unified service platform rather than a modular software product, providing IT consultancy, managed IT support, cybersecurity, backup/disaster recovery, cloud services, networking, hosted communications, internet services, and IT audits. The core service stack includes Managed IT Support as the primary offering, supplemented by Cybersecurity (covering email protection, EDR, 2FA, patch management, and security scans), Managed Cloud Services (AWS and Azure), Backup/Disaster Recovery (using Veeam), and IT Audit services. Recent expansions include advanced security offerings (MDR, Smarter Email Protection, Microsoft 365 Backups, Microsoft 365 Policy Management), DNSFilter with CyberSight for DNS security, and Microsoft Copilot Readiness Assessments for AI adoption preparation. The company also offers custom development consulting using SQL and Excel. All services are delivered through human technical specialists with tiered support (first, second, and third line engineers) and include a free IT audit for prospective clients.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- IT Consultancy Flexible IT advisory service for SMEs covering crisis management, project management, in-depth IT audits (36-point health check), data migration, mentoring for internal IT staff, and office move support.
- Cybersecurity
- Managed IT Support
- Backup, Disaster Recovery & Testing
- Proactive Monitoring
- Managed Cloud Services
- Networking Solutions
- Hosted Business Communication & Storage
- Business Internet Services
- IT Audit
- Managed Detection and Response (MDR) Round-the-clock threat monitoring service providing 24/7 security guard functionality with real specialists investigating alerts, filtering false alarms, and responding to contain incidents before they spread.
- Smarter Email Protection Advanced email security using contextual analysis to detect phishing, business email compromise, spear phishing, malicious links/attachments, and brand impersonation from banks, HMRC, Microsoft and others.
- Microsoft 365 Backups Third-party backup service for Microsoft 365 providing daily automated backups of emails, Teams, SharePoint and OneDrive with fast restoration and point-in-time recovery capabilities.
- Microsoft 365 Policy Management Centralised Microsoft 365 management service ensuring consistent multi-factor authentication, security settings, and policy enforcement across all users with alerts for policy violations.
- DNSFilter with CyberSight DNS security filtering with CyberSight module providing enhanced visibility and stronger threat detection tools for monitoring DNS requests and blocking malicious websites, phishing links, and harmful content.
- Microsoft Copilot Readiness Assessment Tenant AI Readiness Assessment evaluating Microsoft 365 licensing, Copilot eligibility, security controls, MFA, identity management, SharePoint/OneDrive structure, data governance, and AI readiness with detailed reporting and roadmap.
- Custom Software Development
Quantifiable outcome
- 100% customer retention rate
- +7 more outcomes
Companies that use Q2Q IT
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Q2Q IT technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration6 records
AI capability5 records
Feature3 records
Q2Q IT partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- VeeamcoreVeeam is described as 'the gold standard' for business continuity and backup solutions. Q2Q leverages Veeam backup technology to provide fast, secure, and reliable backups for clients. Q2Q handles everything from setup and monitoring to troubleshooting of Veeam backups.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Q2Q IT competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- QuoStar: UK IT outsourcing and managed services provider for SMEs and mid-market with similar Microsoft 365, cloud, and infrastructure support capabilities to Q2Q.
- Littlefish: UK-based managed IT services provider serving SMEs and mid-market clients with end-to-end IT support, cloud, and cybersecurity — a near-identical service profile to Q2Q, operating at a comparable scale across the UK.
- ramsac: UK managed IT support and cybersecurity provider focused on SMEs, with similar recurring-fee managed services, helpdesk, and Microsoft 365 expertise — same customer profile and delivery model as Q2Q.
- Netstar UK: UK-based IT support company providing managed IT services, cloud, and cybersecurity to SMEs — directly comparable in service portfolio, customer segment, and regional delivery model.
- Babble (UK): UK MSP offering managed IT support, cloud, telephony, and cybersecurity to SMEs and mid-market — overlapping service portfolio with Q2Q, particularly in Microsoft 365 and cloud managed services.
- OneStop IT Solutions: UK-based managed IT services provider delivering outsourced IT support, cloud services, and cybersecurity to SMEs — directly comparable to Q2Q in service mix and customer targeting.
- Covenco Recovery Services: UK MSP with strong Veeam backup and disaster recovery focus, plus managed IT and cloud services — closely comparable to Q2Q's backup/DR and managed service capabilities, with a similar SME-mid-market focus.
- Totality Services: London-based managed IT services and cloud provider for SMEs — comparable service portfolio (managed IT, cloud, security) and UK SME customer base as Q2Q.
Broad incumbents
- Daisy Corporate Services: Large UK managed services provider with broad IT support, cloud, and communications offerings — competes in the same SME/MSP space but at much larger scale and with a wider portfolio.
- Softcat: UK-based IT infrastructure provider and Microsoft/Azure partner delivering licensing, cloud, and managed services to mid-market — a broader incumbent with overlapping Microsoft/Cloud managed services practice.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Q2Q IT social profiles
Digital presenceQ2Q IT financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Q2Q IT leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles15 records
Q2Q IT funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Q2Q IT M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Q2Q IT
What does Q2Q IT do?
Q2Q IT is a managed IT service provider (MSP) delivering outsourced IT support, cybersecurity, cloud services (AWS/Azure), backup and disaster recovery, networking, hosted communications, business internet, and IT consultancy to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in North West England. The company operates as a complete IT department replacement, with tiered human engineer support (first/second/third line) and a free 36-point IT audit as a lead-conversion tool.
Is Q2Q IT a public or private company?
Q2Q IT is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Q2Q IT founded?
Q2Q IT was founded in 2004. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Q2Q IT based?
Q2Q IT is headquartered in Lancaster, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Q2Q IT make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Managed IT Support Services are the primary driver. The others are IT Consultancy, cloud Services Management and security Services.
Who are Q2Q IT's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are QuoStar, Littlefish, ramsac, Netstar UK, Babble (UK), OneStop IT Solutions, Covenco Recovery Services and Totality Services. Broad incumbents are Daisy Corporate Services and Softcat.
Does Q2Q IT have an API?
No public API is recorded for Q2Q IT.
What industry is Q2Q IT in?
Q2Q IT's product category is Managed IT Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAEABAE, Cloud Managed Services (M365/Azure/AWS/GCP), with a secondary code of BPAEAJAN, ITSM Managed Services (Run/Operate/Optimize). Its NAICS code is 541513 and its SIC code is 7370.